First Aid

Hand Washing

1. Wet your hands with clean running water (warm if available) and apply soap.

2. Rub hands together and rub all surfaces of hands and fingers for at least 20 seconds. Don’t forget your wrist.!

3. Rinse hands with lots of running water

4. Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet

Personal Protections

Gloves to protect your hands from blood and other body fluids

Eye protection, such as goggles

Mask to protect you when you give breaths

Gown to protect you from getting blood and body fluid on your clothes.

Blood borne Diseases

Blood borne diseases are caused by germs. A rescuer may catch a disease if germs in someone else's blood or body fluids enter the rescuers body, often by mouth or eyes or a cut on the skin.

Types of Blood borne Diseases

1. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus caused by AIDS

2. Hepatitis B

3. Hepatitis C

Exposure to Blood

1. If you are wearing gloves, take them off

2. Immediately wash your hands and the contact area with soap and lots of water

3. If body fluids have splattered in your eyes, nose, or inside of your mouth, rinse these areas with lots of water

4. Tell your company's emergency response program supervisor what happened as soon as possible

Assess the Scene

DANGER: look out for danger to you and the injured person.

HELP: look for people that can help you and look for telephones

WHO: Who’s injured?

WHERE: Where are you? Be specific.

First Aid Kit

Some things that need to be in a first aid kit:

1. Cold pack

2. Eye/skin wash

3. Gloves

4. Sterile pad

5. Bandage compress 2, 3, and 4 inches.

6. Heartsaver first aid quick reference guide*

Taking off Gloves

1. Grip 1 glove on the outside of the glove near the cuff and peel it down until it comes off inside out

2. Cup it with your other hand

3. Place 2 fingers of your bare hand inside the cuff of that clove that is still on your hand.

4. Peel that glove off so that it comes off inside out with the first glove inside.

5. Wash hands after giving first aid so that you don’t spread germs

How to phone for help: alone1. Yell for help before checking the person

2. If no ones answers immediate care isn't needed

Leave for a moment while you phone 911

Get the first aid kit and the AED, if available

How to phone for help: With others

1. Stay with the ill or injured person and be prepared to give first aid or CPR if you know how.

2. Send someone else to phone your emergency response number and get the first aid kit and AED if available

Breathing Problems

You can tell if someone is having trouble breathing if the person is

Is breathing very fast or slow

Having trouble with every breath

Has noisy breathing such as a sound or whistle as air enters or

leaves the lungs

They can only speak a few words

Inhalers

Inhalers are made up of 2 parts: the medicine chamber and the mouthpiece.

Spacers can be attached to make it easier for the person with the breathing problem to inhale all the medicine.

Choking in an adult

Choking can be:

Mild vs. Severe Choking

You’ll learn:

How to help a Choking Adult

How to help a Choking Adult who stops responding

Choking

Choking-is when food or another object gets stuck in the airway in the throat.

The object stops air from getting to the lungs.

Mild Choking

If someone can make sounds, or can cough loudly.

The block in the airway is Mild

And you should, stand by and let the person cough or if your worried call 911

Severe Choking

If someone cannot breathe or has a cough that has no sound, cannot talk or make any sound, or makes the choking sign

The block in the airway is Severe

And you should act quickly and follow the steps to help a choking adult

How to help a Choking Adult

When someone has severe choking, give thrusts slightly above the belly button. These thrusts are sometimes called the Heimlich maneuver. Like a cough, each thrust pushes air from the lungs. This can help remove an object that is blocking the airway

Help a Choking Large person or Pregnant Woman

If someone is choking and is in the late stages or pregnancy or is very large and you cant wrap your arms fully around the waist, give thrusts on the chest, instead of thrusts on the abdomen.

Allergic Reactions

Some states and organizations permit first aid rescuers to help people use their epinephrine pens. People who carry epinephrine pens usually know when and how to use them

You may help give the injection if you are approved to do so by your state regulations and by your company

Epinephrine Pens

An epinephrine pen will help someone with a severe allergic reaction breathe more easily.

It contains a small amount of medicine that can be injected though clothing.

It usually take several minutes before the medicine starts to work.

The epinephrine injection is given in the side of the thigh

Mild vs. Severe Allergic Reactions

Mild Allergic Reaction can consist of:

A stuffy nose, sneezing and itching around the eyes

Itching of the skin

Raised, red rash on the skin (hives)

Severe Allergic Reaction can consist of:

Trouble breathing

Swelling of the tongue and face

Signs of shock