First aid basics

Before you help

1. 1

   Check the scene

   Before you rush in, look around. Is it safe for you? Don't become a second person who needs help.

2. 2

   Get help

   Tell an adult right away. If someone is badly hurt, call 911 or send someone to call, and say exactly where you are.

3. 3

   Protect yourself

   Put on gloves from a first aid kit before touching blood or other body fluids, and wash your hands afterward.

4. 4

   Check the person

   Are they awake and talking? Breathing normally? Bleeding badly? The most serious problems get help first.

5. 5

   Help and stay with them

   Give the care you know how to give, keep them calm and comfortable, and stay until an adult or emergency help takes over.

Common problems and what to do

• Cuts and scrapes

  Rinse with clean water and wash around the wound with soap. Press with a clean cloth or gauze to stop bleeding, then cover with a bandage. Tell an adult if it gets red, swollen, warm, or oozes later — signs of infection.

• Serious bleeding

  Call 911. Wearing gloves, press hard on the wound with gauze or a clean cloth and keep pressing. If blood soaks through, add more on top instead of lifting the first layer.

• Minor burns

  Cool the burn under cool (not icy) running water for at least 10 minutes. Don't use ice, butter, or creams, and don't pop blisters. Cover loosely with a clean dressing. Get medical help for burns that are large or deep, or on the face, hands, feet, or joints.

• Blisters and hot spots

  Stop at the first hot spot — a rubbing, warm feeling — and cover it with moleskin, tape, or a blister bandage before a blister forms. Leave blisters unpopped; if one breaks, wash it and cover it.

• Insect stings

  Scrape a stinger out sideways with a fingernail or card edge, then use a cold, damp cloth. Watch for an allergic reaction — trouble breathing, a swelling face or throat, hives — and call 911 if you see one. If the person has their own epinephrine auto-injector, help them use it.

• Tick bites

  Grip the tick with fine-tipped tweezers as close to the skin as you can and pull straight out with steady pressure, without twisting. Wash the spot, tell an adult, and watch for a rash or fever over the next few weeks.

• Sprains and strains

  Rest the injury and keep weight off it. Hold a cold pack wrapped in cloth on it for about 20 minutes at a time, and raise it if you can. Get it checked if the person can't put weight on it or it looks out of shape.

• Nosebleeds

  Sit up and lean forward (not back), and pinch the soft part of the nose for about 10 minutes without letting go to check.

• Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

  Heavy sweating, pale or clammy skin, headache, weakness, or nausea mean heat exhaustion: move to shade, loosen clothing, cool with wet cloths, and have them sip water if they're alert. Hot skin, confusion, or fainting can be heatstroke — call 911 and cool them quickly.

• Hypothermia

  Shivering, clumsiness, slurred words, or confusion in cold or wet weather mean the body is losing too much heat. Get out of the wind and wet, change into dry clothes, add layers or a sleeping bag, and give warm drinks if they're alert. Call 911 if they're very confused or stop shivering.

• Choking

  Someone who can't cough, talk, or breathe needs help right away. Call 911 (or have someone call) and give abdominal thrusts if you've been trained.

• Shock

  After a serious injury, watch for pale, cool, clammy skin, fast breathing, weakness, or confusion. Call 911, help them lie down, keep them warm, and don't give food or drink.

Your personal first aid kit

Pack a small kit in a zip-top bag for every hike and campout. Check it before each trip and replace what you used.

• Adhesive bandages in a few sizes
• Gauze pads and adhesive tape
• Moleskin or blister bandages
• Soap or antiseptic wipes
• Disposable gloves (not latex) and a CPR breathing barrier
• Small scissors and fine-tipped tweezers
• A triangle bandage or bandanna for a sling
• Any medicine you take, with a parent or guardian's OK and following your unit's rules
• A card with emergency contacts