First
Aid
is
when you care for a person who is hurt until other help can get
there. Accidents and injuries happen once in a while. There are
all kinds of accidents and injuries; from simple scrapes and cuts
to very serious accidents. How can you help?
You need
to act fast, get help and try your best to stay calm. You can save
a life just as much as anybody can!
The most
important thing to remember is to dial 
.
The person who takes your call will ask you questions about what
is wrong and will let you know how you can help the injured person
until the other help gets there. If there are no telephones where
you are, you will need to find help from others who are nearby.
Here are some general
first aid tips for common injuries:
Bleeding —
if you or someone you know gets cut and it seems to be more than
a simple scrape or minor cut you should:
-
Apply
pressure.
- Raise the bleeding
part above the person's heart.
-
Call
for help.
- Do not put medicine
on the wound, wait for help to arrive.
Broken
Bones — 
- Keep the broken part
from moving, try to keep it very still.
- Have the person lie
down.
- Get help from an adult
or call for help
if there is no adult with you.
Burns — first,
see what type of burn it is and then treat it in one of the following
ways:
- First degree -
the skin will be red and dry and this kind of burn is usually very
painful.
- there will be redness
and pain, no blisters and the area may also swell
- hold the burn under
cold/cool, running water
- do not apply butter
or ointments, let an adult figure out if an antibiotic oinment
is needed
- Second degree -
the skin may look wet, this burn is usually very painful and often
swells.
- there will be redness
and blisters, this is burned past the first layer of skin
- get help right
away
- do not put ice
or icey water on it, this will cause body heat loss
- do not break the
blisters
- do not use cotton
balls to clean the area
- do not apply any
ointments, let a doctor decide how to treat this burn
- Third degree -
- this burn will appear
brown or black with the part under it sometimes looking white
- the burn can either
be very painful or if the burn has damaged nerves, there can be
little or no pain in the burned area
- do not try to treat
this type of burn
- call for help ,
this burn type needs to be treated at a hospital as soon as possible
Here are some safety
tips for common dangers:
Water Safety —
swimming lessons are a good step at helping you to be safe in the
water, but they don't make you "drown-proof". You need to
follow other water safety rules as well:
- Never swim alone, always
swim with a buddy. Swimming alone is very dangerous.
- Do not dive into water
unless you have learned the right way to dive, an adult is nearby
and the water you are diving into is over 9 feet deep.
- Learn how to use rescue
equipment and know where emergency phone numbers are kept.
- When taking part in
water sports like boating, jet skiing or water skiing you should
wear a life jacket or other personal safety device that is US Coast
Guard-approved. It is also a good idea to wear them around open
water such as oceans, rivers and lakes due to the changes in currents,
waves and undertows that are hard to stay aware of.
-
Get
help from someone nearby or call for help
if you see someone drowning and cannot get to them by yourself.
Guns (firearms) —
GUNS ARE NOT TOYS! Playing or goofing around with a gun or
rifle can be deadly or cause a very serious injury, to avoid such
a horrible accident you should:
- Never touch or play
with a gun. Even if you think you know it isn't loaded.
- Never point a gun at
anyone, even if you are just playing. You could kill your friend
or family member and will not be able to get them back. Make no
mistake, real guns do KILL!
- If you find a gun,
tell an adult right away or call
if no adult is around. DO NOT TOUCH THE GUN! Get away from the area
until an adult can help.
- If someone else is
playing with a real gun, ask them to put it down, but DO NOT try
to take the gun away because it could go off by accident. Leave
the area and tell an adult or call
if no adult is around.
- If you go to a friend
or relative's house and you see or find a gun that you can reach,
ask an adult in the home to put the gun away for safety. When your
parents pick you up, tell them about it so that they can see it
doesn't happen again. If an adult in the home will not or does not
put the gun away after you ask them to, know that it is okay for
you to call your parents to come and get you if you want to go home.
- If you use a rifle
as a tool for hunting, make sure that you are trained the right
way about how to use and care for it by an adult who has experience.
Always be careful and remember that the rifle is not a toy, it can
hurt you or those you care about if not used with caution.
CALL
|
AS SOON AS YOU
CAN IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS SHOT WITH A GUN OR RIFLE!
ACTING QUICKLY
CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE OR DEATH!
|
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