30 Basic First Aid Tips That Can Save A Life During Emergencies
Skip the Grey's Anatomy rewatch and read these first-aid basics!
A 28-year-old woman refused to stop pacing long enough to call emergency services when her friend went down in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Everyone around them froze, like the whole scene was a slow-motion episode of a medical drama, and nobody wanted to be the first person to act.
Then it got messy fast: someone yelled “Help” instead of “Fire,” a couple of people kept talking about tracheostomies like it was something you could just wing, and one person even started moving the suspected spinal injury victim because they “couldn’t stand watching.” Meanwhile, another friend tried to remember CPR steps from memory, fumbled for an AED, and worried about whether aspirin was safe in the first place.
By the time the right person finally got on emergency services, the only thing they could think was, here’s how the tiniest delay turned into the whole emergency.
1. Avoid the bystander effect by directing a specific person to contact emergency services.
femmemmah2. Binge-watching a syndicated medical drama does not make you a medical professional. Do not perform a tracheostomy haphazardly!
JumpDaddy923. Learn CPR
child234, small_pint_of_lazy
Learn the different kinds of CPR for people of varying age groups.
Dreammemek
4. Ensure that the person is not allergic to aspirin before administering it.
TheUselessOne87, sazrah
5. Learn how to properly handle a fire extinguisher.
MolassesReef, sg22throwaway, grimmcild
6. Familiarize yourself with the signs of low blood sugar.
3mothsinatrenchcoat
7. Another important aspect of CPR.
kiwiiikee, Wessssss21
8. Pay attention to your surroundings, especially when you're in an unfamiliar place.
JamesRitchey, OrchidBest
9. Carry Narcan; it is given out for free in some places.
StrawberriesRGood4U
Expect the other person to react wildly and dodge!
ModernSmith, Marauder424
10. Look into purchasing a LifeVac anti-choking device.
Whyyyyyyyyfire, Minimum_Board_364
11. Pay attention to your gut instincts.
After-Opportunity-61
12. We live in a world where mass shootings happen, so it's best to remember this.
Frequent_Ad9656
13. Properly placed tourniquets save lives.
AngelWithAShotgun00
14. Yell "Fire!" instead of "Help!"
AnnBell62
This is similar to the Mount Everest dilemma, where someone wondered if they should leave an unprepared friend behind.
15. Always bring honey when you go hiking.
Ivymantled
16. Learn how to use AEDs or Automated External Defibrillators.
TheOnewhoFixes
17. Place people in the recovery position to prevent them from choking on their saliva or vomit.
PaulyRocket68
18. Take the person to the hospital immediately after administering the EpiPen.
Skunkernator, clarice_loves_geese
19. Do not take concussions lightly.
Reddit user
20. Recognize the signs of a stroke; they differ for men and women.
Thesleepypomegranate
21. Change your voicemail to your last recognizable location if your phone is dying while you're lost in the wilderness. Also, look into the What 3 Words app.
ThisGuyIRLv2
22. Honey can be used as first aid for someone who ingested a battery every 10 minutes, up to 6 times, while waiting to get to the hospital.
StickiSmurph
23. Leave the myth of using a tampon to stop the bleed from a bullet wound in the past. Go to a hospital!
Reddit user
24. Do not move someone suspected of having a spinal injury.
SathanSax
25. Memorize the signs of a crowd crush.
snowstormspawn
26. Epilepsy first aid!
SwiggityStag
It's also advisable to place a cushion or something soft below their head.
SwiggityStag
27. Do not remove the object the person was impaled by. Stabilize it and call emergency services.
Reddit user
28. Do this even when you're meeting someone for a date.
dsyzdek
29. If a person suffering from depression suddenly "snaps out" of it, check on them.
greem
30. Most importantly, take a first aid class if possible. Some fire departments and non-profit organizations conduct them for free.
Least-Designer7976
Bonus Tips:
OnixPanther
Do not jump into unfamiliar waters!
OnixPanther
That’s when the bystander effect kicked in, and the friend who finally grabbed the phone felt like the only adult in the lot.
Right after someone tried to “handle it like TV,” the crowd started shouting the wrong words, and the scene got more dangerous by the second.
When the aspirin question came up, everyone argued instead of checking allergies, and the AED hunt turned into a scavenger mission.
Then the recovery position, the tourniquet, and the “don’t move the spinal injury person” rule all collided in real time, while everyone else kept second-guessing.</p>
You can't predict how you will react in an emergency until it happens. The best and first thing to do is to remain alert and calm.
Assess the situation and make sure the area is safe before stepping in to help those in need. May we never be in situations where these tips are necessary.
The parking lot incident didn’t just test first aid, it exposed who actually acts when it counts.
Before you cancel family dinner, read how one person handled their emergency without guilt: Should I Cancel Family Dinner Plans Due to Personal Emergency?
