In any medical emergency, your first three actions are always the same: make sure you’re safe, call 911, and provide basic care until help arrives. Those steps sound simple, but the specifics matter. Knowing what to say to a dispatcher, how to stop severe bleeding, or when to start CPR can directly affect whether someone survives.
How to Call 911 Effectively
Dispatchers follow a specific script, and knowing what they’ll ask saves critical seconds. The very first question is always the address of the emergency. Be specific: a cross street, a nearest hundred block, a compass direction. Saying “at my house” or “on the freeway” isn’t enough. Dispatchers are looking at a map, so give them something they can find. If the emergency is moving, like following an impaired driver, give the street name and direction of travel.
After the address, they’ll ask for the phone number you’re calling from (so they can call back), your name, and then: “Tell me exactly what happened.” Keep this concise. Say what the problem is right now, not what led up to it. “My father is having chest pain” or “My mother just collapsed” tells them what they need to know. The backstory can come later. For medical calls, they’ll also ask the patient’s approximate age and whether they’re conscious and breathing. Based on your answers, the dispatcher will give you step-by-step instructions for what to do while you wait.
Stop Severe Bleeding
Uncontrolled bleeding can become fatal in minutes. For life-threatening bleeding on an arm or leg, a tourniquet is appropriate. Wrap it two to three inches above the wound, between the wound and the torso. Pull the strap tight through the buckle, then twist the rod until bleeding stops. This will hurt the injured person, and that’s normal. Clip and secure the rod so it can’t untwist. If bleeding continues, apply a second tourniquet above the first, closer to the torso.
For life-threatening bleeding that isn’t on an arm or leg (the torso, neck, or groin), a tourniquet won’t work. Apply firm, direct pressure with a cloth or piece of clothing and hold it there. Don’t lift the cloth to check. If blood soaks through, add more material on top and keep pressing.
Perform CPR
If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start chest compressions immediately. Place the heel of one hand on the center of their chest, put your other hand on top, and push hard and fast. The American Heart Association guidelines call for a compression depth of at least two inches in adults at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. That tempo is roughly the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive.”
Let the chest fully recoil between compressions. If you’re untrained or uncomfortable giving rescue breaths, hands-only CPR (compressions without breaths) is still effective and far better than doing nothing. If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is nearby, have someone grab it. AEDs give voice instructions and are designed for untrained users.
Recognize a Stroke
Use the FAST test. Ask the person to smile: does one side of their face droop? Ask them to raise both arms: does one drift downward? Ask them to repeat a simple sentence: is their speech slurred? If any of these signs are present, call 911 immediately. Every minute of a stroke destroys brain tissue, and noting the exact time symptoms first appeared helps doctors choose the right treatment at the hospital.
Help Someone Who Is Choking
For adults and children over one year old, stand behind the person (kneel if it’s a small child), wrap your arms around their waist, and deliver abdominal thrusts. Make a fist with one hand just above the navel, grab it with the other hand, and press inward and upward with quick force. Repeat until the object comes out or the person can cough and breathe.
For infants under one year, abdominal thrusts are not recommended. Instead, hold the baby face-down on your forearm with their head lower than their body. Give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. If that doesn’t work, turn the baby face-up on your thigh and give five chest thrusts using two fingers on the breastbone, pressing about one to one and a half inches deep. Alternate between back blows and chest thrusts until the object comes out or the infant starts breathing on their own.
Treat a Burn Correctly
Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. This has been the evidence-based standard since the 1960s, and the time matters: shorter durations are significantly less effective. The ideal water temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius (59°F), roughly what comes out of a cool tap. Remove clothing and jewelry from the burned area while you cool it. After 20 minutes, cover the burn loosely with a clean, non-stick dressing.
Do not use ice or ice water. Ice constricts blood vessels around the burn, reduces blood flow to damaged tissue, and can cause hypothermia, especially in children or people with large burns. Butter, toothpaste, and other home remedies trap heat and increase infection risk. Stick with cool running water and nothing else.
Respond to a Seizure
The most important thing to do during a seizure is protect the person from injury and keep their airway clear. Move furniture or sharp objects out of the way. If they’re lying down, gently roll them onto their side with their mouth pointing toward the ground so saliva or vomit can drain. Time the seizure if you can.
Do not put anything in their mouth. This is a persistent myth, but objects placed in the mouth during a seizure can break teeth or injure the jaw. Don’t try to hold them down or restrain their movements. Most seizures end on their own within a few minutes.
Recognize and Manage Shock
Clinical shock happens when the body can’t circulate enough blood to vital organs. It can follow severe bleeding, a bad allergic reaction, a heart attack, or serious infection. Signs include pale or clammy skin, rapid and weak pulse, fast shallow breathing, dizziness or confusion, and excessive sweating. The person may feel cold or shiver even in a warm room.
Have them lie down and elevate their feet about 12 inches. This helps push blood toward the brain and core organs. Don’t elevate their feet if you suspect a head, neck, back, hip, or leg injury. Keep them warm with a blanket or coat. If they begin to vomit, gently roll them onto their side while keeping their head, neck, and back aligned, and use their outstretched lower arm to support their head.
Respond to an Opioid Overdose
The signs of an opioid overdose are distinctive: the person is extremely sleepy or unconscious and can’t be woken by a loud voice or by rubbing firmly on their breastbone. Their breathing is slow, shallow, or completely stopped. Their pupils are very small, sometimes called “pinpoint pupils.” If you see this combination, act immediately.
Lay the person on their back. Remove a naloxone nasal spray from its packaging, hold it with your thumb on the plunger and two fingers on either side of the nozzle, tilt the person’s head back, insert the nozzle into one nostril until your fingers touch the base of their nose, and press the plunger firmly. Call 911, then move the person onto their side in the recovery position. If they don’t wake up or resume normal breathing within two to three minutes, give a second dose in the other nostril using a new device. Naloxone is available without a prescription at most pharmacies.
Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care
Not every medical situation requires an emergency room, and going to the wrong place can waste time you don’t have or clog resources for others. Symptoms that call for an ER include chest pain or pressure, uncontrolled bleeding, compound fractures (bone breaking through skin), severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, sudden severe headache, paralysis or weakness on one side of the body, seizures, and head injuries.
Urgent care is appropriate for situations that need prompt attention but aren’t life-threatening: minor fractures, sprains, mild cuts needing stitches, fevers, and urinary tract infections. If you’re experiencing difficulty breathing, signs of a stroke or heart attack, or a life-threatening injury, always call 911 rather than driving yourself.
Legal Protection When You Help
Good Samaritan laws exist in all 50 U.S. states to protect bystanders who provide emergency care in good faith. To be protected, the situation must be a genuine emergency, you must act voluntarily (not as part of your job duties at that moment), and you must not be grossly negligent or reckless. If the person is conscious, get their consent before helping. If they’re unconscious, consent is legally implied. You also cannot request or accept payment for your help.
These laws don’t require perfection. Ordinary mistakes made while trying to help are covered. What’s not covered is willful misconduct or actions that go far beyond what a reasonable person would do. In practical terms, if someone collapses in front of you and you perform CPR or apply pressure to a wound, you’re protected even if the outcome isn’t perfect.