When you are providing first aid, you should first make sure the scene is safe, then check the person, call for help, and provide care. That sequence, sometimes called “Check, Call, Care,” is the foundation the American Red Cross teaches for every emergency. Skipping any step, especially scene safety, can turn one victim into two. Here’s what each part looks like in practice, along with the specific techniques that matter most in common emergencies.
Check the Scene Before You Act
Your instinct will be to rush toward the person who needs help. Resist it for a few seconds. Look for hazards: traffic, downed power lines, chemical spills, fire, or an attacker still present. If the scene isn’t safe, you cannot provide effective care, and you risk becoming a casualty yourself.
Once the area is clear, check the person. Are they conscious? Breathing? Bleeding? Tap their shoulder and ask loudly if they’re okay. Their response (or lack of one) determines everything you do next.
Get Consent and Call for Help
Before you touch a conscious person, ask for permission. This is called express consent: the person verbally or physically agrees to receive your help. If someone refuses aid and is mentally competent to make that decision, you must respect their choice, even if you disagree with it.
For someone who is unconscious, unable to communicate, or clearly incapacitated, implied consent applies. The law generally recognizes that a reasonable person would want life-saving treatment if they couldn’t speak for themselves. With minors, try to get permission from a parent or guardian. If none is available and the situation is life-threatening, implied consent allows you to act.
Call 911 (or your local emergency number) as early as possible. If other people are nearby, point to a specific person and tell them to make the call. This eliminates the bystander effect, where everyone assumes someone else already dialed.
CPR: Compression Rate and Depth
If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start chest compressions immediately. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, pressing down at least 2 inches. Let the chest fully recoil between compressions. That recoil is what allows the heart to refill with blood.
If you’re trained in CPR with rescue breaths, give 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths, then repeat. If you’re not trained or not comfortable giving breaths, hands-only CPR (continuous compressions without stopping) still dramatically improves survival. Keep going until emergency medical services arrive or an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available.
How to Help a Choking Person
For a conscious adult or child who is choking and cannot cough, speak, or breathe, alternate between 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or the person loses consciousness.
For back blows, stand behind the person, wrap one arm around their upper body to support them, and lean them forward until their chest is roughly parallel to the ground. Use the heel of your other hand to deliver firm strikes between the shoulder blades. After 5 blows, switch to abdominal thrusts: stand behind the person, place your fist (thumb side in) just above their navel, grasp it with your other hand, and pull sharply inward and upward. Repeat the cycle of 5 and 5 until the airway clears. If the person becomes unconscious, lower them to the ground and begin CPR.
Controlling Severe Bleeding
Heavy bleeding is one of the fastest ways a person can die from a treatable injury. Your first step is direct pressure. Press a clean cloth, gauze, or even a piece of clothing firmly against the wound and hold it there. Don’t lift the cloth to check; if blood soaks through, add more material on top and keep pressing.
Tourniquets are appropriate when direct pressure isn’t enough. Specific situations include extreme life-threatening bleeding from a limb, a traumatic amputation with multiple bleeding points, or a wound you physically cannot reach because the person is trapped. Place the tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound (never on a joint), tighten it until the bleeding stops, and note the time you applied it. A properly applied tourniquet hurts. That’s normal and expected.
Treating Burns
For thermal burns (from heat, steam, or hot liquids), cool the burn under cold running water for 20 minutes. Start as soon as possible after the injury. This single step reduces tissue damage, eases pain, and improves healing outcomes more than any cream or home remedy.
Don’t use ice, butter, toothpaste, or adhesive bandages directly on a fresh burn. Ice can cause frostbite on already damaged skin, and greasy substances trap heat. After 20 minutes of cooling, loosely cover the burn with a clean, non-stick dressing. Burns larger than the person’s palm, burns on the face, hands, feet, or genitals, and any burn that looks white, waxy, or charred need professional medical attention.
Recognizing and Responding to a Stroke
Strokes require emergency treatment within a narrow time window, so recognition speed matters enormously. The classic signs to watch for are facial asymmetry (one side of the face droops when the person tries to smile), arm weakness (one arm drifts downward when both are raised), and speech problems (slurred words or inability to speak). Gaze deviation, where the eyes pull involuntarily to one side, is another strong indicator.
If you notice any of these signs, call 911 immediately and note the time symptoms started. That timestamp helps hospital teams decide which treatments are still viable. Don’t give the person food, water, or medication while you wait.
Seizure Safety
When someone is having a seizure with full-body convulsions, your job is to protect them from injury, not to stop the seizure itself. The CDC recommends easing the person to the ground if they appear to be falling, clearing hard or sharp objects from the area, and placing something soft and flat (a folded jacket works well) under their head. Turn them gently onto one side with their mouth pointing toward the ground to keep the airway clear. Remove their eyeglasses and loosen anything around the neck that might restrict breathing.
Equally important is what you should not do. Don’t hold the person down or try to restrain their movements. Don’t put anything in their mouth, as this can break teeth or injure the jaw. Don’t attempt mouth-to-mouth breathing during the seizure; people almost always resume breathing on their own afterward. Don’t offer food or water until the person is fully alert, because swallowing is unreliable immediately after a seizure.
Responding to a Suspected Opioid Overdose
Signs of opioid overdose include extremely slow or stopped breathing, blue or grayish lips and fingertips, pinpoint pupils, and unresponsiveness. If you have naloxone (available as a nasal spray at most pharmacies without a prescription), administer one dose and call 911. Naloxone can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes. Wait that long before giving a second dose, as more than one may not be necessary.
While waiting for emergency services, try to keep the person awake and breathing. Lay them on their side to prevent choking on vomit, and stay with them until help arrives. Naloxone wears off faster than most opioids, so the person can slip back into overdose even after initially waking up. Emergency medical follow-up is essential.
Managing Shock
Shock happens when the body isn’t getting enough blood flow to vital organs. You’ll notice pale or clammy skin, rapid breathing, confusion, and weakness. After calling for emergency help, have the person lie down and elevate their legs about 12 inches (unless you suspect a spinal injury, head injury, or broken leg). This position helps blood return to the heart and brain. Keep them warm with a blanket or coat, and don’t give them anything to eat or drink. Reassure them calmly while you wait for paramedics.
Staying Calm Changes Outcomes
The single most underrated first aid skill is composure. A calm responder assesses more accurately, communicates more clearly with 911 dispatchers, and keeps the injured person from panicking, which can worsen bleeding, breathing problems, and shock. You don’t need to know every technique perfectly. Checking the scene, calling for help, and applying the basics of bleeding control, CPR, or airway management while you wait for professionals covers the vast majority of emergencies you’re likely to encounter.