Technical Instruction Sheet

FIRST AID

Learning basic first aid techniques can help you cope with an emergency. You may be able to keep a person breathing, reduce their pain or minimize the consequences of injury or sudden illness until an ambulance arrives. This could mean the difference between life and death for them. Make sure you are prepared ahead of time by following the simple steps for every emergency situation listed below.

You should ask yourself these questions before you begin handling the situation?

• What is the issue?
• Who is hurt?
• Is the scene safe for me to begin first aid?
• Is the person awake and alert?
• Are they breathing?

After these questions have been answered, then you will be able to address the situation properly. For specific emergency situations, please follow the steps and helpful tips below.

CHOKING—CONSCIOUS VICTIM

* If student is breathing and can talk, DO NOT interfere with his/her attempt to displace foreign object.*

 If not breathing:

• Unable to talk.
• Turning blue or dusky.
• Clutching throat.

ACT to relieve obstruction.

Perform manual thrusts (Heimlich Maneuver):

• Stand behind student.
• Put your arms around in front.
• Make a fist and place thumb side up into area just below breast bone and above navel. • Grab fist with other hand.
• Give 5 quick inward, upward thrusts until obstruction relieved, help arrives, or victim becomes unconscious. (See unconscious victim)

**Contact responsible school authority and parent or legal guardian**

CHOKING—UNCONSCIOUS VICTIM

CALL FOR HELP. ACTIVATE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.

IMMEDIATELY:  Position victim. Turn on back as a unit (log roll), support head/neck, face up, arms by sides. Open airway. Chin/jaw lift – head tilt. Observe: Look, Listen and Feel for breathing for 3-5 seconds.

GIVE RESCUE BREATHS. If unsuccessful, re-position head and try again.

ACT TO RELIEVE OBSTRUCTION

• Perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich Maneuver).
• Kneel alongside the student’s hips.
• With one hand on top of other, place heel of the bottom hand on the abdomen, slightly above the navel and below the rib cage.
• Press into the abdomen with quick, upward thrusts.

Extra Help:

• Check for foreign body
• Tongue-jaw lift and finger sweep.
• DO NOT BLIND FINGER SWEEP.
• Give rescue breaths and repeat steps until obstruction is relieved. Be persistent!

CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)

1. Call 911!
2. Tilt head, lift chin, and check for breathing.
3. Give two breaths.
4. Position hands in the center of chest.
5. Firmly push down on the chest 30 times.

*Continue with 2 breaths and 15 pumps until help arrives*

DRUG OVERDOSE

Possible warning signs of poisoning include:

• Pills or unknown substance in student’s mouth.
• Strange odor and breath.
• Upset stomach or vomiting.
• Dizziness or fainting.
• Seizures or convulsions.
• Unconsciousness.

If possible, find out:

• Age and weight of student.
• What the student swallowed or what type of “poison” it was.
• How much & when it was taken.

CALL POISON CONTROL CENTER, & ask for instructions. Phone # 1-800-222-1222

(Do NOT induce vomiting UNLESS instructed by poison control.)

CALL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, if student is unconscious, in shock, requires CPR, or directed to do so by the Poison Control Center. Contact responsible school authority & parent/level guardian.

Send the following to the hospital with the student:

• Ingested material with its container (if available).
• Sample of the vomited material in a cup or glass

SHOCK

Shock occurs when vital tissues of the body do not receive enough blood. Shock can occur because of severe injuries resulting in blood loss, burns, or fractures. This condition can also occur when someone experiences an emotional trauma.

Wear gloves when exposed to blood or other body fluids.

Symptoms of shock can include any of the following:

• pale skin
• nausea
• dizziness
• weakness
• weak pulse

Ask yourself: Are these associated with obvious injury, bleeding or trauma?

YES: CALL EMERGENCY MEDICA SERVICES

NO:

• Have the student lie down quickly and raise their legs 8-10 inches above the level of the heart. However, if injury to neck, spine of leg/hip bones is suspected, student must remain lying flat
• Determine if other injuries have occurred and treat accordingly.
• Cover the student with a sheet or blanket.
• Do not give the student anything to eat or drink.
• Remain with, and reassure, the student.

DROWNING

Notify a lifeguard, if one is close. If not, ask someone to call 911.

If you are alone, follow the steps below.

• Move the person
• Take the person out of the water.
• Check for breathing
• Place your ear next to the person's mouth and nose. Do you feel air on your cheek?
• Look to see if the person's chest is moving.

 If the person is not breathing, check pulse.

• Check the person's pulse for 10 seconds.
• If there is no pulse, start CPR (Look at CPR steps above).

TREATING INJURIES

Cuts and Scrapes

Follow these steps to keep cuts clean and prevent infections and scars.

• Wash your hands.
• Stop the bleeding. Put pressure on the cut with a gauze pad or clean cloth. Keep the pressure on for a few minutes.
• Clean the wound.Once you’ve stopped the bleeding, rinse the cut under cool running water or use a saline wound wash. Clean the area around the wound with soap and a wet washcloth. Don’t get soap in the cut, because it can irritate the skin.
• Remove any dirt or debris.Use a pair of tweezers cleaned to gently pick out any dirt, gravel, glass, or other material in the cut.

Burns

• First-degree burns are painful but minor. They turn red and may swell.
• Second-degree burns form blisters. The skin may be very red and painful.
• Third-degree burns make the skin look white or charred. The burns may not hurt because nerves have been damaged.

You can treat minor first-degree burns and small second-degree burns at home. Here’s what to do:

• Place the burned area under running cool water for at least 5 minutes to reduce swelling.
• Apply an antiseptic spray, antibiotic ointment, or aloe cream to soothe the area.
• Loosely wrap a gauze bandage around the burn.
• To relieve pain, take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen (Links to an external site.).

Never put butter on a burn or pop any blisters (Links to an external site.) that form. You could damage the skin and cause an infection.

Works Cited

Emergency Guidelines for Schools. N.p.: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 2006. EMERGENCY GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Aug. 2006. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

"First Aid Basics and DRSABCD." Better Health Channel. Victoria State Government, Aug. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/first-aid-basics-and-drsabcd>.

"San Franciso School District Guidelines for First Aid Procedures." Guidelines for First Aid and Procedures (n.d.): n. pag. Healthier SF. San Francisco School Disctrict, July 2004. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.