First aid: bleeding, burns and fainting

Your own safety first Near fire, electricity or moving traffic, first remove the danger or get to a safe place, then help. For a serious injury, call 999 first, or ask someone to call.

Bleeding - Press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth or gauze, for at least ten minutes, without letting go. - If the cloth soaks through, do not remove it; put another cloth on top and keep pressing. - If no broken bone is suspected, raise the arm or leg a little. - Do not pull out anything stuck in the wound; press around it. - If the bleeding does not stop, or the wound is large or deep, get to hospital fast.

Burns - Put the burn under cool running water straight away, for about twenty minutes. - Take off rings, bangles and watches before it swells. Do not pull off cloth stuck to the skin. - No toothpaste, ice, egg, oil, ghee or ointment. - Do not burst blisters. Cover loosely with a clean thin cloth or plastic wrap. - A large burn; one on the face, hands, feet or genitals; a burn on a child or an older person; an electrical or chemical burn: take them to hospital.

Fainting - Lay the person flat on their back and raise their legs a little. - Loosen tight clothing, move the crowd back and let air in. - Give nothing by mouth, not even water, while they are unconscious. - If they do not come round in a minute or two, or are not breathing normally, call 999 at once. - Breathing but not responding: lay them on their side, so vomit cannot block the airway.

Learn it hands-on Reading is not the same as practising. Learn from an instructor of the Red Crescent, the Fire Service or a hospital. The "First aid training" task is on this site too. A doctor by phone: 16263. For a fire: Fire Service 16163, and 999 in an emergency.