FIRST AID / PREPARE TO GET HELP
Know when to call.
Learn before you need it.
A first-aid starting point with links to current training and authoritative instructions.
Emergency in the United States? Call 911.This website and community are not monitored for emergencies. Do not wait for a forum reply.
Recognize an emergency
Sourced guidance: Start by checking whether the scene is safe. If a person is unresponsive, is not breathing normally or is only gasping, has life-threatening bleeding, or has another obvious life-threatening condition, call 911 and get appropriate help and equipment. Follow the dispatcher's instructions.
Provide care within your training. An AED gives spoken prompts; current CPR and AED training helps you prepare to respond. This page is a starting point, not a CPR, choking, wound-treatment or medication protocol.
American Red Cross: first-aid steps ↗ · AHA / Red Cross first-aid guidance ↗
OUR PLANNING APPROACH
Build for the people using it.
Inventory first-aid supplies, check labels and condition, and make sure the kit is easy to find and open. Ask a qualified instructor which supplies match your training and likely situations.
- Consider gloves, dressings, bandages, tape and a barrier device appropriate to your training.
- Keep written emergency contacts accessible.
- Discuss prescription continuity, storage and powered medical equipment with the appropriate clinicians or pharmacist.
- Check one-handed opening, large print and access from a seated position where needed.
TRAINING, NOT GUESSWORK
Make practice part of the kit.
Use a recognized course for hands-on skills. Take a refresher when your training expires or guidance changes. Do not practice invasive procedures, interrupt essential medical care, or use an actual emergency to test unfamiliar equipment.
First-aid readiness worksheet
Use these questions in your household plan. Keep any completed medical information private.
- Who calls 911, meets responders and knows the exact location?
- Where are the kit, AED if available, and relevant instructions?
- What can each person safely open, lift and use?
- Which medication or equipment needs require a clinician's plan?
- What training is needed, and when is the next review?
Download the readiness worksheet ↓Evidence & limits
Sources checked November 8, 2026. No medical credentials, provider review, certification, treatment outcomes or product testing are claimed. References do not imply endorsement. For a personal health question, use an appropriate clinician; for an emergency, call 911.