First Aid and Water Safety

Module #1
Lesson Title: Philosophy of First Aid: Its importance, the Golden Rules, and its Principal Aims

The person who provides this help may be a

first aider, a first responder, a policeman or
fireman, or a paramedic or EMT.

A FIRST AIDER is a person who takes

action while taking care to keep everyone
involved safe and to cause no further harm
while doing so.
Importance of First Aid:

Providing QUICK medical treatment until professional assistance arrives.

First aid helps ensure that the right methods of administering medical assistance are provided.

Knowledge in first aid also benefits the individuals themselves.

It affords people with the ability to provide help during various emergency situations.

7 First Aid Golden Rules

#1) Staying Calm and Composed

Keeping calm is the key to succeeding in administering the right first aid. Anxiety can only cloud your sense of
judgment and put not just the person needing medical attention but also you in further danger. Take a few deep
breaths and assess what kind of help the injured person needs and try to look around for things that can help their
condition till paramedics arrive.

#2) Ensuring Your Own Safety First

Before you set out to help the injured, it is very important to ensure your own safety first. If you yourself are
injured, it would be best to just find a way to evacuate to safety and call for someone who can really help everyone.
In case you are hale and hearty, assess whether the casualty is lying in a place that would be safe for you to enter
and administer first aid in. Look, smell and hear out for any potential hazards. Gas leaks, running equipment, and
electric shocks often take the death toll further up at accident sites
#3) Activating the Emergency Response System
You can activate an emergency response system depending on the accident site you find yourself
caught in. If you are out in the open, you could try to shout for help or reach a place where the
locals could stop by and start the rescue operation; if you are in a corporate set up that has an
alarm system to signal an emergency, you could simply sound it and wait for rescue.

#4) Ensuring the Comfort of the Injured Person

Try to keep the injured person as warm and comfortable as you possibly can, depending on the
situation you find yourself in. Remember to ensure that they are breathing as they ought to and are
not facing any difficulty in breathing in and breathing out.

#5) Stopping Any Bleeding on Priority

If the injured person has a wound that seems to be bleeding incessantly, find a piece of cloth and
tie it tightly around their wound to stop them from bleeding out. If there is any foreign object
piercing through the wound, do not fiddle with it yourself and instead just cover the wound up
temporarily to stop bleeding till the paramedics arrive.
#6) Immobilizing a Person with Neck, Head, or Back Pain
Try to immobilize the neck, head, or back of a patient who seems to have suffered a fracture or
muscular spasm. Do not move the patient around before securing their neck or back to a sturdy
structure so as to prevent causing any further damage. You could use two sturdy wooden pieces
or Splint and a piece of cloth to secure their head in a fixed position, for instance.

#7) Keeping the First Aid Kit

It is best to keep a fully-equipped first aid kit with yourself wherever you go. If you happen to be in an area that stocks
a first aid box, you would be able to provide the injured person with substantial relief. However, if you are not lucky
enough to have a first aid kit in hand, you might just have to make do with pieces of clothes and other items of the
like

PHILOSOPHY OF FIRST AID

● In the pre-hospital setting, the key contributors to survival and recovery from illness and injury are prompt and effective
maintenance of the body’s primary functions:
1. Airway
2. Breathing
3. Circulation
4. Bleeding control (Life threatening)
 PRINCIPAL AIMS OF FIRST AID

1. Preserve Life
● The first aim of first aid is to preserve life, which involves the key emergency practices to ensure that the
casualty isn’t in any mortal danger. Remember though, this includes preserving your own life as you
shouldn’t put yourself in danger in order to apply first aid. It’s at this stage where you should do a quick
risk assessment to check for dangers to the injured person, yourself or bystanders which could cause
the situation to escalate. If in doubt, do not attempt to apply first aid and immediately call for a medical
professional.
2. Prevent Deterioration
● Once you’ve followed all the steps associated with the first principle, your next priority is to prevent
deterioration of the injured person’s condition. Keeping a casualty still to avoid aggravating their injury, or
from complicating any unseen issues, is crucial. This helps prevent to further injuries, and clearing the area of
any immediate dangers will help you to do so.

3. Promote Recovery
● Finally, there are steps you should follow which will help lessen the amount of time taken for a casualty to
recover from an accident and aid in minimizing lasting damage and scarring. The prime example of this is
applying cold water to a burn as soon as possible to lower the chance of long-term scarring and helps speed
up the healing process.
 FOUR LIFE SAVINGS STEPS:

a. Stop the bleeding – by elevating, direct pressure and by applying tourniquet.

b. Protect the Wound – by applying first aid dressing.

c. Prevent or Treat Shock – keep the victim lying down with his/her hear lower than the body. Loosen any tight clothing. Keep the
casualty’s convertible warm by wrapping with blanket. If she/he is unconscious, place him at his/her sides, prevent checking on vomits
and other fluid. Give him fluid by mouth with warm stimulants such as coffee, tea or cocoa, remember Alcohol is not stimulants fluid.

d. Restore Breathing – if a casualty stops breathing you must give artificial respiration immediately. The sooner you begin artificial
respiration, the more likely you are to succeed in restoring breathing.
What is the most effective way to stop major bleeding?

A. DIRECT PRESSURE
B. INDIRECT PRESSURE
C. IRRIGATION WITH WATER
D. ELEVATION

Your answer: Direct pressure

Direct pressure over the bleeding point is the most effective way to stop major bleeding

2.What does CPR stand for?

A. CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION
B. CARDIOPULMONARY RECOVERY
C. CARDIOPEDIATRIC RESUSCITATION
D. CARDIOPULMONARY REVIVAL
ANSWER: A.
Your answer: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and is used when a victim's heart stops
3. You must attend a formal first aid course before giving first aid to a stranger on the street.

A. TRUE
B. .FALSE
ANSWER: B - FALSE
Your answer: False

No! Anyone can give life-saving first aid in an emergency situation. Many areas have 'Good Samaritan' laws to protect people who
help in an emergency.

4. You should carry out a 'primary survey' on every casualty.

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
ANSWER: A-TRUE
Your answer: True

Yes - the primary survey is a quick check to identify any major life-threatening problems.
5. Which of these is NOT an aim of first aid?

A. PROMOTE RECOVERY
B. PROTECT WOUNDS
C. PRESERVE LIFE
D. PREVENT WORSENING OF THE CONDITION
ANSWER: B- PROTECT WOUNDS
Your answer: Protect wounds

Protect wounds is not an aim of first aid

6. What does DRAB stand for?

A. DANGER, REVIEW,AIRWAY, BLEEDING

B. DANGER,RESPONSE,AIRWAY,BREATHING
C. DANGER, RESPONSE,AIRWAY,BLEEDING
D. DANGER, REVIEW, AIRWAY, BREATHING
E. ANSWER: B -
Your answer: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing

DRAB is used to remember the actions to take when you encounter an unconscious victim.
7. You arrive at the scene of a road traffic accident. There are multiple casualties with serious injuries.
Who should you give assistance to first?

A. THE YOUNGEST VICTIM

B. THE VICTIM WHO IS BLEEDING
C. THE VICTIM IN THE MOST PAIN
D. THE VICTIM WHO ISN’T MAKING ANY NOISE
ANSWER: D
Your answer: The victim who isn't making any noise

As a general rule, the quiet victims should be assessed first as they may have a problem with their airway.

8. In an emergency situation, who is the most important person?

A. EMS
B. BYSTANDERS
C. YOURSELF
D. THE INJURED VICTIM

ANSWER: C Your answer: Yourself

You are the most important person in an emergency situation! You must keep yourself safe and not become a second victim.