First Aid
Emergency numbers differ by country. This page uses 911, the number for the United States and Canada. Many other countries use 112, 999, or another number. Find the number for your country.
These guides help you act fast when someone is hurt. Each one starts with what to do right now, then explains the steps in more detail.
If this is happening right now
- Call your local emergency number, or ask someone else to call (911 in the United States and Canada, 112 across the European Union, 999 in the United Kingdom). Put the phone on speaker so your hands stay free.
- Check that the area is safe for you. You cannot help if you become hurt too.
- Open the guide below that matches what you see and follow the numbered steps.
Find numbers for other countries on the emergency numbers page.
The guides
Severe bleeding
How to stop heavy bleeding with direct pressure, when a tourniquet is the right tool, and what to do about deep wounds.
Choking
What to do when an adult, child or baby cannot cough, speak or breathe because something is blocking the airway.
CPR
Hands-only CPR for an adult who is not responding and not breathing normally, including how to use an AED.
Burns
How to cool a burn, cover it, and know when it needs emergency care, including chemical and electrical burns.
Bee and wasp stings
How to remove a stinger safely, reduce swelling, and spot signs of a severe allergic reaction.
Severe allergic reactions
How to recognize anaphylaxis, use an epinephrine auto-injector, and care for someone while help is on the way.
Heart attack
Key warning signs of a heart attack, what to do right away, and how to keep the person calm until help arrives.
Stroke
How to recognize a stroke fast using BE FAST, call emergency services immediately, and position the person safely.
Seizures
How to protect someone during a seizure, what never to do, and when a seizure is a medical emergency.
Broken bones and sprains
How to immobilize an injured limb, apply ice safely, and know when a fracture needs immediate emergency care.
Head injuries
How to check for signs of a concussion or severe brain injury, when to keep the neck still, and when to call for emergency help.
Poisoning
What to do if someone swallows, breathes, or touches a dangerous chemical or substance, and who to call.
Heat illness
How to spot heat exhaustion versus heat stroke, cool someone down quickly, and know when emergency care is needed.
Hypothermia and frostbite
How to warm up someone with severe hypothermia, treat frozen skin safely, and avoid dangerous warming mistakes.
Drowning
How to get a person out of water safely, start CPR immediately, and why every drowning victim needs medical evaluation.
Snake bites
What to do and what to avoid after a snake bite, including keeping the limb calm and below heart level.
Animal bites
How to clean and care for animal bites, prevent infection, and evaluate rabies risks with medical professionals.
Electric shock
How to turn off power safely before touching a victim, check breathing, and treat electrical burns.
Fainting
What to do when someone feels faint or loses consciousness, how to position them, and when to call for help.
Cuts and scrapes
How to clean, dress, and care for minor cuts and scrapes, and when a wound needs stitches or emergency medical care.
Nosebleeds
Step by step first aid to stop a nosebleed safely, proper head positioning, and when to seek emergency medical care.
Eye injuries
Immediate action steps for eye emergencies: how to flush chemical splashes, treat dust or objects, and handle physical eye trauma safely.
Spinal injuries
How to recognize a potential head, neck, or spinal cord injury, how to immobilize the victim safely, and when to call emergency services.
Shock
How to identify physiological shock caused by severe injury or blood loss, positioning the victim, and emergency care steps.
Asthma attack
How to help someone experiencing an asthma attack, using a quick-relief inhaler, positioning, and when to call emergency services.
Diabetic emergencies
How to spot low blood sugar vs high blood sugar, safe treatment steps for a diabetic emergency, and when to call 911.
Opioid overdose
Recognizing opioid overdose symptoms, administering naloxone (Narcan) nasal spray safely, rescue breathing, and emergency procedures.
Alcohol intoxication, hangover triage, and avoiding drunk driving
Recognizing life-threatening alcohol poisoning vs severe intoxication, safe recovery position, hangover relief, and avoiding drunk driving.
Mental health crisis
How to support someone in acute distress, suicide prevention resources, staying safe, and accessing professional crisis care.
Panic attacks
How to help someone having a panic attack, breathing techniques, grounding methods, and distinguishing a panic attack from a medical emergency.
Managing acute phobias in emergencies
How to manage intense phobias when forced to face them in an emergency: fear of flying, needle injection phobia, claustrophobia, and applied tension.
Severe stress, burnout, and feeling overwhelmed
How to de-escalate severe stress, regulate a flooded nervous system, recover from clinical workplace burnout, manage deep loneliness, and access support.
Dealing with loss and bereavement
Immediate actions and coping steps when facing the sudden loss or death of a family member, managing acute grief shock, and administrative next steps.
Tick and spider bites
How to safely remove a tick, identify dangerous spider bites (Black Widow, Brown Recluse), and when to seek medical treatment.
Jellyfish stings
How to treat a jellyfish sting safely: vinegar rinse, hot water immersion, tentacle removal, and when to seek emergency help.
Heat stroke vs heat exhaustion
Recognizing the critical differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, immediate rapid cooling protocols, and emergency medical triage.
Severe burns and chemical flushing
Emergency first aid for major thermal, chemical, and electrical burns, immediate water flushing techniques, and burn center triage.
Crush injury and compartment syndrome
Emergency first aid for structural collapse crush injuries, heavy object entrapment, crush syndrome management, and compartment syndrome signs.
Before you need them
Reading a guide is a good start, but practice makes your hands know what to do. Hands-on training from the Red Cross or a similar provider teaches you to do these skills on a practice dummy, with an instructor who can correct you.
- Keep a first aid kit at home and in your car. The emergency kit guide lists what to include.
- Make sure the adults in your household know where the kit is.
- Save your local emergency number in your phone and teach it to children old enough to use it.
... note "These pages do not replace training" This guide gives general information. It cannot cover every situation, and it is not a substitute for a first aid course or for advice from medical professionals.