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Ste. Genevieve County Ambulance District
P.O. Box 401
Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670


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Basic First Aid

Bleedingfirst aid

  1. For severe wounds, call for emergency help
  2. Cover wound with the cleanest cloth available and PRESS firmly
  3. Elevate bleeding arm or leg unless you suspect a fracture
  4. Add cloths on top of first cloth as needed
  5. Maintain direct pressure and elevation until help arrives

Burns

  1. Stop the burning
  2. Call for emergency aid if burn is severe
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or guided in CPR
  5. Remove clothing if not stuck
  6. Immerse area in cold water only if there is no blistering or broken skin
  7. Cover burn with cleanest cloth available
  8. Keep victim laying flat and lightly covered

Car Accident

  1. If in car, pull off road and turn on flashers
  2. First attend to victims who are not breathing or who are bleeding
  3. Ask someone to call for emergency assistance
  4. Turn off ignition of wrecked car and warn bystanders of danger from fire
  5. Don't move victim(s) unless in danger of traffic

Chest Pain

  1. Call for emergency help
  2. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  3. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or guided in CPR
  4. If conscious, help victim to comfortable position with head raised
  5. Loosen tight clothing
  6. If under medical care, help victim with prescribed medication

Choking

  1. Have someone call 911
  2. Begin Heimlich Maneuver:
  3. Stand behind victim and wrap your arms around waist
  4. Put your fist (thumb towards stomach) against abdomen above navel and below rib cage, and grasp fist with other hand
  5. PRESS into abdomen with a quick upward thrust
  6. Repeat thrusts until object is dislodged

Convulsions

  1. Catch victim if falling
  2. Clear a space and place a pillow under head
  3. Don't put anything in mouth or try to stop jerking movement
  4. Loosen tight clothing
  5. Stay with victim
  6. Get someone to call for emergency assistance if you need to restore breathing, another convulsion occurs, or if victim is pregnant

Drowning

  1. Get victim out of water
  2. Place on hard surface with head and neck supported
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or been guided in CPR
  5. Call for emergency assistance
  6. Elevate feet unless you suspect a fracture
  7. Cover with a blanket to prevent shockcpr
  8. Do not give food or drink

Drug Overdose

  1. Remove victim from any dangerous situation
  2. Call for emergency assistance
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or been guided in CPR
  5. Try and find out what drug was taken
  6. Collect pill bottles to take to the hospital

Electric Shock

  1. Disconnect power source
  2. Call for emergency assistance
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or been guided in CPR
  5. Cover burns with clean, dry dressing

Eye Injury

  1. Encourage victim to tear up but not to rub the eye
  2. If object is loose, it may dislodge itself
  3. If object is embedded, cover both eyes with gauze pad and get immediate assistance
  4. For a chemical burn, quickly flush eye with water for at least 15 minutes
  5. Cover eyes with clean dressing and get immediate assistance

Fall

  1. Tell victim to not move head or neck
  2. Call 911
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or been guided in CPR
  5. Stop any bleeding
  6. If you suspect a broken bone, make a splint by placing rolled-up newspaper or other firm objects on each side of fracture and secure with a 2" wide cloth strips
  7. If possible, do not move victim

Fever

  1. Fever is usually caused by infection. It also can be caused by chemicals, poisons, medications, the environment that is too hot or an extreme level of overactivity. The way a person looks or behaves is more important than how high the temperature is. A temperature above 100.4 is considered a fever.
  2. Seek immediate medical attention if, the person appears very ill or unusually drowsy, has been in an extremely hot place, has symptons such as stiff neck, severe headache, severe sore throat, severe ear pain, unexplained rash, repeated vomiting or diarrhea, has a condition causing immune suppression, has had a seizure, is less than 2 months old and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 or higher.
  3. To make the person more comfortable, dress in light clothing, cool liquids to drink, keep calm. DO NOT use aspirin to treat fever. Aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome a serious disease that affects the liver and brain.

Fractures & Sprains

  1. DO NOT MOVE A PERSON WHO MAY HAVE A NECK OR BACK INJURY! Doing so may cause serious harm. Call 911.
  2. If injured area is painful, swollen, deformed or if motion causes pain, wrap in a towel or cloth and make a splint with cardboard or rigid material to hold the arm or leg in place.
  3. Apply ice or a cold compress - seek medical attention
  4. If there is a break in the skin near the fracture or if you can see the bone, cover the area with a clean bandage, make a splint as described above and seek emergency care.
  5. If the foot or hand below the injured part is cold or discolored, seek immediate emergency care.

Head Injuries

  1. DO NOT MOVE A PERSON WHO MAY HAVE A SERIOUS HEAD, NECK AND/OR BACK INJURY. Doing so may cause further harm.
  2. Call 911 if a person loses consciousness and does not awaken within a few minutes.
  3. Seek medical attention for any of the following:
    • Loss of consciousness
    • Drowsiness that last longer than 2 hours
    • Difficulty being awakened
    • Persistent headache or vomiting
    • Clumsiness or inability to move any body part
    • Oozing of blood or water fluid from ears or nose
    • Convusions (seizures)
    • Abnormal speech or behavior

Nosebleeds

  1. Keep the person in a sitting position with the head tilted slightly forward. Apply firm, steady pressure to both nostrils by squeezing them between your thumb and index finger for 10 minutes.
  2. If bleeding continues or is heavy, seek emergency care.

Poisioning

  1. If victim has serious symptoms or has collapsed, call 911.
  2. If victim is conscious, try to find out what was swallowed.
  3. Call poison control center and tell what was taken, how much, when, the victim’s status and your nearest hospital.
  4. Follow direction.
  5. Collect poison’s container, victim’s vomit and urine.

Shock

  1. Lay victim on back with feet higher than head, unless you suspect head or back injuries.
  2. Check for breathing difficulties.
  3. Get someone to call for emergency help.
  4. Apply direct pressure and elevation to stop persistent bleeding.
  5. Loosen tight clothing and cover victim.
  6. Offer reassurance and stay calm.

Stings & Bites

  1. Stinging Insects - Remove stinger as quickly as possible with the scraping motion of a credit card. Put a cold compress on the bite to relieve the pain. If trouble breathing, fainting or extreme swelling occurs, call 911 immediatey.
  2. Animal or Human Bites - Wash wound thoroughly with soap and water. The person may require a tetanus or rabies shot.
  3. Ticks - Use tweezers or your fingers to grasp as close as possible to the head of the tick and slowly pull the tick away from the point of attachment. Seek medical attention of developing symptons such as a rash or fever.
  4. Snake Bites - Loosely splint the injured area and seek medical attention. Do not apply ice.

Stomach Pain

  1. Have victim lay in comfortable position.
  2. Take temperature.
  3. Give nothing to eat or drink.
  4. If vomiting, turn head to side.
  5. If pain is persistent or severe, and/or accompanied by fever, seek medical attention.

Stopped Breathing

  1. In any emergency, your first priority is to restore breathing. There is no time to wait for help.
  2. Tap the victim and shout, “Are you OK?” If no response, yell for someone to call 911. If you are alone and the victim is age 8 or older, call 911 before proceeding to ABC’s
  3. A is for AIRWAY, OPEN AIRWAY. Place the heel of your hand on the victim’s forehead. With your other hand, lift the victim’s chin with your fingers. Tilt the victim’s head back (unless you suspect head or spinal injury). Check for normal breathing for 3 – 5 seconds. If none…..
  4. B is for BREATHING. Give 2 full, slow breaths.
  5. C is for CIRCULATION. Check for signs of circulation: normal breathing, coughing, or movement, or check pulse if you have been trained how to do so. If there is circulation. Perform rescue breathing: 1 breath every 3 seconds (20 breaths a minute) for children up to age 8; 1 breath every 5 seconds (12 breaths a minute) for victims age 8 or older. If there is no circulation, begin chest compressions if you are trained in CPR or if an emergency dispatcher is guiding you. Continue until help arrives.

Teeth

  1. Baby Teeth - If knocked or broken out, apply clean gauze to control bleeding and contact a pediatric dentist.
  2. Permanent Teeth - If knocked out, find the tooth and if dirty rinse gently without scrubbing or touching the root. Do not use chemical cleansers. Use milk or cold running water. Place tooth into clean water or milk and transport the tooth with the person when seeking emergency care.
  3. If tooth is broken, save the broken pieces in milk and seek emergency care.

Unconsiousness

  1. If faint, lay victim down with feet elevated, or bend over with head at knee level.
  2. If unconscious, call 911.
  3. If not breathing, begin rescue breathing.
  4. If no circulation, begin chest compressions if trained or being guided in CPR.

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