Test Your First-Aid Knowledge

firstaid1. A car accident occurs in front of your school. You want to help those injured. What is the first thing that you should check for?

2. Once you determine that you may not be able to provide as much assistance as needed to an injured or ill person, what should you do?

3. Why is it important to check a victim’s Airway, Breathing and Circulation (ABCs), immediately?

4. What are some questions to ask a victim?

5. A student is having an asthma attack. He forgot his inhaler at home. Another person at the school says they have an inhaler that can be used. Should the person that’s having the attack use the other person’s inhaler?

6. Before giving a victim anything that needs to be digested (food, drink or medicine), what must they be able to do? What type of victims should be given something orally?

7. What is the best way to treat shock?

8. What’s the first step in controlling external bleeding from an open wound?

9. Where is the only place on the body that you should not apply direct pressure?

10. Where is the only place on the body that you may be able to remove an impaled object?

11. Besides an injury that’s caused by an impaled or penetrating object, what is another cause of injury that would create an entry and an exit wound?

12. A student gets kicked or punched in the eye during sparring. There is visible damage to the eye and face. To treat, should you cover the injured eye, both eyes or neither eye?

13. If materials are available, should you splint an injured body part (sprain, dislocation or fracture)?

14. What are some steps to take immediately after an accident of illness occurs, when the victim has already been taken to the hospital or home, and what steps in the days that follow?

1. No matter what the emergency is, the first thing to check for is scene safety. If the scene is not safe for you to enter, then you do not enter. Remember, you are always number one.

2. Call 9-1-1! This will get you into the Emergency Response System (EMS). Even if you cannot do anything else except call, you are starting the first step in the chain of survival.

3. This helps to determine the most immediate life-threatening situation of the victim, and what care to apply first.

4. Start of with simple questions, which may help to determine mental status, such as asking their name, do they know what day it is, where they are, and are they alone? Then you may follow with specific medical history questions.

5. Never! A person should only use his/her own medication, especially if it’s a prescription. Also, unless you’re licensed to, you cannot dispense any kind of medication (prescription or over-the-counter), especially if you don’t know the victim’s medical history.

6. The victim must be able to swallow. Giving liquids orally may help in a diabetic or heat-related emergency.

7. Keep the victim warm by covering him/her up.

8. Apply direct pressure over the wound.

9. On top of the head, if the skullcap is fractured.

10. The cheek of the face, where it enters the mouth.

11. An electrical burn.

12. Since the eyes move together, in order to rest the injured eye, you should cover both eyes.

13. No. The only reason that you should splint is if you have to move the victim. So, unless you are out in the middle of the wilderness, wait for 9-1-1.

14. First and foremost, fill out an incident report detailing everything that happened, care that was given, times of the emergency and when the report was completed. This will go a long way in protecting you if there is a future lawsuit.

In the days that follow, it’s important to take several steps. Take corrective actions against anything that may have caused the emergency, to prevent future ones. Also, make sure that other students and employees are all right, especially psychologically with what happened.