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First aid protocols

First aid is a life skill and you can never know when your first aid skills might be needed – emergencies rarely come with a warning. Here you can review the first aid protocols for the most common situations requiring first aid, learned in the FRC first aid course. Comprehensive and more detailed instructions you will find on the Red Cross website.

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CPR on a dummy.

Adult resuscitation

Resuscitation should be performed if the person’s heart has stopped. CPR can save a life.

A woman helps another woman with their asthma inhalator.

Asthma attack

Asthma attacks are caused by bronchoconstriction – the tightening of the muscles around the airways, which reduces air flow in the lungs and makes breathing difficult.

Woman suffers from chest pain.

Chest pain

Chest pain is a serious symptom, which is most often brought on by coronary heart disease.

Vauva makaa selällään kovalla alustalla, auttaja tunnustelee hengitystä suun edestä poskellaan.

Child resuscitation

For small children and babies, always start resuscitation with five rescue breaths.

A women is passed out unconscious in a door way.

First aid for an unconscious person

A person is said to be unconscious when he or she cannot be woken up but is breathing normally.

Person cools down a red burn under a running tap.

First aid for burns

The number-one priority with burns is to quickly stop further tissue damage.

A woman has gotten a bleeding wound on their hand while cutting an apple.

First aid for wounds

Diligent wound care helps the skin to heal, prevents infections and reduces scarring.

Applying pressure on a wound.

How to stop heavy bleeding

The goal with heavy bleeding is to stop the bleeding as fast as possible by applying pressure on the wound.

Woman offers a banana to a pale faced person who is sitting down in a staircase.

Low blood sugar in diabetics

Low blood sugar can be life-threatening for a diabetic.

One person covers another's hands with theirs in show of support.

Psychological first aid

The objective of psychological first aid is to calm the person down and to give comfort and support.

Removal of a foreign object from the airways with the Heimlich maneuver.

Removal of a foreign object from the airways

A foreign object blocking the airways constitutes a choking hazard.

A woman has red hives on their face and is holding their chest.

Severe allergic reaction

Anaphylactic reaction (anaphylaxis) is a life-threatening allergic reaction that can develop in a matter of minutes.

Man sits slumped in a chair and one side of his face is drooping.

Stroke

A stroke is always a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment. 

Woman calls 112 for another woman who has fallen down on a bike.

What to do in a rescue situation

The rescue chain always starts with the person who is first on the scene and reports the emergency by calling 112.