Below are a few of the most important first aid skills you can learn that can save lives. Whether you’re very familiar with these methods or it’s the first time you’re hearing about them, you’ll likely find some value in the advice.

If you happen to be a medical professional, you have the added preparation of carefully reading, signing, and watching for the common pitfalls in medical waste contracts so you’re prepared for when the patient is stable and medical treatment can slow down.

CPR

If you’ve heard of any of these first aid tips before, it will either be the Heimlich maneuver or CPR. Of the two, CPR is a bit more difficult to administer because it is often misrepresented in TV shows so as to avoid harming any of the actors who aren’t actually facing an emergency and because there are many steps to follow.

When a person collapses and you’ve deemed their location as safe you then need to see if they’re breathing. This can be done by either watching to see if the chest rises and falls, putting your hand close enough to their nose to feel any air that they may exhale or by gently resting an ear near the chest to listen for breathing.

If they aren’t breathing and they don’t wake after you’ve attempted to rouse them, you need to make sure they’re laying flat before centering your hands on their chest, locking your elbows, ensuring your shoulders are directly above your hands and beginning compressions.

The next part is the one you’re not excited about: you need to give the person two breaths. This can be either mouth-to-mouth or through a breathing piece if a CPR kit is available.

Start the compressions again if the person isn’t breathing after all of these steps and keep a close eye on them if they do in case you need to start the process again. Make sure that someone is in contact with 911 and follow any instructions the operator provides as well.

EpiPen Usage

We can be allergic to just about anything and while most of these allergies are minor, some can lead to anaphylactic shock.

People who have allergies this severe are likely carrying at least two EpiPens somewhere with them and are aware of how to use them. However, they may not always be able to administer the medicine so learning how to do so even if you have no allergies is vital.

First, make sure that the person is both sitting down and is actually having an allergic reaction. Turning red, struggling with breathing, raspy speech and sudden hives or rashes are all examples of allergic reaction symptoms, so if you see any of them, spring into action.

Grab the EpiPen in a fist and make sure the orange side is down. Remove the cap while making sure the person receiving the treatment is either sitting or lying down. Then press the orange part into the person’s thigh until you hear the click.

Stay in this position for ten seconds. You can move once these seconds have elapsed. Call 911 as soon as possible from here and keep the second dose ready; not only can the medicine wear off but the first dose may not be enough in extreme cases. You need to be ready in case the reaction worsens for any reason.

Heimlich Maneuver

There are few first aid techniques taught as often as the Heimlich maneuver and for good reason. While CPR is important and EpiPens are vital, instructions for how to use them are easy to access and CPR can be avoided completely in some cases if you know how to perform the Heimlich. However, choking can happen at any time. It is an incredibly serious situation; you won’t have time to look up how to do it.

If you see someone choking and they can’t breathe, cough or talk, or they are holding their hands to their throat in the choking sign, get behind them. Make one hand into a fist and cover it with the other.

The thumb side of your fist needs to be just below the ribcage a bit above the belly button before you quickly thrust up five times. If you see the object fly from the person’s mouth or they start coughing, breathing or talking, stop and check on them. Do the maneuver again if the first five thrusts failed.

If you are alone and you start choking and are alone, then you have a few options. You can try the steps listed above, ignoring the parts about getting behind the person, to start. If you prefer you can also try a railing, table edge or chair in place of the hands and try to mimic the thrust by pressing yourself against the surface quickly.

If you can, do these procedures outside because then other people may notice and offer help or contact 911 for you.

John Mali Director of Media Relations

Director of Media Relations at AboutBoulder.com

john@aboutboulder.com