First Aid

---

A life-threatening event can happen at any time. The first thing we should do is call 911, but then what? If we have the supplies and skills to provide first aid and CPR we can help to prevent a person's condition from getting worse. We can even save a person's life. In addition, these skills can be invaluable in a disaster where communication or damage to roads may delay emergency responders from getting to you quickly. 

First aid is the immediate medical attention given to a person after an injury before medical professionals arrive. First aid can be as simple as applying antiseptic and a bandaid, or it can be more complicated like applying a splint to a broken bone. 

Basic life support is the actions that can be taken to maintain a person’s life when a person is in grave danger due to a serious medical event. The goal is to keep the person alive until additional steps can be taken by medical professionals to restore airway, breathing, and circulation, and further treat the patient. Examples of life-threatening events include, but are not limited to, severe bleeding, choking, heart attack, and drowning. 

Some events may lead to a person not breathing or circulating blood; these types of events are treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Ideally, CPR is accompanied by defibrillation if the person’s heart is not beating due to fibrillation. Fibrillation occurs when the heart fails to circulate blood due to a chaotic contraction of the heart muscle. Defibrillation can restore the heart to a more normal rhythm through using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Learning how to perform CPR and use an AED can save a person’s life. 

Bleeding from an arm or a leg that is so heavy that it threatens a person‘s life can be treated using an emergency tourniquet until medical professionals can intervene. The tourniquet is placed around the bleeding limb 2-3 inches above the wound and tightened such that blood can no longer flow out of the body. Blood flow is cut off to the rest of the limb, so it is crucial to know the level of bleeding that warrants a tourniquet and how to apply it correctly. Once applied, the tourniquet should not be loosened or removed by anyone other than a medical professional, even to check if the bleeding has stopped.

Click on the links below to learn more:

• Performing CPR - American Red Cross
• How to stay safe from pathogens when performing CPR - CPR Cert Raleigh
• How to recognize life-threatening bleeding - American Red Cross Video
• How to apply an emergency tourniquet - American Red Cross Video

Click on the links below to see classes offered in Pueblo.

• Pueblo Community College - First Aid, BLS, CPR, and more
• Colorado State University Pueblo - hybrid online and in person
• American Red Cross - offers online classes

Consider keeping the following supplies on hand should they be needed:

• First aid kit
• Emergency tourniquet - these can be placed to prevent life threatening bleeding
• AED - AEDs can be purchased and placed in organizations or even homes. Keep the AED is a spot that is easily visible.