Emergency Quick Reference

What to Do When It Matters Most

The Universal First Step

In any emergency, before you do anything else:

Call 911 (or your local emergency number). Do this first. Do it before you start helping, or tell someone specific — not “someone call 911” but “you, in the blue shirt, call 911” — to do it while you act. Emergency dispatchers are trained to guide you through procedures over the phone while help is on the way. You are not alone. You just need to make the call.

If you are alone with a victim and must choose between calling and acting: for adults in cardiac arrest, call first, then start CPR. For children or drowning victims, give 2 minutes of CPR first, then call — the likely cause is respiratory, and early breaths matter more.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation): Adults

When to use it: A person is unresponsive, not breathing or only gasping, and has no pulse. If you are not sure whether they have a pulse, start CPR. The risk of doing chest compressions on someone whose heart is still beating is vastly smaller than the risk of not doing them on someone whose heart has stopped.

How

1. Call 911. If an AED (automated external defibrillator) is nearby, send someone to get it.
2. Place the person on their back on a firm surface.
3. Start chest compressions:
   • Place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest, between the nipples.
   • Place your other hand on top, interlacing your fingers.
   • Lock your elbows. Use your body weight, not your arm muscles.
   • Push hard and fast: at least 2 inches deep, at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute. (The tempo of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees is the correct rate. This is not a joke. It is genuinely the recommended mnemonic, and the song title is, in context, appropriate.)
   • Allow the chest to fully recoil between compressions. Do not lean on the chest between pushes.
4. If you are trained in rescue breathing: give 2 breaths after every 30 compressions. Tilt the head back, lift the chin, pinch the nose, and breathe into the mouth until you see the chest rise.
5. If you are not trained or not comfortable with rescue breathing: hands-only CPR (continuous chest compressions without breaths) is effective for adults and is recommended over doing nothing. Push hard, push fast, do not stop.
6. If an AED arrives: turn it on and follow the voice prompts. AEDs are designed to be used by people with no training. They analyze the heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if one is needed. You cannot accidentally shock someone who does not need it. The machine decides. Apply the pads as shown in the diagrams on the device, and follow instructions.
7. Continue until: emergency services arrive, the person starts breathing on their own, or you are physically unable to continue.

Important: Effective CPR will likely break ribs. This is normal. Broken ribs heal. Dead people do not.

Choking: Adults

Signs: The person cannot cough, speak, or breathe. They may clutch their throat. Their face may turn red or blue. If they are coughing forcefully, let them cough — a strong cough is more effective than any intervention you can provide. Intervene only if the airway is fully blocked.

The Heimlich Maneuver (Abdominal Thrusts)

Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around their waist.

Make a fist with one hand. Place the thumb side against the abdomen, above the navel and below the ribcage.

Grasp your fist with your other hand.

Give quick, sharp, upward thrusts — as if you are trying to lift them off the ground with your fists. Each thrust should be a distinct, forceful movement.

Repeat until the object is expelled or the person becomes unconscious.

If the person becomes unconscious: Lower them to the ground, call 911 if not already done, and begin CPR. Before giving rescue breaths, look into the mouth — if you can see the object, remove it. Do not perform a blind finger sweep.

If you are alone and choking: Use a chair back, countertop, or any firm object pressed into your upper abdomen to deliver self-administered thrusts. This is awkward and unpleasant. It also works.

Severe Bleeding

The priority: Stop the bleeding. Everything else is secondary.

Direct pressure: Place a clean cloth, towel, shirt, or whatever you have against the wound and press firmly. Use both hands if needed. Do not lift the cloth to check — this disrupts clot formation. If blood soaks through, add more material on top and continue pressing.

Elevate the injured area above the heart if possible, while maintaining pressure.

Tourniquet: For life-threatening bleeding from a limb that direct pressure cannot control — arterial bleeding is bright red and spurting with each heartbeat — a tourniquet may be necessary. Place it 2-3 inches above the wound (not on a joint), tighten until bleeding stops, note the time it was applied, and do not remove it. Tourniquets cause pain. The alternative to a tourniquet in this situation is bleeding to death. Commercial tourniquets are more effective than improvised ones, but a belt, a strip of cloth, or any material that can be cinched tight is better than nothing.

What not to do: Do not apply a tourniquet for minor or moderate bleeding. Do not remove objects embedded in a wound — they may be plugging a hole in a blood vessel. Stabilize them in place and get to the ER.

Burns

For minor burns (small area, redness, no blistering):

• Cool the burn under cool (not ice cold) running water for at least 10 minutes. This is the single most effective first aid for burns and is more effective than anything you will put on the burn afterward.
• Do not apply butter, oil, toothpaste, or any other home remedy. These trap heat in the tissue.
• Cover loosely with a clean, non-stick bandage.
• Over-the-counter pain relief as needed.

For serious burns (blistering, white or charred skin, large area, or burns to the face, hands, feet, genitals, or major joints):

• Call 911.
• Cool with running water if possible but do not delay getting help.
• Do not remove clothing stuck to the burn.
• Do not pop blisters.
• Cover loosely with a clean cloth or plastic wrap to protect the area.

For chemical burns: Remove contaminated clothing and flush the area with large amounts of running water for at least 20 minutes. Call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222).

For electrical burns: Do not touch the person until the power source is disconnected. Call 911. Electrical burns may cause internal damage that is not visible on the surface.

Allergic Reaction (Anaphylaxis)

Signs: Swelling of the face, lips, throat, or tongue. Difficulty breathing or swallowing. Widespread hives. Rapid pulse. Dizziness or fainting. Nausea or vomiting. A feeling of impending doom (this is a real medical symptom, not a metaphor).

What to do:

Call 911 immediately.

Epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen): If the person has one, help them use it — or use it yourself. Remove the safety cap, press firmly against the outer thigh (through clothing is fine), hold for 10 seconds. Epinephrine is the only treatment for anaphylaxis. Antihistamines like Benadryl may help mild allergic reactions but are not fast enough or strong enough for anaphylaxis.

Have the person lie down with legs elevated, unless they are having difficulty breathing, in which case let them sit up.

A second dose of epinephrine may be given after 5-15 minutes if symptoms do not improve.

Even if the epinephrine works and symptoms improve, the person still needs emergency medical evaluation. Anaphylaxis can return after the epinephrine wears off (biphasic reaction).

Seizures

What to do

Clear the area around the person of anything that could cause injury. Move furniture, sharp objects, etc.

Ease them to the ground if they are standing.

Turn them on their side to prevent choking.

Place something soft under their head.

Time the seizure. This information is important for the medical team.

Do not put anything in their mouth. The myth about swallowing the tongue is false — it is anatomically impossible. Putting objects in the mouth of a seizing person risks breaking their teeth or injuring you.

Do not restrain them. You cannot stop a seizure by holding the person down.

Call 911 if: The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, the person does not regain consciousness after the seizure stops, they have a second seizure, they are injured, they have difficulty breathing afterward, it is their first seizure, or they are pregnant.

Suspected Stroke (FAST)

Time is everything. Treatments for ischemic stroke are most effective within the first few hours — and become unavailable after that window closes. This is one of the few emergencies where minutes genuinely determine whether someone recovers fully, lives with permanent disability, or dies.

Remember FAST

Face: Ask them to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms: Ask them to raise both arms. Does one drift downward?

Speech: Ask them to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or garbled?

Time: If any of these signs are present, call 911 immediately. Note the time symptoms started — the medical team will need this.

Heart Attack

Signs: Chest pain or pressure (often described as squeezing, heaviness, or tightness), pain radiating to the arm (usually left), jaw, neck, or back. Shortness of breath. Cold sweat. Nausea. Lightheadedness. A sense of something being profoundly wrong.

Important: Symptoms in women are more likely to be atypical — shortness of breath without chest pain, nausea, back or jaw pain, or extreme fatigue. Heart attacks in women are more frequently missed because both patients and doctors expect the “classic” presentation, which is based primarily on male symptoms.

What to do

Call 911.

Have the person chew (not swallow whole) one regular aspirin (325 mg) or four baby aspirin (81 mg each), unless they are allergic to aspirin. Chewing allows faster absorption. Aspirin inhibits blood clotting and can improve outcomes during a heart attack.

Have them sit or lie in a comfortable position.

If they become unresponsive and stop breathing, begin CPR.

Do not drive them to the hospital yourself unless an ambulance is truly unavailable. Paramedics can begin treatment in the ambulance and alert the hospital to prepare.

The Kit

A basic emergency kit for your home or car does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be accessible.

Adhesive bandages (various sizes)

Sterile gauze pads and medical tape

Elastic bandage (ACE wrap)

Antiseptic wipes

Antibiotic ointment

Tweezers

Scissors

Disposable gloves

A commercial tourniquet (CAT or similar), if you’ve learned how to use one

CPR face shield or pocket mask

Instant cold pack

Over-the-counter medications: ibuprofen or acetaminophen, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), antacids

Emergency contact information and any relevant medical information (allergies, medications)

A phone charger

The Principle

In an emergency, imperfect action is almost always better than perfect inaction. The bystander who does chest compressions with imperfect form saves more lives than the bystander who does nothing because they’re not sure they remember the technique correctly. The person who applies direct pressure to a bleeding wound with a dirty t-shirt does more good than the person who goes looking for a sterile bandage while the victim bleeds.

Act. Call for help. Do what you can with what you have. The professionals are coming. Your job is to keep things going until they arrive.

And then, when it’s over, take a breath. What you just did mattered.