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What to do when the first responder turns out to be you

You see a crash on a dark road. Or, maybe you witness a co-worker injured in a machine accident.

These are cases when the first responder isn’t wearing a uniform. The first responder is probably you.

The first step to take is to stop bleeding.

Heavy bleeding can drain out as much as 40 percent of the body’s blood in just 4 minutes, according to First Aid for Life. More than that is life threatening. So it is crucial to work quickly.

Here is what you must do:

– Make sure you are safe first. Get out of the traffic lane. Turn off machinery. You have to be safe yourself to help the victim.

– Locate the wound and call for help. Calling for help and starting treatment should be done simultaneously if possible. So, find the wound while calling 911. Never remove a foreign object from a wound. The object could be holding back bleeding.

– Use the cleanest cloth you have to apply direct pressure to the wound. Don’t use a wad of material since it reduces pressure on the wound. There will be bleed-through, but don’t remove the cloth. Add another layer of cloth while you keep applying pressure. Never lift the cloth to see if the bleeding has stopped. The key is direct, constant pressure. Do that until emergency personnel arrive.

– For dramatic injuries far from help, the only way to stop bleeding might be a tourniquet. Choose a sturdy length of material at least 1.5 inches wide. Tie tight and knot about five inches above the wound. Get an object like a knife or stick. Put it on top of the first knot and tie another know around it. Twist to tighten.

Leather belts might not work because they can’t be twisted tightly enough around the knife or stick (windlass). A shoelace may be too thin.