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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 your neighbor has injured herself.

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. If it is a traffic accident, get out of the traffic lane. 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.