first aid at home, one emergency per page
Thirty-two emergencies for the person who wants to know what to do right now, before it happens: the twenty minutes of cool water a burn actually needs, the blister you leave alone and the splinter that comes out the way it went in, the loud choke you watch and the silent choke you act on, the five and five, the recovery position roll, the dog bite that can wait for morning and the one that cannot, the nosebleed you lean into, the ankle you PRICE, the head bump with two lists, and the shock drill that is flat, warm and nothing by mouth.
A diagram, the escalation, and one thing to practise this week. That's a page.
first aid at home, one emergency per page
Thirty-two emergencies for the person who wants to know what to do right now, before it happens: the twenty minutes of cool water a burn actually needs, the blister you leave alone and the splinter that comes out the way it went in, the loud choke you watch and the silent choke you act on, the five and five, the recovery position roll, the dog bite that can wait for morning and the one that cannot, the nosebleed you lean into, the ankle you PRICE, the head bump with two lists, and the shock drill that is flat, warm and nothing by mouth.
Set in Space Grotesk, Inter and JetBrains Mono (SIL Open Font License).
General information only, not a substitute for professional medical advice. When in doubt, seek medical help. If someone is seriously ill or injured and you think their life is at risk, call your local emergency services number immediately.
Every technique, timing and number in this book is as the official sources state it, fetched and read during this build: the NHS first aid overview (nhs.uk) and its condition pages for burns and scalds, cuts and grazes, nosebleed, sprains and strains, head injury and concussion, animal and human bites, insect bites and stings, eye injuries, fainting and seizures; the St John Ambulance first aid advice pages (sja.org.uk) for CPR, the recovery position, choking, severe bleeding, burns and scalds, sprains and strains, splinters and blisters; and the Red Cross (redcross.org kit and burn guidance, redcross.org.uk burn guidance). Demand evidence from live beginner threads on r/firstaid and r/Advice, fetched this build; no facts are sourced from Reddit. Teaching conventions (one emergency a page) are named as conventions. No medications or products are recommended. An independent guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHS, St John Ambulance or the Red Cross.
© 2026 Steve Hodgkiss. All rights reserved. Personal use only; no redistribution rights.
Edition 1.0 · stevehodgkiss.net
Contents
NHS first aid overview (nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/first-aid): if someone is injured, first check that you and the injured person are not in any danger, and if possible make the situation safe; if necessary dial 999 for an ambulance when it is safe to do so; then carry out basic first aid.
Danger first, always
Someone's hurt and your legs are already moving. Stop. The NHS first-aid rule is an order: check danger first, yours and theirs, and make the situation safe if you can.
A pan still on the heat, a live wire in the puddle, traffic. A second casualty helps nobody. When it's safe, call your local emergency number if needed, then give first aid.
Danger, help, then care. Every page in this book starts after that check.
Right now, while nothing is wrong: check your kitchen and stairs for the two hazards you keep stepping around. Fix one this week.
Skin
The kitchen burn and its twenty minutes, the folklore around blisters and butter, the burns that mean hospital, and the splinter that comes out the way it went in.
- 01The skillet burn
- 02The deep splinter
NHS burns and scalds page (nhs.uk/conditions/burns-and-scalds): treat all burns straight away; hold the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible within 3 hours of it happening; if no running water, cool bottled water or a wet towel; small burns treated at home take around 2 weeks.
The skillet burn
The pan grabs your wrist. NHS: get it under cool running water for 20 minutes, and keep going even when it stops hurting at minute two. Start within 3 hours of the burn.
No tap? The NHS says cool bottled water or a wet towel while you find some. Twenty minutes is longer than your patience. It's the number that matters.
Small burns heal at home in about 2 weeks. Water first, judgement after.
Next time anyone in the house burns: count out loud to twenty minutes under the tap. No butter, no ice, no cream while you wait.
St John Ambulance splinter page (sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/splinter): clean the area with warm water and soap; grasp the splinter with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and draw it out in a straight line at the same angle as it went in; squeeze the wound carefully to encourage slight bleeding to help remove dirt; clean, dry and cover with a dressing; if deep in the skin it can be difficult to remove and should be left in place, seek medical help; contact 111 or a GP if the site becomes infected (redness, swelling, increased pain, leaking pus).
The deep splinter
St John Ambulance: wash with warm water and soap, then tweezers as close to the skin as possible, drawing it out in a straight line, the same angle it went in. Never dig across.
Then squeeze gently so it bleeds a little, that flushes dirt out, clean, dry, dressing on. Deep one you can't grip? Leave it in place and get medical help.
Redness, swelling, more pain or pus afterwards: that's 111 or your GP.
Add fine-point tweezers to the kit box if yours are the fat hobby kind. They're the difference between out and dug.
St John Ambulance CPR page (sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/cpr) and cardiac arrest page: kneel, heel of the hand on the middle of the chest, other hand on top, arms straight, press hard to a depth of about 5 to 6 cm, at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute (the beat of Stayin Alive); after 30 compressions, two rescue breaths if trained and able, otherwise continuous compressions; use the phone on speaker so you can start while talking to the ambulance controller; do not stop until help arrives, the person recovers, or you are exhausted.
Not breathing: push
Unresponsive and not breathing normally: call the emergency number on speaker and push. Hand heel on the centre of the chest, other hand on top, arms straight.
St John: press hard, about 5 to 6 cm down, at 100 to 120 a minute, the beat of Stayin' Alive. Trained and willing? 30 compressions, 2 breaths. Not? Compressions alone, no stopping.
The controller on the phone counts with you. You are not doing this alone.
Play Stayin' Alive once and tap the beat with your hand. Your hands now know 100 to 120.
St John Ambulance choking page and NHS first aid overview: severe choking, no breathing or noise: support the upper body, help them lean forwards, give up to 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of the hand; check the mouth after each blow; if still blocked, up to 5 abdominal thrusts: stand behind, fist just above the belly button, other hand on top, pull sharply inwards and upwards; call emergency help and continue cycles of 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts; afterwards the person should be checked by a healthcare professional; never abdominal thrusts on babies under 1 year or pregnant women.
The silent choke
Silence is the emergency. St John: lean them forwards, 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, checking the mouth after each.
Still blocked? Stand behind, fist just above the belly button, other hand on top, pull sharply in and up, up to 5. Not cleared: emergency call, and keep cycling five and five.
Even once cleared, a check by a healthcare professional after, thrusts can do internal damage.
Note the two exceptions now: no abdominal thrusts on babies under 1, use chest thrusts, or on pregnant women.
NHS animal and human bites page (nhs.uk/conditions/animal-and-human-bites): clean the wound with soap and warm water; gently squeeze so it bleeds slightly unless already bleeding, this reduces infection risk; pat dry, cover with a clean dressing; get help from NHS 111 if bitten on hands feet face or head, if you think teeth hair or dirt remain in the wound, if it becomes hot swollen painful red or leaking, high temperature, bitten by a person, or no tetanus vaccine in 10 years; go to A and E if large or deep or bleeding cannot be stopped.
The dog bite
The morning question has a real answer. NHS: wash with soap and warm water, squeeze gently so it bleeds a little unless it already is, pat dry, dressing on.
Then the 111 list: bitten on hands, feet, face or head, dirt or teeth in the wound, a person did it, no tetanus in 10 years, or it turns hot, red, swollen, leaking. That's today, not morning.
Large, deep, unstoppable bleeding: A and E. Everything else can wait for the 111 call, and only that.
If a bite happens: wash, squeeze, dress, then read the 111 list out loud with the phone already in hand.
Limbs, head and chest
The ankle on PRICE, the bumped head with two lists and a quiet week, the nosebleed you lean into, the eye you rinse, the faint, the seizure, the allergy spiral and the chemical burn.
- 01The turned ankle
- 02The bumped head
NHS sprains and strains page (nhs.uk/conditions/sprains-and-strains): for the first 2 to 3 days follow PRICE: protection, rest, ice for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, compression with a bandage, elevation; avoid heat, alcohol and massage for the first couple of days; most feel better after 2 weeks, avoid strenuous exercise like running for up to 8 weeks; get help from 111 if very painful or worsening, large swelling or bruising, cannot bear weight, cannot move it, or not better after a few days; St John Ambulance sprains page teaches the same RICE method with ice a maximum of 20 minutes.
The turned ankle
NHS spells it PRICE: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, for the first 2 to 3 days. Ice up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, wrapped, never bare.
The quiet half of the advice: no heat, no alcohol, no massage early on, all three feed the swelling.
Better in 2 weeks is normal; running waits up to 8. Worse instead of better, no weight on it: 111.
Ice pack in the freezer, a cushion at sofa height, and a bandage in the kit. That's the whole ankle kit.
NHS head injury and concussion page (nhs.uk/conditions/head-injury-and-concussion): call 999 if knocked out and not woken, cannot stay awake, a fit, fall from over 1 metre or 5 stairs, vision or hearing problems, black eye without eye trauma, clear fluid from ears or nose, bleeding or bruising behind the ears, new numbness or weakness, problems walking balance speaking or writing, high speed impact such as a road accident, wound with something in it or a dent in the head, bruise swelling or large cut in a child under 1; 111 for vomiting, dizziness, blood-thinning conditions or medicines, alcohol or drugs involved, or any worrying symptom; an adult should stay with the person for the first 24 hours.
The bumped head
The NHS gives two lists and they're worth reading twice. Emergency: knocked out and not waking, a fit, clear fluid from ear or nose, bruising behind the ear, vision or speaking problems, a fall over a metre, any high-speed hit.
The 111 list: vomiting, dizziness, blood thinners involved, alcohol involved, or anything that worries you. If told to go to A and E, someone else drives.
Minor bump home care: ice wrapped in a tea towel, rest, paracetamol if needed, an adult nearby for the first 24 hours.
Snap a photo of the two NHS head lists. A calm read now beats a frantic search at 11pm.