First Aid and Emergency Response
What this domain tests
Correct, safe first-aid actions in the first few minutes before medical help arrives, and the emergency numbers.
Primary survey - DRABC
Danger (protect yourself first), Response (shout and tap), Airway (head tilt, chin lift), Breathing (look, listen, feel for 10 seconds), Circulation/compressions. Call 112 (emergency) or 108 (ambulance); fire 101.
CPR basics
Adult: 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths, centre of the chest, depth 5–6 cm, rate 100–120 per minute, allowing full recoil. Hands-only CPR if untrained or unwilling to give breaths. Continue until help arrives or the person recovers.
Common emergencies
- Bleeding: direct pressure with a clean cloth, raise the limb; tourniquet only as a last resort for life-threatening limb bleeding.
- Burns: cool running water for about 20 minutes, cover loosely; no ice, toothpaste or oil.
- Fracture: immobilise in the found position, do not attempt to straighten.
- Choking: 5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts; repeat.
- Snake bite: keep the person still and the limb immobilised below heart level; no cutting, sucking or tight tourniquet.
- Heat stroke: move to shade, loosen clothing, cool with wet cloth, sips of water only if fully conscious.
Worked example
A worker collapses near the gate and does not respond. The guard ensures the area is safe, shouts for help, opens the airway and finds no normal breathing, calls 108, starts 30:2 CPR, and sends a colleague to guide the ambulance to the correct gate. Reasoning: unresponsiveness with absent breathing is cardiac arrest - compressions started early and a clear ambulance route are the two things that change the outcome.
Traps that cost marks
- Giving water to an unconscious person.
- Moving a suspected spinal-injury casualty "to make him comfortable".
- Applying ice or toothpaste to a burn.