What is First Aid?

First aid is the initial care given to an injured or ill person by a non-expert but trained individual before medical help arrives or before the victim can be brought to a medical facility.

However, some self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care after effective first aid intervention.

First aid generally consists of a series of simple techniques, sometimes potentially life-saving interventions, that an individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment.  It aims to preserve life, prevent further harm and promote recovery.

A first aid provider is someone with formal First Aid Training or education in emergency care or medicine who provides assessments and interventions which should be medically sound and based on scientific evidence or on expert consensus.

An important component of first aid administration is that it must not delay activation of the emergency medical services (EMS) system or other medical assistance when required.

First Aid Training involves learning basic skills needed to save a life or prevent an injury or illness from getting worse. These skills include the ABCs of first aid, which stands for Airway, Breathing and Circulation.