How to Save a Life

The ability to save a life is an awesome responsibility and a great accomplishment at the same time. The key to saving a life is to keep a cool head during an emergency situation. These steps will show you how to stay calm and perform at crucial moments that could mean the difference between life and death.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Saving a Life With Basic CPR

1. Assess the situation before you begin CPR. Is the person conscious?
2. Think of the ABCs of CPR: Airway, Breathing & Circulation. Put the person on a flat surface. Kneel next to her. Open the airway by pushing the forehead back and lift the chin forward.
3. Pinch the person's nostrils shut for mouth-to-mouth breathing. Cover her mouth with yours and form a seal.
4. Place the heel of your hand over the center of the person's chest between the nipples. Put your other hand over the first, keeping your elbows and shoulders straight. Push straight down 1-1/2 to 2 inches, two compressions per second.
5. Give two rescue breaths after 30 compressions. Repeat rescue breaths and compressions until the person has gained consciousness or emergency services have arrived.

Saving a Life When Someone Is Too Chilled

6. Watch for signs of hypothermia or frostbite. Hypothermia symptoms include severe shivering, dizziness, exhaustion and sometimes, confusion. With frostbite, the affected skin will be waxy and discolored; the person will also experience numbness in the area.
7. Get the person out of any wet clothes immediately and cover him with something warm and dry.
8. Help him drink warm fluids like hot cider or soup. Never give or allow a person with hypothermia or frostbite to consume drinks containing caffeine or alcohol, as this dehydrates the body further.
9. Seek medical help as soon as possible.

Saving a Life When Someone Is Choking

10. Encourage the person to stand up and cough as hard as they can. Do not pat them on the back. Contrary to common myth, this can actually lodge the foreign object further down into the airway.
11. Place your arms around the back of the choking individual and put your fists together just under the diaphragm.
12. Thrust in and up slightly with your fists. This expels the air from the lungs suddenly in an effort to dislodge the object.

Tips & Warnings

• For children, breathe gently and only use one hand for compressions.
• Always make sure that someone is calling 9-1-1. Trying to help someone is a heroic thing to do, but the law and common sense tells us to turn it over to the professionals when they arrive at the scene.
• For babies, cover the mouth and nose for rescue breaths. Use two fingers for compressions.
• Carry a first aid kit in your car in the event of witnessing a car accident or other fall or cut injury that may need attention. This may not save a life, but being prepared for any emergency is always a good idea.
• Do not perform CPR unless you are certified to do so. If you don't know what you are doing, you can injure the person in need.
• Online certification is available. Take a practical class to accompany it in order to avoid possible liability.