BREAKGLASS

Emergency Hub

If someone is unconscious or not breathing: send someone to call emergency services, start CPR, and open the triage page.

Open the triage helper Go to the root emergency page

Twenty glance-cards for the moments that matter most. Read your card, do the actions, get help. Educational reference only — when in doubt, call professionals. In the US: 911 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222.

Practice drills Document vault First-aid kit checklist

Medical emergencies

Unconscious & not breathing

  • Shout and tap. No response? Send someone to call emergency services.
  • Start CPR: push hard and fast in the center of the chest.
  • 30 pushes, then 2 breaths. Keep going until help or an AED arrives.
  • Tired? Swap rescuers every 2 minutes without long pauses.

Choking

  • Can they cough or speak? Encourage coughing.
  • Cannot breathe: abdominal thrusts, above navel, inward and up.
  • Infant: back blows plus chest thrusts, head down.
  • They collapse: start CPR and send for help.

Severe bleeding

  • Press hard on the wound with any clean cloth.
  • Add layers on top. Never take soaked ones off.
  • Keep pressing until help takes over.
  • Bleeding you cannot stop: tourniquet high and tight above the wound.

Burns

  • Cool with running water for at least 10 minutes.
  • Remove rings and tight clothing before swelling starts.
  • No ice, butter, or creams.
  • Cover loosely with clean, non-fluffy cloth or cling film.

Stroke — act F.A.S.T.

  • Face droop? Ask them to smile.
  • Arm weakness? Ask them to raise both arms.
  • Speech slurred? Ask them to repeat a simple sentence.
  • Time — note when symptoms started and call emergency services.

Heart attack

  • Call emergency services immediately. Do not drive yourself.
  • Sit them down, half-upright, loosen tight clothing.
  • Chew aspirin only if they are not allergic and emergency services agree.
  • They become unresponsive: start CPR.

Severe allergic reaction

  • Use their epinephrine auto-injector into the outer thigh. Now.
  • Call emergency services even if they improve.
  • Lie them flat, raise the legs. Sitting up can worsen it.
  • No improvement after 5–15 minutes: second dose, per device instructions.

Everyday medical

Seizure

  • Clear hard objects away. Cushion the head.
  • Do not restrain them or put anything in their mouth.
  • Note the time. Turn them on their side when movements stop.
  • Over 5 minutes, repeats, injured, pregnant, or first seizure: call emergency services.

Head injury

  • Apply a cold pack to the bump, 15 minutes at a time.
  • Rest and watch closely for 24 hours.
  • Red flags — repeated vomiting, growing confusion, unequal pupils, drowsiness: call emergency services.
  • No alcohol or driving until fully recovered.

Poisoning

  • Identify the substance. Keep the container or plant with you.
  • Call Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 (US).
  • Do not cause vomiting unless told to by experts.
  • Unresponsive or not breathing: call emergency services and start CPR.

Broken bones & sprains

  • Leave the limb as you found it. Do not straighten it.
  • Immobilize with padding on both sides of the break.
  • Sprain: rest, ice, compression, elevation.
  • Numbness, blue skin, visible deformity, or possible spine injury: call emergency services.

Shock

  • Lay them flat and raise the legs, unless an injury says otherwise.
  • Keep them warm with a coat or blanket.
  • Nothing to eat or drink.
  • Call emergency services. Stay and reassure until help arrives.

Fever in infants

  • Under 3 months with 100.4°F (38°C): emergency care now.
  • Measure with a thermometer. Never guess.
  • Offer fluids often, in small amounts.
  • Dress light. Do not bundle up.

Environmental

Hypothermia

  • Get out of wind, rain, and cold. Shelter first.
  • Remove wet clothing. Layer on dry warmth.
  • Warm the core: chest, neck, groin. Not hands and feet first.
  • Fully alert: warm sweet drinks. Handle gently. Shivering stops: emergency.

Heatstroke

  • Move to shade or air conditioning.
  • Soak with cool water. Fan. Ice packs to armpits, groin, neck.
  • Alert: give cool sips. Confused or not sweating: emergency.
  • Do not leave anyone alone to sleep it off.

Dehydration

  • Sit in shade. Sip often rather than gulping.
  • Use oral rehydration solution for real losses.
  • Homemade mix, per recipe guidance: 1 liter clean water, 6 teaspoons sugar, half teaspoon salt.
  • Dark urine, dizziness, or confusion means act faster.

Home hazards

House fire

  • Get out first. Crawl low under smoke.
  • Feel every door. Hot? Use another way out.
  • Gather at your meeting point and count heads.
  • Never go back inside. Call from outside.

Gas smell / CO alarm

  • Do not flip switches, light flames, or phone from inside.
  • Leave immediately. Open doors on your way only if it costs no time.
  • Call the gas utility from outside, at a safe distance.
  • CO alarm sounds: everyone outside to fresh air, then call for help.

Downed power lines

  • Assume every line is live. Stay at least 35 feet (10 meters) away.
  • Never touch a person, vehicle, or fence in contact with a line.
  • Line down on a car with people inside: keep them inside, call for rescue.
  • Must move away from arcing ground: shuffle with both feet together, tiny steps.

Water contamination

  • Stop drinking the suspect source immediately.
  • Boil at a rolling boil for 1 minute — 3 minutes above 6,500 ft (2,000 m).
  • Cloudy water: strain through clean cloth first, then treat.
  • Clean storage containers too, or the water recontaminates.