First Aid & Emergency

Cardiac arrest kills 30,000 people a year in the UK outside hospital. Bystander CPR doubles the chance of survival. Learn the sequence: check, call, compress, breathe. Practice on a pillow until the rhythm is muscle memory.

Choking is terrifying but the response is simple and effective: back blows, then abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre). Learn the sequence for adults, children, and infants — they're different.

Severe bleeding can kill in minutes. The principle is simple: apply direct pressure and don't let go. Tourniquets are back in favour for limb injuries — they save lives when direct pressure isn't enough.

Cool running water for 20 minutes. That's the core message. Everything else — cling film, not ice, not butter, not toothpaste — flows from understanding why cooling works and what makes burns worse.

If someone is unconscious but breathing, the recovery position keeps their airway open and prevents them choking on vomit or saliva. It takes 10 seconds to do and could save their life while you wait for an ambulance.

A pre-made kit from Boots is fine for the car, but building your own means you know exactly what's in it and how to use every item. Build one for home, one for the car, one for outdoor trips.