- First aid is the immediate help given to a victim of injury or sudden illness by a bystander until appropriate medical help arrives or the victim is seen by a healthcare provider.
- First aid is generally not all the treatment the person needs, but it helps the victim for the usually short time until advanced care begins.
- First aid can mean the difference between life and death, between temporary and permanent disability, between rapid recovery and long hospitalization.
Most first aid is straightforward and does not require extensive training or equipment. However, with first aid training such as that provided by the National Safety Council, and a basic first aid kit, a person can perform first aid to meet the needs of almost any situation.
According to the 2009 edition of Injury Facts (Copyright 2009, National Safety Council), an estimated 74,000 or 62% of all unintentional-injury deaths occurred in the home and community. Another 20,600,000 people suffered nonfatal disabling injuries. About 1 out of 15 people experienced an unintentional injury in the home and community and about 1 out of 4,100 people died from such an injury. The five leading causes of unintentional-injury deaths in home and community are: poisoning, falls, drowning, choking, fires/flames. A Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED course trains people in how to provide care for victims of each of these causes of unintentional-injury deaths.