Comprehensive Guide to First Aid & CPR

The Canadian Red Cross Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR is an expanded, more detailed companion book to the Canadian Red Cross First Aid & CPR student manual.

You will refer to the Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR throughout your Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR course. A significant part of your First Aid and CPR training involves familiarizing yourself with the First Aid guide, and learning how to use it as an exhaustive reference when you encounter an emergency in your everyday life.

The information in the Canadian Red Cross Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR follows the guidelines from the most currently recognized International Liaison Committee on Rescuscitation (ILCOR) and Canadian Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) recommendations.

Your Canadian Red Cross certified First Aid instructor will provide you with a printed classroom copy of the Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR for reference throughout your First Aid and CPR course. You can also download a PDF copy of the Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR for free and print it out, or keep it stored for quick access on your computer, laptop, tablet and smartphone.

Comprehensive Guide for First Aid & CPR contents:

Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross

Chapter 1: The Red Cross

Our History
The Fundamental Principles
Red Cross Symbols
Who We Are
How We Help

Chapter 2: Responding to Emergencies

Preparing to Respond
Preparing for Emergencies at Home
Recognizing that an Emergency Exists
Willingness to Act
Legal Issues Around First Aid
Good Samaritan Laws
Workplace First Aiders
Getting Permission to Help
Duty to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Responding to Disclosures of Violence
The Emergency Medical Services System
Chain of Survival Behaviours
Understanding Your Role as a First Aider
Understanding Your Role in the EMS System
Activating EMS
When to Call EMS/9-1-1
Poison Control Centres
Calling EMS/9-1-1 for a Child in Your Care
After an Emergency
Lowering the Risk of Infection
How to Prevent Diseases from Spreading
Personal Precautions
Equipment Precautions
Environmental Precautions

Chapter 3: Check, Call, Care

Check
Call
Care
Secondary Assessment
Shock
Providing First Aid for Someone with a Disability

Chapter 4: Choking

Partial Choking
Complete Choking
Responsive Adult or Child over 12 Months
If You Are By Yourself and Choking
Responsive Baby (Less Than 12 Months)
Unresponsive Choking

Chapter 5: Circulation Emergencies

Cardiovascular Disease
Heart Attack
Angina
Stroke
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Life-Threatening Bleeding
Life-Threatening External Bleeding
Using a Tourniquet
Using Hemostatic Dressings

Chapter 6: CPR & AED

Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac Arrest, Adult (After the Onset of Puberty)
Cardiac Arrest, Child (1 Year to the Onset of Puberty)
Cardiac Arrest, Baby (Less Than 12 Months)
Continue CPR Until
What to Do if the Rescue Breaths Don't Go In
Compression-Only CPR
CPR Compression Depth
Chest Compression Rates
Chest Recoil
Decreasing Compression Fraction (Off-Chest Time)
Special Considerations
CPR for a Pregnant Woman
Air in the Stomach
Vomiting
Mouth-to-Nose Breathing
Mouth-to-Stoma Breathing
Automated External Defibrillation
Using an AED
Medical Direction and AEDs
AED Maintenance
Working as a Team

Chapter 7: Breathing Emergencies

Respiratory Distress
Hyperventilation
Asthma
Using an Inhaler
Using an Inhaler with a Spacer
Allergic Reactions
Anaphylaxis

Chapter 8: Wound Care

Bandaging Guidelines
Triangular Bandages
Cuts and Scrapes
Puncture Wounds
Scalp Injuries
Infection
Burns
Thermal Burns
Chemical Burns
Electrical Burns
Radiation Burns
Special Considerations When Caring for Burns
Bruises
Splinters
Nosebleeds
Foreign Objects in the Nose
Knocked-Out Teeth
Eye Injuries
Ear Injuries
Impaled Objects
Amputations
Crush Injuries
Penetrating Chest Injuries
Blunt Chest Injuries
Abdominal Wounds
Blast Injuries

Chapter 9: Head, Neck and Spinal Injuries

The Neck and Spine
The Brain
Concussion
Shaken Baby Syndrome

Chapter 10: Bone, Muscle and Joint Injuries

Splinting Guidelines
Osteoporosis

Chapter 11: Sudden Medical Emergencies

Fainting
Diabetic Emergencies
Using a Glucagon Kit
Seizures
Febrile Seizures
Mental Health Crisis
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Childbirth
Miscarriage

Chapter 12: Environmental Illnesses

How Body Temperature is Controlled
Heat-Related Illnesses
Heat Cramps
Heat Exhaustion
Heat Stroke
Cold-Related Illnesses
Frostbite
Hypothermia
Freezing of Skin to Metal Objects
Snow Blindness
Cold-Water Immersion
Drowning
Responsive Drowning Person
Unresponsive Drowning Person
Seasickness

Chapter 13: Poisons

Identifying Hazardous Materials
Swallowed Poisons
Inhaled Poisons
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Absorbed Poisons
Poison Ivy, Sumac, and Oak
Giant Hogweed and Wild Parsnip
Injected Poisons
Poisoning Caused by Alcohol or Drugs
Drug Overdose
Opioid Overdose
Alcohol Poisoning
Bites and Stings
Animal Bites
Rabies
Insect Stings
Tick Bites
Lyme Disease
Snakebites
Spider Bites
Black Widow Spiders
Brown Recluse Spiders
Stings from Marine Life

Chapter 14: Childhood Illnesses

Protecting Children from Infection and Disease
Questions to Ask Yourself if You Think a Child May Be Ill
When to Call the Parent of a Child in Your Care
Common Childhood Conditions: Guidelines for Care
Comparison Chart for Epiglotitis and Croup
Childhood Fevers
Taking a Child's Temperature
Complications Related to Fever
Giving Medications
When to Give Medications
General Rules for Medication
Medication in the Eye
Medication in the Nose

Chapter 15: Caring for Children

Toy and Equipment Safety
Equipment for Babies
Safe Use of Cribs
Safe Use of Playpens
Safe Use of High Chairs
Safe Use of Baby Strollers
Safe Use of Pacifiers
Equipment for Children
Safe Use of Child Bike Trailers
Safe Use of Safety Gates
Toys for Children and Babies
Playground Safety
Car Safety
Safe Use of Car Seats
Passenger Rules for Children: Safety Education
Safe Use of Wheeled Equipment
Choosing a Safe Bicycle
Choosing a Safe Helmet
Safe Use of Bicycles
Safe Use of Skateboards and Rollerblades
Fire Safety
Reducing the Risk of Fire and Burns
Fire Escape Plan
What to Do in the Case of a Fire During the Night
Ice Safety
Water Safety
General Tips for the Prevention of Drowning
Safe Use of Bathtubs
Safe Use of Backyard Pools and Hot Tubs
Safe Swimming
Safe Boating
Teaching Children Safety Awareness
Child and Youth Protection
Abuse and Violence
Neglect
Understanding Bullying and Harassment
Responding to Disclosures
Childrens' Hygeine
Diapering
Dental Health

Appendix A: First Aid Kit Contents

Example of an Emergency Supplies Kit
Example of an Emergency Car Kit

Appendix B: Moving an Ill or Injured Person

Body Mechanics
How to Move an Ill or Injured Person
Stretchers and Lifting Devices

Appendix B: Anatomy and Physiology

Body Systems
Interrelationships of Body Systems
Respiratory System
Circulatory System
Nervous System
Musculoskeletal System
Muscles
Skeleton
Integumentary System
Digestive System
Urinary System
Reproductive System