Physical & Health Education · Lesson 5

First aid, CPR, injuries, emergencies, safety education and disasters

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: meaning, aims and principles of first aid; first aid for common injuries and emergencies; safety education at home, school, road, water and sports)

WAEC: first aid, safety education and sports injuries

NECO: first aid, safety education and sports injuries

What you will learn

Define first aid and state its aims and principles; name agencies involved in first aid.
Perform (describe) adult, child and infant CPR according to current guidelines.
Describe the recovery position and first aid for choking and fainting.
Give first aid for bleeding, shock, fractures, sprains, strains, cramp and head injury.
Give first aid for burns, heat illness, drowning, poisoning, bites and medical emergencies.
Describe bandages, slings, the first aid box and methods of transporting casualties.
Explain causes of accidents and safety measures at home, school, road, water and in sports.
Identify where older textbook answers differ from current guidance.

Key points

First aid: immediate help; aims preserve life, prevent worsening, promote recovery.
Danger → response → call 112 → airway/breathing → CPR/AED or recovery position.
CPR: centre of chest, 5–6 cm, 100–120/min, full recoil, 30:2 or hands-only; AED early.
Children: one-third chest depth; infants: two thumbs or heel of one hand.
Recovery position for unresponsive but breathing casualties.
Choking: 5 back blows + 5 abdominal thrusts (infants: chest thrusts).
Bleeding: direct pressure; tourniquet for life-threatening limb bleeding; nosebleed: lean forward.
Shock: lay down, keep warm, call 112; anaphylaxis: adrenaline auto-injector.
Fractures: immobilise; sprain (ligament), strain (muscle/tendon): RICE; concussion: sit out.
Burns: 20 min cool running water; no butter, oil, ice; heat stroke: cool rapidly.
Poisoning: no induced vomiting; snakebite: immobilise, antivenom; dog bite: wash 15 min, rabies vaccine.
Safety: causes of accidents; home, school, road (FRSC), water, fire; EAPs and injury prevention.

Start here: Meaning, aims and principles of first aid

First aid is the immediate help given to a person who is injured or suddenly ill, by someone present, before professional medical help arrives. It is not a replacement for medical care; it bridges the gap. The person giving it is the first aider; the person receiving it is the casualty (or patient).

Aims of first aid: the three Ps

Preserve life.
Prevent the condition getting worse.
Promote recovery.

Many books add a fourth: protect yourself and others (and protect the unconscious).

Qualities of a good first aider

Calm and confident; observant; tactful and reassuring; resourceful (improvising with what is available, e.g. a school scarf as a sling); able to lead and delegate; honest about limits; respects privacy and consent; trained and up to date. First aid guidance changes as evidence improves; this unit follows the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) reviews and the American Heart Association (AHA) 2025 and European Resuscitation Council (ERC) 2025 guidelines. Where old textbook answers differ, both are shown.

Principles: what to do first

Danger: check the scene is safe for you, bystanders and the casualty (traffic, electricity, fire, collapsed goalposts). Do not become a second casualty.
Response: tap the shoulders and shout, “Are you all right?”
Shout for help / call: in Nigeria, dial 112, the national toll-free emergency number, or the local ambulance or nearest health facility.
Airway and breathing: open the airway (head tilt–chin lift) and look for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds.
CPR / AED if not breathing normally (5.2); recovery position if breathing (5.3).
Secondary survey: check for bleeding, fractures, burns; ask what happened; reassure; record and hand over.

Use gloves when dealing with blood or body fluids where available, and wash hands afterwards.

Worked example 5.1 (JAMB style)

The first thing a first aider should do on arriving at an accident is to (A) give water (B) check for danger (C) apply a bandage (D) move the casualty. Answer: B.

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Practice questions

1. Nigeria’s toll-free emergency number is

Show answer

A: 112
Also used for fire, police and ambulance.

2. The adult chest-compression rate in CPR is

60–80 per minute
30 per minute
150–180 per minute
100–120 per minute

Show answer

D: 100–120 per minute
Depth 5–6 cm.

3. For severe choking in an adult, current guidance is

shaking the person
2 abdominal thrusts only
5 back blows then 5 abdominal thrusts
giving water

Show answer

C: 5 back blows then 5 abdominal thrusts
AHA 2025.

4. For a choking infant, give 5 back blows and

a finger sweep blindly
5 chest thrusts
5 abdominal thrusts
water

Show answer

B: 5 chest thrusts
AHA 2025.

5. A burn should be cooled with running water for

20 minutes
1 minute
2 hours
5 seconds

Show answer

A: 20 minutes
ERC 2025.

Key words

First aid: Immediate help given before professional care arrives.
Casualty: Injured or ill person receiving first aid.
CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions with or without rescue breaths.
AED: Automated external defibrillator: gives a shock to restart a normal heart rhythm.
Agonal breathing: Abnormal gasping in cardiac arrest.
Recovery position: Side position keeping the airway open.
Shock: Failure of the circulation to supply the organs.
Anaphylaxis: Severe, life-threatening allergic reaction.
Fracture: Broken bone.
Sprain: Ligament injury.
Strain: Muscle or tendon injury.
Concussion: Brain injury from a blow causing temporary disturbance of function.

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