First Aid

First aid bandages, sterile (gauze) pads, adhesive bandages, an adhesive pad ½” (1.25 cm.)  or 1” (2.5 cm.) wide, band-aids, cotton and elastic bandages 1¾, 2½, 3¼ or 4”  (4, 6, 8, or 10 cm.) wide, a triangle bandage, Betadine, scissors, a blanket.

When you come to the side of an injured person who is bleeding, you must immediately, after first having secured an airway, apply pressure to the bleeding wound. An external hemorrhage can be stopped by applying direct pressure to the bleeding area. The pressure is exerted by pressing down. Do not hesitate to use pressure. It is an initial and important action, designed to stop the bleeding and the rapid deterioration of the condition of the injured. You can press manually while driving, during transfer on a stretcher, and virtually in any situation. Do not ease the pressure under any circumstance!

If possible, apply a pressure bandage. Using the bandage laces, press down on the bleeding area. If the hemorrhage does not stop, apply additional pressure with your hand or with another bandage until the bleeding stops. Apply a tourniquet only in case of amputation; tighten the tourniquet as much as possible.

 Burns are caused by fire or heat, and, less commonly, by cold. There are three degrees of burns:

• First degree: Only the external layer of skin is harmed. The skin reddens and swells.
• Second degree: Superficial or deep injury to the external and internal layers of skin, and the surface skin blisters.
• Third degree: The skin and sub-dermal tissue are charred and all layers of skin are burned.

Treating Burns

1.       Move the injured if the location poses a threat to his/her life. Wrap the injured in a blanket or roll him/her on the ground to put out the fire. Remove all his/her clothes.

2. Afterwards, check the most important thing: Are the upper airways of the injured open? Because of the fire and smoke, mucous membranes swell, and, in very short order, the airways might become blocked. An injured who shows traces of soot and ashes on the tongue, and has charred nostril and facial hair, who has been evacuated from a fire or smoke, must have his/her air enriched with oxygen at maximal concentration.
3. Cool the burn with water. Do not burst the blisters as this poses a threat of infection.
4. Cover the burn with a wet sterile bandage. Continue wetting the bandage and seek medical attention for the injured.

Chemical Burns

Chemical burns can cause the same degrees of burns as heat burns. Ingesting certain chemicals, such as salt and lye, causes internal burns. These materials also cause blistering, swelling, and even scarring. If they pass through the airways, there is a risk of choking.

Treating Chemical Burns

Remove clothing and rinse with plenty of water. If the injured has swallowed chemical liquids, wash the mouth out thoroughly, and urge the injured to spit out the rinse water.

The signs of a fracture are: limited mobility in the limb, swelling, sub-dermal hemorrhage (bruising).

Treatment: Avoid movement of the injured limb by bringing it close to the body or another healthy limb and tying it in place (using a cloth triangle, belts, etc.). In case of injury to the neck or back, do not move the injured, and call Magen David Adom (MADA) at once.

 Call 101 from any phone (including cell phone), and give the following information:

• The phone number from which you are calling.
• The site of the event, including: name of town, neighborhood, street, house number, story, and name on front door.
• A description of the medical problem of the injured.
• The age of the injured.
• Any possible environmental hazards (fire, destruction, downed electrical wires).

Answer the questions posed to you by the Magen David Adom medic at the hotline to help get the injured appropriate treatment.

During a missile attack, Magen David Adom hotlines will answer only the most urgent calls.

·         For information about the injured, turn to the hospital information centers (phone numbers below).

·         The public is asked not to call Magen David Adom for information, instruction, or names of injured in a catastrophic event.

·         Do not go to the area of the event so as not to interfere with the ability of medical teams to give the injured the safest and most professional treatment possible. Drivers are asked to clear the routes leading to the location and to the hospitals.

Magen David Adom blood services are responsible for the collecting, processing, supplying and storing of blood and its products for the entire civilian and military health system in the State of Israel, both in the every-day and in emergencies. Information about blood donations is published in the media on an ongoing basis. It is not a good idea to go to the blood banks and donation centers without first verifying the need.

Who Can Donate Blood?

Any healthy individual between the ages of 18 and 65, weighing at least 110 lbs. (50 kg.), and who meets additional requirements, can donate blood.

Teens aged 17-18 can donate with parental permission. It is possible to donate blood every three months without endangering the health of the donor.

A country that seeks to give its citizens good medical care needs 50,000 units of blood per year for every million residents. That is to say, 5% of the population must routinely donate blood  yearly. Therefore, Israel, with close to six million residents, routinely needs at least 300,000 units of blood per year. In emergencies, the need for blood rises, and therefore a larger number of donors is required.

Personal insurance: Every blood donor receives blood insurance for him/her and close relatives for the period of one year. The insurance goes into effect two months from the day of donation.

Donate blood to save lives. Call 1-800-400-101.