Triage is an old French term that was first used to refer to the sorting and treatment of those injured in battle. Today, the term is used in situations where there are more casualties than there are rescuers. It is a method that involves assessing quickly, then assisting those casualties that truly need help, but at the same time not wasting resources on casualties who have very, if any, chance of being saved.

Being involved in an emergency can be very stressful. People respond to traumatic events in different ways and it is important to cope with the psychological reaction after the emergency.

Drugs are chemicals that can cause harm. They can be either liquid (e.g. cough syrup), gas (e.g. puffers), or solid (e.g. pain killers).

Calling EMS or 9-1-1 should be one of the top priorities if someone is having a medical emergency or is unconscious. This is particular true of the person's condition is deteriorating. If you are ever in doubt, make the call. You will not get in trouble if you truly believe there is an emergency.

First aid is often not nearly as complicated as most people think. Regardless, for all emergencies you should always follow these emergency action principles (EAPs):

1. Safety:

• Survey the emergency scene to make sure there are no dangers. If you won't be able to help anyone if you end up getting hurt too.
• If it is dangerous call for help, make the area safer, or move the person from danger.

A disease is a result of an infection caused by germs, also called microorganisms or pathogens, in the body. An infection, or infectious disease, results when germs enter the body and affect one or more organs. Bacteria and viruses are the most common germs and cause most infectious diseases.

Imported red fire ants overrun the majority of Southern United States, from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Each year, they expand farther north. Nearly 40 percent of people in fire ant-infested areas get stung each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

A lot of home remedies and tips are passed on from person to person. These tips often turn out to be myths that have propagated because of the media or mistakes that people once thought worked. We don't have grandiose visions of educating the world, but hopefully a few of you will remember this list and not make the same errors like so many others have before you.

Your goal in learning first aid is to give care to someone suffering from an injury or medical emergency until trained medical help can arrive.

Keep a first aid kit readily available in your home, cottage, automobile, boat, work place, and recreation area. Store it in a dry place and replace used and outdated contents regularly. In addition, the first aid kit should contain the following items.

You think CPR with breaths, in an unconscious person, is effective? You might want to think again. Ever since the beginning of CPR the belief has been that, along with compressions, breaths must be given to the victim in order for the rescue to be effective. The theory is that compressions pump the blood around while breaths oxygenate the blood via the lungs. However, some recent information contradicts this belief. Some recent studies have shown that blood is very oxygenated, even when the victim is unconscious, and blowing extra air into a victim is not only unnecessary but it can even be detrimental.

Sometimes in an emergency people are reluctant to act, for various reasons. These reasons are called barriers to action. The five common reasons people give for not acting are described below.

Well-fitting, high-quality gloves are an important tool used to help prevent infection. Unfortunately, up to 10% of the population are estimated to have some reaction to a latex protein present in this kind of rubber. Typically, the reaction is mild, but in some cases of allergy the reaction has been very severe causing the medical emergency known as anaphylactic shock.

Sending someone else to call the emergency number (9-1-1 in most areas) is better because it enables you to stay with the casualty and keep giving first aid.