2011 – Senior First Aid: Red Cross Info

Fulfills four of the five steps of Senior First Aid badge requirements.

How the American Red Cross covers each requirement for the Senior GSUSA level of First Aid: (All information below is grounded in Red Cross sources.)

Head, neck, and spinal injuries

General Red Cross care steps:

When to suspect:
- Assume a spinal injury if there is a significant cause of injury (like a severe fall or crash), an injury to the head, neck, or pelvis, numbness or tingling, or if the person is unable to safely move an injured area.
Give Care:
- Call 9-1-1 immediately.
- Tell the person NOT TO MOVE and to answer your questions verbally rather than nodding.
- Leave the person in the position you found them. Do not attempt to align the head and neck.
- Only move the person if the scene becomes unsafe, or if you must roll them to perform CPR or control severe bleeding.
- If they are wearing a helmet, do not remove it unless you need access to the airway to give CPR.

Make splints from everyday objects

General Red Cross care steps:

When to splint:
- Splint an injury only if you must move or transport the person before medical help arrives, and if you can do so without causing more pain.
General Rules:
- Treat all injuries as potential fractures.
- Leave the injury in the position you found it.
- Splint the joints above and below an injured bone (or the bones above and below an injured joint).
- Check for feeling, warmth, and color in the limb farthest from the heart both before and after splinting to ensure circulation is not cut off.
Types of Splints:
- Anatomic Splint: Using the person’s own body for support (e.g., taping an injured finger to an uninjured adjacent finger, or binding an injured leg to an uninjured leg).
- Soft Splint: Using soft items like a pillow, folded blanket, towel, or a triangular bandage (sling).
- Rigid Splint: Using stiff everyday items to provide support, such as a rolled magazine, heavy cardboard, folded newspaper, or a tree branch.

Drug Overdose and Alcohol Poisoning

Red Cross Guidelines for Poison Exposure:

Warning Signs:
- Changes in the level of responsiveness
- Unresponsiveness
- Strange breath odor
- Trouble breathing
- Abnormal skin color (pale, cold, clammy, or bluish)
- Seizures
- Vomiting
- Open/spilled containers nearby
Give Care:
- Call 9-1-1 immediately if the person is unresponsive, has trouble breathing, or requires immediate emergency medical treatment.
- If unresponsive and not breathing:
  - Begin CPR immediately.
- If unresponsive but breathing:
  - Place them in the recovery position (on their side) to keep the airway clear and prevent them from choking on vomit.
- Do not leave the person alone.
- Do not give the person anything to eat or drink (do not attempt to give coffee or a cold shower).
- Try to find out what was taken, how much, and when. Save a sample of vomit if the poison is unknown.
- National Poison Help Hotline (if the person is alert/responsive and not facing a life-threatening emergency): 1-800-222-1222.

Identify and Care for Life-threatening Bleeding

General Red Cross care steps:

Identify Life-Threatening Bleeding:
- Look for blood that is spurting or flowing continuously, blood pooling on the ground, or clothing completely soaked in blood.
Give Care:
- Call 9-1-1 immediately.
- Apply firm, direct pressure with a clean cloth or sterile dressing.
- If bleeding is severe/life-threatening and located on an arm or leg
  - Apply a manufactured tourniquet if you are trained to do so.
  - Place the tourniquet 2–3 inches above the wound (but not directly over a joint) and tighten until the bleeding stops.

Severe Bleeding Control Kit

General Red Cross information:

A standard first aid kit is meant for minor cuts. A severe bleeding kit (like a Stop the Bleed or Tactical Trauma Kit) should include:
- Windlass rod tourniquet (e.g., SOFTT-W or C-A-T)
- Hemostatic dressing (e.g., QuikClot) for wound packing to help blood clot
- Absorbent sterile trauma pads/gauze wraps for direct pressure
- Elastic compression bandages
- Trauma shears to safely cut away clothing
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like sterile gloves

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

Join the Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Leader Help Facebook Group
_{(Not an official GSUSA Group)}

Join the Girl Scout Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Leader Help Facebook Group
_{(Not an official GSUSA Group)}

See other Recommended Facebook Groups for some Scouting Organizations
_{(No official Groups)}

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Published on September 4, 2026. Author:

Tia Kennard

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Disclaimer: The information published on The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.