United Kingdom · Emergency cards you can read in five seconds
What to do first
Short cards for the first minutes of an emergency. Pick your situation and read the top line. They work offline and come in every language here.
Choose the situation
- Emergency numbersDial 999 for anything urgent. Use 111 when it is urgent but not an emergency.
- CPR and resuscitationAn adult is not breathing normally. Push hard and fast, and do not stop.
- ChokingThey cannot speak, cough or breathe. Give five back blows, then five thrusts, and repeat.
- Heart attackThe chest pain does not go away. Sit down, call for an ambulance and do not drive.
- StrokeFace drooping, arm weak, speech strange. Note the time and call now.
- Severe bleedingBlood soaking through, spurting or pooling. Press hard and do not let go.
- UnconsciousnessNot responding but breathing. Put them on their side, keep the airway open and watch them.
- BurnsCool with running water for twenty minutes. Put nothing else on it.
- FracturesDeformed, swollen, cannot bear weight. Support it and do not straighten it.
- HypothermiaShivering, slurred speech, sleepy. Dry them, wrap them and warm them slowly from the middle.
- Heat exhaustion and heatstrokeWeak and sick on a hot day? Cool them and give water. Hot skin and confusion? Call now and cool them hard.
- Bites and stingsClean and cool the area, and watch the face and breathing. After a snakebite, keep still and do not cut or suck.
- DrowningReach or throw, do not go in. Once they are out of the water, give five breaths, then CPR.
- Electric shockCut the power before you touch anyone. Then check breathing.
- Fire safetyRaise the alarm, get out, close the door and call from outside.
- Fire extinguishersPick the right extinguisher, aim at the base of the flames and keep your exit behind you.
- Gas leak and carbon monoxideSmell of gas: touch no switches, light no flames, open windows and get out. CO has no smell at all.
- Chemical exposureGet out of the cloud, wash it off and keep the label.
- Industrial accidentIf you hear sirens or a plant alarm, go inside, shut out the air and tune in.
- Road accidentWarn the traffic first, then help the injured. Helmets stay on and casualties stay put.
- FloodsGo up and stay out of moving water. Never drive or walk into it.
- Storm and high windGet inside before it hits, away from glass and out from under trees. In lightning, stay out of fields and away from trees.
- EarthquakeDrop, cover, hold on. Afterwards expect aftershocks, check for gas and take the stairs.
- Natural disastersKnow how warnings reach you, pick a safe room, pack a bag and agree a plan.
- Emergency kit72 hours on your own: water, food, light, power, papers, medicines and cash.
- EvacuationLeave by the marked route, help anyone who needs it and count everyone at the assembly point.
- Workplace safetyKnow the risk assessment, know your first aiders, and know that you can walk away from serious danger.
- Armed conflictAt the warning, shelter below ground. Stay away from windows, with two walls between you and the outside.
- Civil unrestKeep your distance. Move sideways out of the crowd and stay on your feet.
Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer
999
Emergency numbers
Free from any phone on any network, even with no credit.
- 999 Police, fire service, ambulance and coastguard
- 112 Also connects to 999 and works on EU-standard phones
- 111 NHS urgent medical help when it is not an emergency
- 101 Police, when it is not an emergency
- 0800 111 999 National Gas Emergency Service, open 24 hours
- 116 123 Samaritans, free emotional support, 24 hours
Both 999 and 112 work in the United Kingdom. Calls are free from any phone, including a locked one. Text relay users can register for emergencySMS by texting register to 999.
Legal background
Workplace safety and fire precautions in the United Kingdom fall under a national framework of their own, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and by local fire and rescue authorities.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974The core duty. Employers must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their employees and of anyone else affected by the work.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999Requires written risk assessments, competent persons and procedures for serious and imminent danger.
- Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981These are the regulations that actually govern first aid at work: enough equipment, facilities and trained people, sized to the risks of the workplace.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005A named responsible person must carry out and maintain the fire risk assessment for almost every non-domestic building in England and Wales.
- RIDDOR 2013Work-related deaths, specified injuries, dangerous occurrences and some diseases must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
- Duty to help and Good Samaritan protectionEngland and Wales have no general legal duty to rescue a stranger. If you do step in, you are expected to act reasonably. The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 requires a court to take into account that you were acting for the benefit of others in an emergency.