United Kingdom · Emergency cards you can read in five seconds
What to do first
Short, checkable cards for the first minutes of an emergency. Pick the situation, read the top line, act. Works offline and in every language on this site.
Choose the situation
- Emergency numbers999 for everything urgent, 111 when it is urgent but not an emergency.
- CPR and resuscitationAn adult is not breathing normally. Push hard, push fast, do not stop.
- ChokingCannot speak, cough or breathe. Five back blows, five thrusts, repeat.
- Heart attackChest pain that will not go away. Sit down, call, do not drive.
- StrokeFace drooping, arm weak, speech strange. Note the time and call now.
- Severe bleedingBlood soaking through, spurting or pooling. Press and do not let go.
- UnconsciousnessNot responding but breathing. On their side, airway open, watch them.
- BurnsCool with running water for twenty minutes. Nothing else goes on it.
- FracturesDeformed, swollen, cannot bear weight. Support it, do not straighten it.
- HypothermiaShivering, slurred, sleepy. Dry, wrapped, warmed slowly from the middle.
- Heat exhaustion and heatstrokeHot day, weak and sick means cool and drink. Hot and confused means call now and cool hard.
- Bites and stingsClean, cool, watch the face and breathing. Snake means still, no cutting, no sucking.
- DrowningReach or throw, do not go. Out of the water, five breaths, then CPR.
- Electric shockCut the power before you touch anyone. Then check breathing.
- Fire safetyAlert, get out, close the door, call from outside.
- Fire extinguishersRight extinguisher, base of the flames, exit behind you.
- Gas leak and carbon monoxideSmell of gas: no switches, no flames, open up, get out. CO: no smell at all.
- Chemical exposureGet out of the cloud, wash it off, keep the label.
- Industrial accidentSirens or a plant alarm mean go inside, shut the air out, tune in.
- Road accidentWarn the traffic first, then the injured. Helmets stay on, casualties stay put.
- FloodsGo up, not out. Never drive or walk into moving water.
- Storm and high windInside before it hits, away from glass, out from under trees. Lightning: no field, no tree.
- EarthquakeDrop, cover, hold on. After: expect aftershocks, check gas, take the stairs.
- Natural disastersKnow the signal, have a room, have a bag, have a plan.
- Emergency kit72 hours on your own: water, food, light, power, papers, medicines, cash.
- EvacuationLeave by the marked route, help who needs help, count everyone at the point.
- Workplace safetyRisk assessment, trained first aiders, and the right to walk away from serious danger.
- Armed conflictWarning means shelter below ground. Away from windows, two walls between you and outside.
- Civil unrestDistance is the whole strategy. Move sideways out of the crowd, stay on your feet.
Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist. Disclaimer
999
Emergency numbers
Free from any phone, on any network, even with no credit
- 999 Police, fire, ambulance and coastguard
- 112 Also reaches 999, works from EU-standard phones
- 111 NHS, urgent medical help that is not an emergency
- 101 Police, non-emergency
- 0800 111 999 National Gas Emergency Service, 24 hours
- 116 123 Samaritans, emotional support, free, 24 hours
999 and 112 both work in the United Kingdom, free from any phone, including a locked one. Text relay users can register for emergencySMS by texting register to 999.
Legal framework
Safety at work and fire precautions in the United Kingdom are governed by their own national framework, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and 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 employees and anyone affected by the work.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999Requires written risk assessments, appointed competent persons and procedures for serious and imminent danger.
- Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981The regulations that actually govern workplace first aid: adequate equipment, facilities and trained personnel, sized to the risks of the workplace.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005Makes a named responsible person carry out and maintain the fire risk assessment for almost every non-domestic building in England and Wales.
- RIDDOR 2013Deaths, specified injuries, dangerous occurrences and some diseases at work must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
- Duty to help and Good Samaritan protectionThere is no general legal duty in England and Wales to rescue a stranger. If you do step in, you are expected to act reasonably, and 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.