First Aid
Simple, practical care for the things that actually happen: cold, heat, cuts, burns and sprains. Know when to handle it and when to call for help.
Take a course
A one- or two-day first aid and CPR course from the Canadian Red Cross or St. John Ambulance is the best preparation you can get. You’ll practise on real situations, and you’ll remember far more than you would from reading.
Cold injuries
- Frostbite: skin turns white or greyish-yellow, feels hard or waxy, and goes numb. Get indoors and rewarm gently in warm (not hot) water. Don’t rub it, and don’t rewarm if it could freeze again.
- Hypothermia: shivering, slurred speech, clumsiness and confusion. Get the person out of the wind and wet, remove wet clothing, cover them and warm their core. Severe hypothermia, where shivering stops, is an emergency: call 911.
Heat injuries
- Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, weakness, headache, nausea. Move to a cool place, loosen clothing and sip water.
- Heat stroke: hot skin, confusion, fainting, possibly no sweating. This is an emergency: call 911 and cool the person right away with water and fanning.
Cuts, burns and sprains
- Bleeding: apply firm, direct pressure with a clean cloth and keep pressing. Add more layers rather than lifting to look.
- Burns: cool with cool running water for at least 10 minutes. Don’t use ice, butter or ointments. Cover loosely with a clean dressing.
- Sprains: rest, ice wrapped in a cloth, gentle compression and elevation. Get it checked if you can’t bear weight.
Carbon monoxide
Headache, dizziness and nausea that affect everyone in a home, RV or tent at once can mean carbon monoxide. Get everyone into fresh air and call 911. Every home and RV needs a working CO alarm.
What goes in the kit
- Bandages in several sizes, gauze pads and tape
- Gloves, scissors, tweezers and a cold pack
- Antiseptic wipes and a foil emergency blanket
- Pain relievers and any personal medications
- A first aid guide and a list of emergency contacts
Keep one at home, one in each vehicle and one in the RV, and check them every spring.
Sun and UV: it adds up fast here
Lethbridge gets about 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, and a cool breeze hides it.
- Check the UV index in the forecast. At 3 or higher, wear a hat that covers your face and ears and cover up with tightly woven clothing. Use sunscreen on skin you can’t cover.
- UV peaks from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plan shade breaks then.
- Winter counts too. Fresh snow can reflect over 80% of the sun’s UV, so sunglasses and sunscreen matter on bright snowy days.
Sunburned? Get out of the sun, cool the skin and drink fluids. Call 811 for widespread blistering.
More from Environment and Climate Change Canada: UV index and sun safety.
Nosebleeds in dry prairie air
Dry prairie air and furnace-heated houses make nosebleeds common, especially in kids.
- Sit down and lean the head slightly forward, not back.
- Pinch the soft part of the nose, just below the bony bridge.
- Hold steady pressure for 10 to 15 minutes without peeking.
Call 911 if it hasn’t stopped after 15 minutes of firm pressure.
A bedroom humidifier helps during cold snaps and dry chinooks. Why the air gets so dry: Humidity, Dew Point and Fog.
Bee and wasp stings
Wasps get busy around picnic tables, patios and garbage cans in late summer and early fall.
- If a stinger is still in the skin, scrape it away sideways with a fingernail or card.
- Wash the area, then put on a cold pack wrapped in a thin towel.
Call 911 for trouble breathing, swelling of the face, lips or throat, hives spreading over the body, dizziness or fainting. These are signs of anaphylaxis. If the person has an epinephrine auto-injector, help them use it right away.
Rattlesnakes in the coulees
Prairie rattlesnakes live in Lethbridge’s coulees and river valley, especially on the west side, and are out from about April into fall. They aren’t aggressive and usually retreat if given space.
Avoid a bite
Stay on trails, wear long pants and sturdy footwear, look before stepping over logs or rocks, and keep dogs leashed. If you see a snake, back away slowly. Never try to handle it.
If someone is bitten
- Call 911. If your signal is weak down in a coulee, have someone else move to higher ground to call.
- Keep the person calm and still. Carry them out if you can, rather than having them walk.
- Keep the bitten arm or leg still, and no higher than the heart.
- Gently wash the bite and cover it with a clean, dry dressing.
No cutting, sucking out venom, tourniquets or ice. Don’t try to catch or kill the snake.
A bitten dog needs a vet right away. More from the City of Lethbridge on rattlesnakes in the city.
Keep first aid in your pocket
The Red Cross offers a free First Aid app that works offline. It doesn’t replace a course.
For kids: build a pocket first aid kit in a mint tin and read Home Alone and Weather-Ready together.
Keep reading
Last updated October 2026.