Read Joe's blog for answers to all the first aid questions he's given by our website users.

Joe Mulligan is our first aid expert. He can talk about the importance of first aid training, give life-saving tips and is a spokesperson for our Life. Live it. campaign. Joe is a qualified nurse, was a frontline ambulance crew member and a teacher and is the author of various first aid publications. The British Red Cross trains more than 150,000 first aiders every year.

03/09/2008

Bertie, The main risk from internal bleeding is shock. Blood can also build up around organs such as the lungs or the brain and exert damaging pressure on them. But the main treatment should be for shock. Lay the casualty down, raise and support the legs, loosen tight clothing, keep the casualty warm, call for help and monitor and record vital signs, like the level of response, pulse and breathing. Find out more about treating shock.

Allison, Water is fine to clean minor wounds. If water is not available, our advice is to use alcohol-free cleansing wipes

Terrie, It was good that you had the skill and the knowledge to do that. The only other thing that you may have been able to do is cover the injured area with a sterile dressing to protect it from infection after it cooled. You could even use a clean plastic bag or some kitchen film. Watch our video on treating burns and scalds.