The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) has launched a new first aid guide for the 2025-2026 school year aimed at helping students, teachers and staff practice safe behavior and respond effectively in emergencies.
The guide, titled "Safe Behavior for Students, Correct Intervention for Teachers," includes video demonstrations and highlights the life-saving importance of correct first aid responses to emergencies in schools.
The videos, narrated by Kızılay director of Emergency Health Services and first aid instructor, Elif Taşkın Aytekin, show how to respond to fainting, nosebleeds, injuries, fractures and choking.
Aytekin emphasized that safe behavior is critical for children under 12. She stressed the importance of students having breakfast before school, running carefully, tying shoelaces properly, wearing seatbelts on school buses, avoiding standing in transport and not sitting in the front seat.
Incorrect first aid practices, even when well-intentioned, can lead to serious health issues. Aytekin noted that tilting the head back during a nosebleed, applying ice directly to wounds, giving water to fainting students, or moving fractured limbs are all wrong interventions.
The guide also provides correct procedures for common school emergencies, for instance, if a student faints, they should be laid on their back with legs elevated 30 centimeters and head turned to the side. Nosebleeds, on the other hand, should be managed by leaning one's head forward and applying pressure for 10 to 15 minutes.
For injuries, bleeding should be controlled with a clean cloth and the affected area kept still, while fractures or dislocations should be stabilized using a triangular bandage before seeking medical help.
In cases of choking, students who can still speak or cough should not be interfered with, but those unable to breathe require the Heimlich maneuver, back blows, and abdominal thrusts. If the student becomes unconscious, basic life support should be initiated immediately.
Kızılay’s 10-part animated first aid training series is available for free online, aiming to equip students with the skills to help their peers safely and effectively.
