Follow the St John DRSABCD Action Plan initially to help you get the person out of danger if necessary and guide you through the steps you need to take.

If the first aid situation is severe or life-threatening — for example, if the person is experiencing heavy bleeding or haemorrhagic shock — call Triple Zero (000) immediately for medical assistance.

If the injury around the fracture is bleeding, elevate the limb or affected area and apply pressure with a sterile pad or clean cloth to stop the bleeding.

If you think the person may have broken a bone in their back or neck, help to keep them still.

You will need to immobilise a broken limb. You can do this by placing a splint along the affected limb to support it. Then, use broad bandages or a roller bandage above and below the fracture to hold the splint in place, keeping a 5cm gap on each side of the break. Take care not to bandage over the fracture.

While you are waiting for help or while you are accompanying the person to a hospital, keep checking to ensure that the bandages are neither too loose nor too tight.

Also check for signs of loss of circulation in the hands or feet. These include numbness, tingling, cold hands or feet and skin colour changes — the skin may appear paler than usual or purple in colour.

Check the person’s blood flow by doing a blanch test. You can do this by:

1. Remove any rings on the person’s finger.
2. Compress the nail bed until it turns white.
3. Check how long it takes for the area to return to normal colour. If it doesn’t return to normal quickly, this indicates that there is an impaired blood flow to the area.

Ensure that the person is warm and keep them calm while you are waiting for help or are on the way to a hospital or medical aid.