What to Do If Someone Has a Severe Bleed and is Unresponsive?
What To Do If Someone Has Severe Bleeding and Stops Breathing
What Do You Treat First: Severe Bleeding or CPR?
In first aid, you treat the biggest immediate threat to life first.
If the person is breathing but bleeding heavily, control the bleeding immediately using firm direct pressure.
If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, begin CPR straight away.
If both problems exist and multiple people are present, one person can perform CPR while another controls the bleeding.
Want to feel confident in an emergency?
Quick First Aid Reminder
If someone has severe bleeding and breathing problems:
1️⃣ Call 000 immediately
2️⃣ If they are breathing, control the bleeding with firm pressure
3️⃣ If they are not breathing normally, start CPR immediately
4️⃣ Use an AED if one is available
You don’t need to manage everything perfectly.
The most important thing is taking action quickly.
Learn practical, real-world first aid skills including CPR, bleeding control and emergency response.
View upcoming ReachAU first aid courses
If you are unsure what to do, call 000 and follow the instructions from the emergency operator.
This simple rule helps first aiders make quick decisions in life-threatening emergencies.
Serious injuries rarely happen neatly.
In car crashes, workplace accidents, machinery incidents, or major falls, people can experience multiple life-threatening problems at once.
You might see severe bleeding.
You might notice breathing problems.
If you’ve had basic first aid training, or even if you haven’t, a very real question often comes up:
What do you treat first?
The answer is simpler than most people think.
You don’t need to be a paramedic to help someone in an emergency.
You just need to follow the same priorities taught in first aid training:
Treat the biggest threat to life at that moment.
Then move to the next.
Knowing that order can make the difference between freezing (doing nothing) and taking action.
Step 1: Check for Danger
Before rushing in, pause for a moment and look around.
Ask yourself:
Is there traffic nearby?
Is machinery still running?
Are there electrical hazards, fire, or chemicals?
Could the scene put you at risk?
If the situation is unsafe, do not approach.
Call 000 immediately and wait for emergency services.
If the scene is safe, move in quickly and calmly to begin helping.
Step 2: Check for Response and Send for Help
Try to get a response.
Speak loudly and gently shake the person’s shoulders.
Ask:
“Are you okay?”
If the person does not respond:
Call 000 immediately, or
Send someone nearby to call
If you are alone:
Put your phone on speaker
Stay on the line with the operator
Begin first aid while they guide you
Emergency call-takers are trained to talk people through life-saving actions step by step.
Do not start CPR without sending for help first.
Step 3: Check for Breathing
Open the airway by gently tilting the head back and lifting the chin.
Look, listen and feel for breathing.
Normal breathing should be:
Regular
Steady
Not gasping or snorting
Take up to 10 seconds to check, you should hear 2-4 regular breaths in 10 seconds.
From here, the situation usually falls into two main possibilities.
If They Are Breathing
If the person is breathing but has severe bleeding, the bleeding becomes the immediate priority.
Severe bleeding can become life-threatening within minutes.
Signs include:
Blood spurting or pumping from a wound
Blood soaking through clothing or bandages
A large pool of blood forming on the ground
What to do
Apply firm direct pressure to the wound.
Use whatever is available:
A bandage
Clothing
A towel
Your hand if necessary
Keep constant pressure on the wound.
If blood soaks through, add more layers without removing the first dressing.
If an object is stuck in the wound, do not remove it.
Apply pressure around it to support the object and call 000 for assistance.
Your goal is simple:
Slow the bleeding until help arrives.
If They Are Not Breathing Normally
If the person is:
Unresponsive
Not breathing normally
They may be in cardiac arrest.
At this point, CPR becomes the priority.
Step 4: Begin CPR
Place the heel of your hand in the centre of the chest.
Place your other hand on top and interlock your fingers.
Push hard and fast.
Depth: about 5–6 cm
Speed: 100–120 compressions per minute
Allow the chest to fully rise between compressions.
If you are trained and confident:
30 compressions followed by 2 breaths.
If you are unsure about breaths:
Continue hands-only CPR.
Do not stop unless:
The person begins breathing normally
An AED is ready to use
Emergency services take over
You are physically unable to continue
The scene becomes unsafe
Step 5: Manage Bleeding If Possible
If severe bleeding is still present while CPR is happening, do what you reasonably can.
If another person is available:
One person performs CPR
The other controls the bleeding
If you are alone:
Try to apply pressure if possible without delaying CPR.
If you cannot manage both at once:
Continue CPR.
Emergency services understand that a single rescuer cannot manage everything perfectly.
Step 6: Use an AED If One Is Available
If someone brings an Automated External Defibrillator (AED):
Turn it on immediately.
Follow the voice prompts.
AEDs are designed for everyday people, not medical professionals.
They will guide you step-by-step and only deliver a shock if it is needed.
Continue CPR following the AED verbal instructions.
Why the Order Matters
People often ask:
“Should I treat the bleeding first or start CPR?”
The answer depends on what is happening at the moment.
If the person is breathing, severe bleeding is the immediate threat.
If the person is not breathing normally, cardiac arrest becomes the biggest threat and CPR must start immediately.
First aid is about identifying the most urgent problem first.
Then dealing with the next.
Want to feel confident in an emergency?
Learn practical, real-world first aid skills including CPR, bleeding control and emergency response.
View upcoming ReachAU first aid courses
A Simple Way To Remember
The body has two main parts:
The pump and the pipes.
The heart is the pump
The blood vessels are the pipes
If the pump is working but the pipe is broken
Blood is being forced out under pressure.
The priority is clear:
Stop the leak.
If the pump has stopped
Blood is no longer circulating.
The priority becomes:
Restart circulation with CPR.
This leads to a simple memory line many students remember:
If the heart is pumping, stop the bleeding.
If the heart has stopped, start CPR.
What If You Are Not Sure?
If you feel unsure about what you’re seeing:
Call 000.
Put your phone on speaker.
Follow the instructions from the operator.
You do not need to diagnose the situation perfectly.
You just need to start helping.
Why Training Makes This Easier
Reading about first aid is helpful.
But real emergencies are stressful and unpredictable.
Training helps build:
Confidence
Muscle memory
Faster decision-making
The ability to stay calm under pressure
People who have practiced these skills are far more likely to step in and help when something goes wrong.
And that moment , when someone decides to act , is often what saves a life.
Learn First Aid With REACHAU
At Regional Education and Career Help Australia (REACHAU), we focus on practical, confidence-building first aid training designed for real people and real emergencies.
Our courses teach you how to:
Respond to life-threatening bleeding
Perform high-quality CPR
Use an AED confidently
Recognise and respond to medical emergencies
Stay calm and take action when it matters most
The Australian Resuscitation Council recommend refreshing the HLTAID009 Provide CPR annually
Because first aid isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about having the confidence to help when someone needs it.
Be the person who knows what to do.
👉 Explore upcoming courses at:
https://reachau.com.au
