Program Aid
Table of Contents
iii
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................... v
Chapter one-First Aid ......................................................................................... 9
How to splint .............................................................................................. 9
Anatomic splint ...................................................................................... 10
Soft splint .............................................................................................. 10
Rigid splint ............................................................................................ 10
Ground splint ......................................................................................... 10
Applying an Anatomic Splint .................................................................... 10
Appling a Soft Splint ............................................................................... 11
Applying a Rigid Splint ............................................................................ 11
Applying a Sling and Binder ..................................................................... 11
How to deal with flesh wounds .................................................................... 12
Managing Shock ........................................................................................ 12
Stay prepared ........................................................................................... 13
Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and Abdominal Thrust .................................. 14
Conscious Choking .................................................................................. 14
Unconscious Choking .............................................................................. 15
How to Preform CPR ............................................................................... 16
Rescue Breathe ...................................................................................... 16
Chapter two-Rules for Food ................................................................................ 21
Making sure food is clean and presentable .................................................... 21
No Five Second Rule Exist .......................................................................... 21
Know the girls allergies .............................................................................. 22
Chapter three-Entertainment .............................................................................. 25
Never bored ............................................................................................. 25
Stay motivated ......................................................................................... 25
Games ..................................................................................................... 25
Chapter four-Staying Calm and Being Patient .......................................................... 29
Virtue ...................................................................................................... 29
Have a steady voice .................................................................................. 29
Don’t play favorites ................................................................................... 30
Index ......................................................................................................... 31
Introduction
v
Introduction
What is a Program Aid?
The Girl Scouts of America have older girls that help look after the small childrenduring leaders meetings there may be more than just girls there-to take pressure off of the
leader during a time when the kids would be hard to handle. A Program Aid, or PA, has
the responsibilities to look after the girls while the leader is busy or preoccupied with
other duties.
The other duties of a PA are helping with the other programs that happen at your
local Girl Scout House. You will also be expected to watch the children when the adults
need the room. Anyone can watch kids, it is an easy thing to do, but a person who is
properly trained and knows what to do when a situation turns bad will be able to be
trusted with the kids for more than 15 minutes.
Most of the time PAs are only used during the day camp that takes place a week
during the summer. During those times you have leaders and adults everywhere and it’s
hard for a situation to go wrong, but if you are at one side of the park and the rest of the
troops are on the other side and something happens to the troop leader, you have to act.
Make sure that the rest of the girls are okay and keep them safe while checking the troop
leader. You need to be prepared just in case something unexpected or unplanned happens.
This manual will prepare for the worse-someone gets cut and you are far from the
first aid station, someone chokes, gets knocked out or no longer has a pulse. This manual
will also help you prepare food when that time arises, it will also tell you what you
should avoid do. This manual shows you games that the girls can play if they get boredavoid red rover-they can play them and stay safe.
http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Girl_Scouts_of_America
First Aid
What you will learn in this chapter is how to care for someone that has been:





Through a traumatic event
Has a flesh wound
Has broken something
Or if the person is choking and cannot breath
And is not breathing and is unconscious
You will also learn how to stay prepared, what to bring so that you have the supplies you
need just in case something happens.
Chapter One
9
Chapter one-First Aid
First aid is something everyone should know, you should be prepared for the worse.
When you are prepared for the worst you are calm when the worst comes.
Emergency Action Steps
a) Get to the scene, if scene is unsafe, or becomes unsafe get the injured
person and yourself out.
b) Get to the injured person; are the responsive? Identify yourself; ask if it’s
okay to help. If the person appears weak, seriously ill, or injured.
c) If you think it is a dire situation that you cannot control then call 9-1-1
d) Attend to the ABCs:
Assure an open airway
Normal Breathing
Then Control bleeding
Caring for muscle, bone and joint injuries
When dealing with these types of injuries, doctors recommended that you use
RICE to help the person deal with the pain, and to stop the inflation.
RICE:
Rest-Leave the injured area the way you found it.
Immobilization- Stabilize the injured area in the position it was found. If the
person must be moved then splint the injured part of the body (see how to splint)
but leave the part alone if it causes the person pain.
Cold-Fill a plastic bag or wrap ice with a damp cloth and apply ice to the injured
area for periods of 20 minute intervals.*
Elevate-Leave the injured part of the body flat if elevating it (even a little bit)
cause the person pain.
*If continued icing is needed, remove the pack for 20 minutes, and then replace it.
Place a thin barrier between the ice and bare skin.
How to splint
Splinting is a method one can use to immobilize an injured part of the body and
should be only used if the injured person is going to be moved or transported to
see medical help and if doesn’t cause even more pain.
Splint an injured in the position in which you found it. For sprains, splint the joint
above below the point of the injury. If you are not sure if the injury is fracture or a
sprain, splint both the bones and joints above and below the point of injury.*
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Pragram Aid
*Check circulation-feeling warmth and color-before and after splinting to make
sure the splint isn’t too tight.
There are different types of splints:
Anatomic splint
An anatomic splint is using the body as a splint. Example; you can splint an arm to
a chest or an arm to a chest or an injured leg to an uninjured leg.
Soft splint
A soft splint is using soft materials-such as a folded blanket, towel, pillow or
*folded triangular bandage can all work as a soft splint.
*A sling is a specific kind of soft splint that uses a triangular bandage tied to
support an injured arm, wrist or hand.
Rigid splint
A rigid splint can be accomplished by but not limited to a cardboard, a folded
magazines or a newspaper, or metal strips that don’t have sharp edges; all these
can be used as rigid splints. As well as anything that is flat-like and can ‘support’
itself.
Ground splint
A ground splint is just the ground being used as a splint when an injured leg is on
the ground.
Side Note: After you have splinted the injury apply ice to the injured area. Keep the
person from getting chilled or overheated, be reassuring. Some injures-such as a broken
finger-don’t require calling 9-1-1 but it still needs medical attention. Injuries to the hip
and thigh are rarely life threatening, but might require an ambulance to move the injured
person without bending at the hip.
Applying an Anatomic Splint
Check the scene for safety. Check the injured person following standard
precautions. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number only if necessary.
To care for a person who has an injured limb:
Step One: obtain consent
Step Two: Support the injured body part above and below and the site of the
injury.
Step Three: Check for feeling, warmth and color.
Step Four: Place 3-5 folded bandages above and below the injured body part.
Step Five: Place the uninjured body part next to the injured body part.
Step Six: Tie the bandages securely around both body parts
Step Seven: Recheck for feeling, warmth and color*
*Side Note: if unable to check for warmth or color due to sock or shoe check for feeling
through the sock/shoe.
Chapter One
11
Appling a Soft Splint
Check the scene for safety. Check the injured person following standard
precautions. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number only if necessary.
To care for a person who has an injured limb:
Step One: obtain consent
Step Two: Support the injured body part above and below and the site of the
injury.
Step Three: Check for feeling, warmth and color.
Step Four: Place 3-5 folded bandages above and below the injured
body part.
Step 5
Step Five: Gently wrap a soft object (a folded blanket or pillow)
Copyright 2008 American
safety and Health Institute
around the injured body part
Step Six: Tie the bandages around the soft object and the injured
body part, tie securely with knots.
Step Seven: Recheck for feeling, warmth and color.*
*Side Note: if unable to check for warmth or color due to sock or shoe
Step 6
check for feeling through the sock/shoe.
Copyright 2008 American
Applying a Rigid Splint
Safety and Health Institute
Check the scene for safety. Check the injured person following standard
precautions. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number only if necessary.
To care for a person who has an injured limb:
Step One: obtain consent
Step Two: Support the injured body part above and below and the site of the
injury.
Step Three: Check for feeling, warmth and color.
Step Four: Place the rigid splint (a board of some kind) under the injured body part
and joints that are above and below the injured body part.
Step Five: Tie 3-5 folded bandages above and below the injured body part.
Step Six: Recheck the feeling, warmth and color
If a rigid splint is used on an injured forearm, immobilize the wrist and elbow.
Bind the arm to the chest using the folded bandages or apply a sling.
Applying a Sling and Binder
Check the scene for safety. Check the injured person following standard
precautions. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number only if necessary. To care
for a person who has an injured limb:
Step One: obtain consent
Step Two: Support the injured body part above and below and the site of
the injury.
Step Three: Check for feeling, warmth and color.
Step Four: Place a bandage under the injured arm and over the uninjured
shoulder to form a sling
Step 4
Copyright 2008 American
Safety and Health Institute
12
Pragram Aid
Step Five: Tie the ends of the sling at the side of the neck
Step Six: Bind the injured body part to the chest with a folded
bandages
Step Seven: Recheck for feeling, warmth and color.
Step 5
Copyright 2008 American Safety
and Health Institute
How to deal with flesh wounds
The skill to wrap doesn’t seem like one that you would need, but it is a useful skill
to know, even if at this moment you don’t think you need it. When a wound needs
wrapping the person might be in shock, especially if they don’t realize that they
are bleeding.
How to deal with flesh wounds:
1. Apply Direct Pressure to the wound site
a) Rip or cut away the clothing so the wound can be seen
b) Place 3x3 absorbent pad directly over the wound ( if you
do not have 3x3 absorbent pads, then use a piece of
clothing, or something that is convenient)
The injured person can apply pressure to their own wound if they are
able.
Wrapping the wound
Copyright 2008 American Safety and
Health Institute
2. Apply Pressure through a Bandage
a) Wrap an elastic bandage snugly* over the pad or pads (depending on
how many you had to use) to maintain pressure and hold
gauze in place
*Snugly means a finger can be slipped under the bandage.
Side Note: If bleeding continues or if the first dressings became soaked with
blood
a) Apply more pads, dressings and maintain direct pressure
Leave the first dressings on.
Applying Pressure
Copyright 2008 American
Safety and Health Institute
Managing Shock
If the injured person is going through shock you must act swiftly with what you
have. If the person goes through shock they will want to move, pace or move
around you must keep them from moving. They will also start breathing heavily
and if you don’t stop them they will hyperventilate and pass out. To help them
Chapter One
13
calm down, speak to them in slow, calm quiet force, breathe with them if you have
to. You must also make sure they that when they do go into shock that you
maintain their body temperature; they will either become cold and start shivering
or become hot they will become dehydrated.
To Manage Shock:
 Keep the person flat on their back
 Make sure their airways are clear their breathing is steady
 Keep their breathing even, talk to them, take deep breaths
with them to calm them down so they don’t hyperventilate
 To prevent them from becoming cold give them a blanket,
if you don’t have one, use your body heat.
 To prevent overheating give them water and start taking off
Managing Shock
their shoes and socks to uncover their feet.
Copyright 2008 American
Safety and Health Institute
Stay prepared
To stay prepared you must always carry a first aid kit. The first aid kit can be
small, average or large in size and in the things it carries; just have some supplies
with you in case of an emergency. If you’d like, ask the person stationed at the
first aid area to give you some Ace bandages just in case of a bigger emergency.
A basic first aid kit needs:
 Regular sized bandages
 Palm bandages
 Neosporin
 Alcohol swabs
 Sunscreen
 3x3 square clothe
 Extra water bottle
 Tweezers
These components are optional for the first aid kit:
 Ace bandages
 Bug bite cream
 Cloth that can fold into bandages
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Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and Abdominal Thrust
Abdominal Thrust is quite useful; you can help a person that is choking by
dislodging something in the throat or lung. CPR is used when a person does not
have a pulse, CPR is used to try and restart the heart. When a person is
unconscious, they have a pulse but they aren’t breathing, you have to get their
airways clear.
Conscious Choking
When a person starts choking, they need attention right away. You can help
them dislodge the object by doing abdominal thrust.
Conscious Choking-Child
Step One: Check the scene and the child.
Step Two: Have someone call 9-1-1
Step Three: Obtain consent from parent or guardian, if present-if not
Step 4
present proceed.
Copyright 2006 by The American
National Red Cross
Step Four: Lean the child forward and give 5 back blows with
the heel of your hand; on the upper back between their shoulder
blades.
Step Five: Give 5 quick, upward abdominal thrusts.*
Step 5a
Step Six: Continue back blocks and abdominal thrusts untilCopyright 2006 by The
American National Red Cross
 Object is forced out
 Child can breathe of cough forcefully
Step 5b
 Child becomes unconscious
Copyright 2006 by
The American
National Red Cross
Side Note: for a child, stand or kneel behind the child, depending on his or her size.
What to do next: if child becomes unconscious, call 9-1-1, (if you haven’t already) and
give care for unconscious choking.
Conscious Choking-Adult
Step One: Check scene, then Check person
Step Two: Have someone call 9-1-1
Step Three: Obtain consent-if person cannot give consent-due to
choking and blocked airways-proceed.
Step Four: Learn the person forward and give 5 back blows with the
Step 4
Copyright 2006 by The
American National Red
Cross
Chapter One
15
heel of your hand to their upper back between their shoulder blades.
Step Five: Give 5 quick, upward abdominal thrusts*
Step Six: Continue back blows and abdominal thrusts until Object is forced
 Person can breathe of cough forcefully
 Person becomes unconscious
Step 5b
Copyright 2006
by The American
National Red
Cross
Step 5a
Copyright 2006 by The American
National Red Cross
Side Note: Give chest thrusts to a choking person who is pregnant or too big for you to
reach around. Chest thrusts for a conscious adult are like abdominal thrusts, except your
hands are on the middle of the breast bone. Place your fist against the center of the
person’s breastbone; grab your fist with the other hand and give quick thrust into the
chest.
*Put two fingers below closed fist on the persons’ abdominal, just above the naval
(bellybutton) and well below the lower tip of the breastbone. Grab your fist with
your other hand and give quick, upward thrusts into the abdomen. Each back blow
and abdominal thrust should be a separate and distinct attempt to dislodge the
object.
Unconscious Choking
For unconscious choking it is the same for child and adult. When an adult or child
becomes unconscious and is still choking you follow these steps:
After checking an ill or injures person
Step One: Tilt head further back try two rescue breathes
again
Step Two: If chest does not rise- give 30 chest compressions
Step 1
(Tip: Remove breathing barrier when giving chest compressions.)
Copyright 2006 by The American
Step Three: Look for the object that they were choking on National Red Cross
Step Four: Remove the object if you can see one
Step Five: Try 2 rescue breathes
What to do next: if breaths do not go in, continue steps 2-5
Step 2
If breaths go in
Copyright 2006
by The American
Check for signs of life
National Red
Cross
Give care based on conditions found
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Pragram Aid
How to Preform CPR
CPR is what you do when a person is unconscious and they have a
pulse but they aren’t breathing. You’d give them the rescue breath
and compressions to the chest.
Step 1
After calling the emergency number, check if person is breathing
Copyright 2006 by The American
or has a pulse if not:
National Red Cross
Step One: Find hand position on breastbone-in the middle of the chest where the
middle of the breastbone ends.
Step Two: Position shoulders over your hands-to put all your body
weight behind it-compress chest 15 times.
Step Three: Give 2 slow rescue breaths-while watching the chest.
Step Four: Do 3 more sets of 15 compressions and 2 breaths.
Step 2
Step Five: Recheck pulse and breathing for no more than 10
Copyright 2006 by The American
seconds.
National Red Cross
If person still has no pulse, continue sets of 15 compressions and 2 breaths.
Side Note: If it helps to keep the rhythm of the chest compressions, do them to the beat
of “Staying Alive” by the Beegees.
Rescue Breathe
You preform the rescue breath when a person isn’t breathing but they have a
pulse.
Rescue Breath-Adult
After checking an ill or injured person to give the rescue breatheStep One: Tilt head back and lift chin-to clear airways-then pinch nose shut.
Step Two: Take a breath and make a complete seal over the person’s mouth.
Step Three: Blow into person to make the persons chest clearly rise.
What to do next: if breathes go in-give CPR or use AED (if immediately available)
Step 2
Step 1
Copyright 2006 by The American National
Red Cross
Copyright 2006 by The American
National Red Cross
Chapter One
17
Rescue Breath-Child
After checking an ill or injured person to give the rescue breatheStep One: Give one rescue breathe about every 3 seconds
 Pinch nose shut
 Make seal over childs’ mouth
 Blow into child to make their chest clearly rise.
Step Two: After about 2 minutes, recheck signs of life and pulse
for no more than 10 seconds.
Step 1
Copyright 2006 by The American National
Red Cross
Tip: Because children are smaller than adults don’t tip their heads back as for to clear the
airways.
What to do next: If pulse, but no breathing-continue rescue breathing. If no pulse Give
CPR or use AED (if immediately available)
Only stop giving rescue breathes:
 The scene becomes unsafe
 The person begins to breathe on his or her own.
 You are too tired to continue
 Another trained responder takes over
Rules for Food
What you will see in this chapter




How to make food presentable
How to cook food properly (and how to be prepared if the food starts popping)
How to stop the girls from eating off the floor
How to be prepared for the allergies of the girls, and how to deal with them if they
come out.
Chapter Two
21
Chapter two-Rules for Food
Making sure food is clean and presentable
When serving food, make sure it is clean and presentable.
When preparing food you have to make sure that your vegetables and meats are
prepared on two different cutting boards. The raw meat leaves a residue on the
cutting board that you don’t want on you vegetables. The residue can cause
Salmonella poisoning-the type of food poisoning that comes from raw meat,
chicken that isn’t cooked all the way through and raw eggs.
When cleaning the fruits and vegetables you can use soap, just make sure the soap
bubbles are completely washed away. You can use just a sponge and warm water,
to get the dirt of, if you are serving them raw make sure that all the fruits and/or
vegetables are rinsed properly.
When cooking meat, make that you are aware of the stove; some meats do create
popping when cooked, so be prepared by stepping away or being to the side of the
dish, you could also where mitts or a long sleeve shirt to protect your arms and
hands. When cooking chicken you have to be careful, because unlike beef, people
don’t like it medium well. Chicken needs to be 170 degrees before it is fully
cooked, any higher and it gets a more and more dry. Red meat is a little different,
for it to be medium well-a little pink in the middle-the meat needs to be a
temperature of 160. To check the internal temperature you’ll either need a cooking
thermometer, you can cut the meat open a little bit to see how pink it is.
No Five Second Rule Exist
Kids are clumsy are they drop their food; they also think that it’s okay to pick it up
right after they drop on the ground and eat it. You have to
make sure that when they drop their food they throw it
away, if they refuse to touch it, you must throw the food on
the ground away.
You don’t ants and other bugs will be attracted to your little
gathering, as most people are aware, some of the girls
might be allergic to ants, and most are scared of them. If ants disrupt the gathering,
you won’t be able to get hold of peace again.
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Know the girls allergies
To be truly prepared for anything you must know the girls allergies, what they
need if they do have an outbreak and if they need an inhaler if they have asthma.
They might not like being pointed out but it’s for their own safety, so you know
how to react if something happens.
It is common for people to have grass allergies; they can also have asthma and
other medical problems that you have to
look out for. If they are allergic to ants
or a certain types of grass you must
look out or always carry some kind of
cover for the girls to sit on.
I
Entertainment
What you will learn in this chapter:
 To make sure the girls under your care are entertained
 How to keep your charges motivated, to make sure they stay with the group
 You will also learn how play games that both entertain either the older girls or
younger, and not bring harm to them.
Chapter Three
25
Chapter three-Entertainment
All children are easily bored, or distracted, it is your job to make sure that the
children under your charge are entertained and that they stay safe.
Never bored
Making sure a child stays entertained is easy, it’s the girls that are 12 or 13 that are
tough. To make sure the girls are entertained-no matter their age-you can think of
something that they might like to do on the free time that you have.
For the older girls, have them tell stories, like ghost stories,
but not, like fictional stories that will make them not want to
get on their phones.
Also try to bring a deck of cards if you have some, so the
girls can play a game of Go Fish, or War or even Uno.
Stay motivated
Even with little kids it’s hard to stay motivated, you can sing camp songs that
everyone knows, or you can teach them a song. You can also make up a song,
although that’s hard to do.
Games
When little girls think of games in their free time they always go to red rover, it’s
a dangerous and people get hurt from it. You can play games that don’t require
much with the little ones and the older ones.
With the little ones you can play theater games or little camp games that everyone
knows:
 Yes And; when a person is telling a story-fictional-and the partner(s)
agree with them saying ‘yes and’ and they continue the story with some
other fictional aspect.
 Down By the Bank; where the girls go into a circle, they put out their
hands, their left hand under the person to their lefts’ right hand and their
right hand over the person to their rights’ left hand.
 Little Sally Walker; the girls form a circle and one skips around the
edges and they all sing, little sally walker, walking down the street.
26
Program Aid
You can play theatre games with the older girls, for example:
 Taxi cab; each person goes in and acts like a
character, and all the people (including the
driver) have to act like that.
 Pick a song; you join in a circle, the person
in the middle sings a line from the first song
that pops in their head-stay appropriate-and
the middle person picks the next person.
 Bang; a person-or PA- goes into the middle of the circle, points to a
person and says ‘bang’ the person must then go down and the people to
the left and right must point at each other and say ‘bang’ to each other,
the fastest (or loudest) is the one standing, you do this until there is only
two left. Once there is only two, they go back to back walk 5 steps away
from each other (on the PAs mark) they then face each other when the
PA says turn and the ‘shoot’ each other, the fastest wins.
Staying Calm and Being Patient
Staying Calm and staying patient is a key part of looking after children, especially little
kids that don’t understand what it means to have personal space.
In this chapter you will learn:
 What patients is, and to hone into it
 To have a steady voice in every situations
 And how to not play favorites-being more patient with one then another girl.
Chapter Four
29
Chapter four-Staying Calm and Being Patient
Children always seem to be needy and distant at the same time, they want your
attention, at the same time they will do about the opposite
of what you say, even when it is for their own good.
What you can do to help yourself stay calm is to count to
ten, do some yoga once you get some time to yourself or
you can simply ask the leader to take over so you can
have some time to yourself. If the leader is busy and does
not have time to relieve you of your duties you can
meditate once the girls are busy doing something else or
doing an activity that distracts them enough. To meditate you can sit somewhere
either cross legged or just sit on a bench, close your eyes, clear your mind and try
to relax all the muscles in your body, stay that way until you are positive that you
are calm and can go on without yelling.
Virtue
You might have heard that patience is a virtue, it is, and very few people have it.
Younger people, under the age of 15, rarely know that their questions and actions
can be tiring some, what you need is to hold onto the rains of your frustration and
answer their questions, and play along with the games-as long as it’s not red rover.
They will yell and banter, and they will get on your last nerves, no matter how
much they like you. What you need to do is help the leader to make sure she
doesn’t pull out her hair.
Have a steady voice
In any situation you need to have a steady voice, rather it’s a stressful situation, a
happy one, or a situation that is turning bad.
If the girls know that you are becoming stressed they will be wary of you, they
will stay away from you, like a dog and a snake. If you are overly excited they will
feed off of that excitement and become crazy, even if you are ecstatic about
something that’s about to happen. And if you see that a situation is about to turn
bad, you need to be calm, keep eye contact with your girls and make sure that they
are calm as well, if they see you freaking out they will feed off that as well and
become just as scared.
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Program Aid
Don’t play favorites
When you spend time with the girls you might get attached to a specific girl, think
she’s cuter or more obedient then the others. You should not pay more attention to
that one girl. For one thing it’s dangerous-what if one of the other girls hurt
themselves while you’re paying attention to that one girl. It is also bad for the
girls’ self-esteem; if you pay attention to only one girl the rest of them will think
that something is wrong with them. If you pay too much attention to one girl, they
will feel smothered. They will also feel superior to the other girls; like they are
better than them, because the PA is paying more attention to them.
http://www.morethanvinyl.com/childrensrooms/heart-crown/
Index
Index
Abdominal Thrust, 14
AED, 16, 17, 31
Anatomic splint, 10
Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, 14
CPR, iii, 14, 16, 17, 31
Ground splint, 10
Program Aid, 1, v
Rescue Breath, 16, 17
Rigid splint, 10
Shock, 12, 13
Sling, 11
Soft splint, 10
splint, 9, 10, 11
I received the first aid information from two books: First Aid/CPR/AED for schools
and the Community; Copyright 2006 by The American National Red Cross;
the second Copyright 2008 American Health and Safety Institute.
31