ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation)
ABC stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation. We define it as the priority order a first aider follows with a person who is hurt or unresponsive. First, open and clear the airway. Next, confirm the person is breathing. Then check for signs of circulation and look for serious bleeding. Each step protects the next one, because blood cannot carry oxygen the lungs never take in.
Current CPR training reorders the sequence to CAB, or Compressions, Airway, Breathing, for a person in cardiac arrest. Chest compressions come first because keeping blood moving to the brain matters most in those early minutes. ABC still shapes how first aid courses teach you to size up an injured person.
Preppers meet ABC in first aid and CPR classes and on the reference cards tucked into a home first-aid kit. After a storm or a long outage, help can be slow to arrive. Knowing the order lets you act calmly and in sequence until it does. Take a hands-on first aid and CPR class to practice both ABC and CAB with an instructor.
