Shorts, sunscreen, a First Aid guide – okay, so the last one probably isn’t on your list of things to take with you on holiday. But St John Ambulance is asking holidaymakers to rethink that. Because, while we may be good at protecting our skin in the sun these days, it seems we’re not so hot at looking after our nearest and dearest.

According to the UK’s biggest First Aid charity, up to 150,000 lives are lost every year because not enough of us know the basics. And they reckon if more of us knew what to do in an accident situation – and how to do it quickly – then we could seriously reduce that figure.

Now, they’ve produced a free First Aid guide called Be The Difference – the difference between a life lost and a life saved. It gives short, easy-to-follow instructions that’ll help you deal with the five most common situations – situations where First Aid can save a life. And the great thing is, it’s about the same size as a credit card, so it’s really easy to take it away with you – just pop it in with your passport and your tickets.

How To Get Hold Of One  You can get your hands on a guide by texting SAVE to 81400. Or, you can visit the St John Ambulance website and request a FREE guide by clicking here. It’s a good idea to pack it along with the emergency services number for wherever you are going. In EU countries it’s 112. In the USA, Canada and parts of South America it’s 911. For the rest of the world, check out http://www.fco.gov.uk. You can view a the guide here in PDF format.

iPhone App

St John Ambulance has also launched a First Aid iPhone app. It gives life-saving advice that’s easy to follow in a difficult situation. For more details on how to download it, visit the iTunes app store.

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