Assessing the Wound

IF THE WOUND IS SEVERE:

Your first priority should be to stop or manage the bleeding.

Don’t waste time cleaning the wound – infections kill a lot more slowly than bleeding out does. You can worry about antibiotics later.

IF THE WOUND IS NOT SEVERE:

Clean it before applying a bandage. If the casualty is not in immediate danger of bleeding out, then you can take the time to clean the wound before you bandage it.