In any emergency, the first step is to check the scene is safe before approaching, then assess the person's responsiveness and breathing; acting without first checking for danger can turn one casualty into two. For choking, bleeding, burns, and fractures, first aid focuses on stabilizing the person and preventing the injury from worsening: applying firm direct pressure to control bleeding, cooling a burn with clean running water, and immobilizing a suspected fracture rather than attempting to realign it. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths, is used when a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, with the goal of keeping oxygenated blood circulating to the brain until advanced help arrives; proper CPR technique requires certified hands-on training, not just reading about it. In every serious emergency, calling for professional emergency help, or arranging transport to the nearest facility, should happen as early as possible, in parallel with first aid, not after it.