First aid and emergencies

Calling for help

• 911 reaches police, fire and ambulance across Canada and the US. A cell phone can often reach 911 through another carrier's network when your own has no signal.
• Tell the dispatcher the campground name, the road or highway and the nearest kilometre or mile marker, your site number, and GPS coordinates if you have them. Many campgrounds are not on map addresses.
• Send someone to the campground entrance to guide the ambulance in.
• Where there is no cell service, use a satellite messenger SOS, a radio, or drive to the nearest phone.
• Poison help: in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. In Canada, call your provincial poison centre or 911.

Get first aid training

A first aid and CPR course is the best safety step for any host. In Canada, the Canadian Red Cross and St. John Ambulance run courses. In the US, the American Red Cross and American Heart Association do. Because help can be an hour or more away at many campgrounds, a wilderness first aid course is worth the extra day.

First aid kit

• Bandages, gauze, tape, elastic bandage, triangular bandage and safety pins
• Non-stick burn dressings and blister pads
• Gloves, CPR face shield, scissors and fine-tipped tweezers for ticks and splinters
• Antiseptic wipes, pain and fever medicine, antihistamine and hydrocortisone cream
• An emergency blanket and a flashlight
• Any personal medication, including an epinephrine auto-injector if you have a severe allergy

Common camping injuries and illness

Cuts and scrapes

Press firmly on bleeding with a clean cloth. Clean small wounds with clean water and cover them. Get care for deep cuts, cuts that gape, or bleeding that will not stop.

Burns

Cool under running water for at least 10 minutes. See burn first aid.

Sprains and falls

Rest, ice wrapped in a cloth, gentle compression and raising the limb. Do not move someone who may have a head, neck or back injury; call 911.

Allergic reactions

Swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing or hives after a sting or food is an emergency. Use the person's epinephrine auto-injector and call 911.

Stomach illness

Wash hands with soap after washrooms and before handling food. Hand sanitizer does not kill every germ. Keep coolers cold and cook meat through. Drink treated water only.

Poison ivy and poison oak

Learn the "leaves of three" plants in your area. Wash skin and clothes with soap and water soon after contact. Do not burn these plants; the smoke harms the lungs.

Ticks

Remove ticks right away with fine-tipped tweezers. See ticks.

Animal bites and bats

Wash any animal bite or scratch with soap and water for 15 minutes and see a doctor about rabies. If you find a bat in a room or tent where someone slept, contact public health before letting the bat go.

Heat and cold

See heat and cold and hypothermia.

AEDs and naloxone

• Find out if the campground or the nearest store or office has an automated external defibrillator (AED). AEDs talk you through each step.
• Naloxone kits reverse opioid overdoses and are free at many pharmacies in Canada and available without a prescription in the US. A kit at the host site can save a life.

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General safety information for campground hosts, workers and campers in Canada and the US, compiled by CampHostJobs from Parks Canada, the US National Park Service, provincial, territorial and state agencies, and public health sources, October 2026. It does not replace training or the rules where you are. Always follow your employer, park staff and local officials. In an emergency, call 911.