Tom Adams' Golden MinuteGet the manual · $37

You get about a minute. Most people spend it on the wrong thing.

The First Minutes Field Manual covers 70 emergencies. For each one it gives you the first sixty seconds, step by step, and the natural instinct that gets people hurt.

  • 1,153 pages
  • 70 emergencies
  • 70 printable quick cards
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Cover of The First Minutes Field Manual by Tom Adams

This clock started when the page opened. It's how long a sinking car floats on a good day.

Your first instinct is usually the dangerous one

Nobody rehearses these moments, so the body grabs whatever feels obvious. Here is what that looks like in five of the seventy chapters.

Car in water

What people doTry the door, or wait for the car to fill so the pressure evens out.

What the manual saysSeatbelt off the instant you hit the water. Then the window, not the door.

Rip current

What people doSwim straight back to the beach as hard as they can.

What the manual saysStop swimming for the beach. Float, get your breathing back, then move out of the pull.

Grease fire

What people doThrow water on the pan, or carry it to the sink.

What the manual saysSlide a lid or a baking sheet over the pan and turn off the heat.

Stranded in a blizzard

What people doGet out and walk for help.

What the manual saysStay with the car. It is your shelter and it is far easier to find than a person on foot.

Power line on your car

What people doStep out to check the damage.

What the manual saysStay inside unless the car is on fire or filling with smoke.

Each of those is one page of a chapter. The other sixty-five emergencies get the same treatment.

Every chapter is built the same way, so you can find the answer fast

You learn the layout once. After that you can open to any emergency and know exactly where to look.

  1. The momentA short scene that puts you inside it, so you recognise it when it's real.
  2. Your golden minuteThe first sixty seconds as numbered steps, in the order you do them.
  3. The wrong instinctThe move that feels right, and why it fails.
  4. The full pictureWhat's actually happening, what comes next, and when to call 911.
  5. Myths and special casesThe old advice that still gets repeated. Plus kids, older adults, pets and people who can't move fast.
  6. Get ready nowA checklist you can finish this weekend.
  7. The quick cardOne page to print and keep where it will be needed.
Chapter opening page: Car in Water Inside page showing the Your Golden Minute steps and The Wrong Instinct Inside page showing myths and special cases Printable quick card for a car in water
1,153PAGES

That's about sixteen pages for every emergency. Enough room to explain why, not only what.

You don't read it cover to cover. You read the chapters that match where you live and how you travel, print those cards, and keep the rest for the day you need it.

At $37 it works out to about 53 cents an emergency.

All 70 chapters

Twelve parts. Open any of them to see what's covered.

FoundationsPlans, kits, alerts, first aid8 chapters
  1. 01How to Use This Manual
  2. 02Your Brain in the First Minute
  3. 03The Family Emergency Plan
  4. 04Kits That Actually Work
  5. 05Alerts and Warnings
  6. 06Stay or Go
  7. 07First Aid That Buys Time
  8. 08People Who Need Extra Help
WaterCars, currents, cold, ice7 chapters
  1. 09Car in Water
  2. 10Rip Currents
  3. 11Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning
  4. 12Cold Water Shock
  5. 13Falling Through Ice
  6. 14Sneaker Waves and Dangerous Coasts
  7. 15Capsized Boat
FloodMoving and rising water4 chapters
  1. 16Flash Floods
  2. 17Driving Into Floodwater
  3. 18When Your Home Floods
  4. 19Storm Surge
FireHouse, kitchen, wildfire, vehicle7 chapters
  1. 20House Fire Escape
  2. 21Smoke Alarms and the Closed Door
  3. 22Kitchen and Grease Fires
  4. 23Wildfire Evacuation
  5. 24Trapped by Wildfire
  6. 25Vehicle Fire
  7. 26Gas Leak
ColdOutages, gas, blizzards, frostbite7 chapters
  1. 27Winter Power Outage
  2. 28Carbon Monoxide
  3. 29Stranded in Your Car in a Blizzard
  4. 30Hypothermia
  5. 31Frostbite
  6. 32Cold, Exertion, and Your Heart
  7. 33Black Ice and Winter Skids
HeatHeat stroke, hot cars, heat waves4 chapters
  1. 34Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion
  2. 35Surviving a Heat Wave at Home
  3. 36Hot Cars
  4. 37Lost in the Heat
StormHurricanes, tornadoes, lightning9 chapters
  1. 38Before the Hurricane
  2. 39Riding Out a Hurricane
  3. 40After the Hurricane
  4. 41Tornado at Home
  5. 42Tornado in a Car or Outdoors
  6. 43Lightning
  7. 44Downed Power Lines
  8. 45Severe Thunderstorms and Hail
  9. 46Dust Storms
EarthQuakes, tsunamis, slides7 chapters
  1. 47Earthquakes
  2. 48Tsunamis
  3. 49Landslides and Debris Flows
  4. 50Avalanches
  5. 51Sinkholes
  6. 52Trapped Under Rubble
  7. 53Volcanic Ash and Eruptions
RoadTracks, brakes, blowouts, crashes4 chapters
  1. 54Stuck on Railroad Tracks
  2. 55Brake Failure
  3. 56Hydroplaning and Tire Blowouts
  4. 57The First Minute After a Crash
WildLost, bears, snakes, dogs5 chapters
  1. 58Lost in the Woods
  2. 59Bear Encounters
  3. 60Whiteout and Mountain Weather
  4. 61Venomous Snakes and Bites
  5. 62Dog Attacks
HomeShock, choking, crowds, chemicals7 chapters
  1. 63Electric Shock
  2. 64Choking When You're Alone
  3. 65Stuck in an Elevator
  4. 66Crowd Crush
  5. 67Chemical Spills and Shelter in Place
  6. 68Unsafe Water After a Disaster
  7. 69Medical Devices and Power Loss
AfterThe days that follow1 chapters
  1. 70After Any Disaster

Get all 70 chapters · $37

Where the guidance comes from

The steps in this manual are drawn from public agencies and established safety organisations. Every chapter ends with its own source list, so you can check anything yourself.

Where those sources disagree with each other, the chapter says so and gives the more cautious option.

  • National Weather Service
  • FEMA and Ready.gov
  • CDC
  • American Red Cross
  • American Heart Association
  • U.S. Fire Administration
  • National Park Service
  • U.S. Geological Survey
  • NHTSA
  • U.S. Coast Guard

None of these organisations has reviewed or endorsed this book.

Who Tom Adams is

Tom is the presenter of Golden Minute, a channel about the first minute of emergencies. He is a presenter character, and this manual is written in his voice: short sentences, plain words, no drama for its own sake.

The manual is general safety education. It doesn't replace hands-on training, local officials or emergency services. In an emergency, call 911.

The First Minutes Field Manual

The First Minutes Field Manual

  • 1,153-page PDF, yours to keep
  • 70 emergencies across water, fire, flood, cold, heat, storms, earth, road, wild and home
  • 70 one-page quick cards to print for the car, the kitchen and the go-bag
  • A source list at the end of every chapter
  • Reads on a phone, tablet or computer
Buy the manual
$37One payment. Download right after checkout.

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Questions people ask

Is this a printed book?
No. It's a PDF. You download it right after checkout and it's yours to keep.
Do I have to read all 1,153 pages?
No. Start with the Foundations chapters, then the emergencies that fit where you live. The rest is there when you need it.
Can I print it?
Yes. The quick cards are made for printing, one page each. You can print them for your own household.
Does this replace first aid or CPR training?
No. A book can tell you the steps. A class lets you practise them. The manual tells you which classes are worth taking.
Is it only for the United States?
The sources and phone numbers are American. The steps for a sinking car or a grease fire work the same anywhere.
How do I get it after I pay?
Payhip shows a download button as soon as payment clears and emails you the same link.

Not ready for the whole manual?

Take the Golden Minute Card for free. It's one page: the six steps that apply to any emergency. Print it and put it on the fridge.

Send me the free card