If you were walking down the street and the person in front of you collapsed clutching their chest would you know what to do? How about if you were in a restaurant and someone was choking or if your child was cut badly with a kitchen knife?

Most of us like to think we're good in a crisis but the majority of us would have to admit that our first-aid skills were probably not up to scratch. Now St John's Ambulance are bringing first-aid training into the 21st century by being the first charity to introduce audio files with first-aid advice that can be downloaded on to an MP3 player, CD and mobile phone.

The new service known as iFirstAid, offers advice on what to do at the scene of an accident until help arrives. The audio files include information about performing a primary survey identifying and treating burns, bleeding, shock and fractures, giving rescue breaths and chest compressions, and putting a patient in the recovery position. The charity plan to develop the scheme to offer further scenarios, first-aid 'podcasts' and seasonal first aid advice.

Andrew New, senior training officer at St John's Ambulance said: "Following the terrorist attacks on London, we experienced a 25 per cent increase in enquiries about first-aid courses. We heard from many people who had wanted to help the injured but were not confident to administer first aid.

"Now that MP3 players are so popular, our 'iFirstAid' downloads will make first-aid guidance available for people when they need it, where they need it, in the format they need it."

Dawn Upton, the St John Ambulance trainer, whose voice listeners will hear on the audio files, said: "The 'iFirstAid' tips are no substitute for first-aid training but its useful to have a quick reminder to give you confidence and reinforce your knowledge.

"It's perfectly natural to panic or feel unsure if you come across a casualty, but we hope that having these tips available will enable people to deal with an emergency situation more confidently and effectively.

Visit www.sja.org.uk/ifirstaid for more information about the iFirstAid scheme.