A Los Angeles Times Special Report : Coping With The Quake : Recovering From Disaster, Preparing for the Future : Take Care to Treat Injuries : Health: Basic first-aid skills can help residents help themselves while awaiting professional aid.

After the shaking stops, see if anyone is hurt.

That’s always a priority, say disaster emergency officials and medical experts. Taking the right steps can help minimize injuries and physical stress from earthquakes.

“A lot of the injuries we’ve seen in earthquakes are from people trying to run outside and they trip and fall on the stairs or they’re hit by glass or objects on the way out,” says Dr. Isi J. Russ of Palos Verdes. Russ is director of the emergency department at Chapman General Hospital in Orange.

Once the initial quake is over, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of danger. After-shocks can also be quite severe, so any loose objects--pictures, things still hanging on--should be taken down, Russ says.

“If it’s a major earthquake, hospital emergency departments are going to be inundated with victims with major injuries--from heart attacks, from people falling, from collapsing buildings,” Russ says.

If you suffer relatively minor injuries or are unable to get immediate treatment for more serious ones at a hospital, there are “temporizing measures” you can take. Here are some of them:

* Broken limbs. If you’ve fallen and think you have a broken ankle, wrist or finger, you can use a ruler, baseball bat or any other available object to form a splint. Wrap the injured area so that it doesn’t move around. If ice is available, keep the injured area elevated and intermittently apply ice packs to keep the swelling down.

* Smoke inhalation. If you’re in a house that is engulfed in smoke, you can soak a towel or shirt in water and put it over your nose and mouth and breathe through that. Stay as close to the floor and crawl out because smoke rises. Get fresh air as fast as possible.

* Heart attack. If somebody already has coronary artery disease or high blood pressure, the stress of an earthquake or other disaster will increase blood pressure and adrenaline in the bloodstream and can cause a heart attack. If you have a chest pain you’ve never had before, dial 911, or if 911 is not available, have someone take you to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately.

* Burns. People who suffer minor burns can also treat themselves. “You’ve got plenty of time to treat burns,” says Russ. The best thing is to put wet, moist compresses on it. Within the first 24 hours, however, you should try to go to a hospital and have the burn assessed. * Bleeding. The best way to stop most bleeding is to apply direct pressure and wrap the area with a bandage, towel, handkerchief or any other clean dressing you have.

* Gas fumes. Russ says most people won’t have a problem inhaling gas--they’ll smell it and run out of the house. But if they do inhale, he says, “the most important thing they need to do is get out in the fresh air.” If they’re still having trouble breathing, they should be taken to the hospital for evaluation. (Do not bring charcoal barbecues into the house for cooking or heating.)

* Food. Eat perishables first, frozen foods second and canned foods third because they have the longer shelf life. * Water supply. Two gallons of water are needed to cover daily drinking, first aid, sanitation and cooking needs for each person. Residents of the San Fernando Valley and neighborhoods north of Sunset Boulevard and west of Western Avenue are being advised to boil drinking water for 20 minutes, said Bruce Kuebler, director of water quality for the Department of Water and Power. If boiling is not possible, an alternative is to put eight drops of unscented household bleach into a gallon of water, if the water is clear from the tap. If the water runs cloudy, use 16 drops. Allow the water to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.

Times staff writer Larry Gordon contributed to this report.