First Aid Kit

August 04, 2011 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

If there is an emergency/ disaster in your area, chances are high that your emergency response resources are going to be overwhelmed and you will have to fend for yourself. Preparing for that likelihood is a great idea.


Take a First Aid and CPR class-I think this would be the most helpful thing you could do in your first aid preparedness. Not only will you be able to preform under pressure with confidence but you will be able to handle your family's everyday emergencies too. I just found out that my city offers free CPR and First Aid Certification to its residents. I am definitely going to take advantage of this resource. Contact your local fire department and ask if they have anything similar.

Knowing how to care for injuries is one thing but you need to have the supplies on hand to do so as well.

Here are some ideas that you might want to include.

First Aid Kit
Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
2-inch and 4-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6 each)
Hypo-allergenic adhesive tape
40-inch triangular bandages (3 rolls)
2-inch and 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls)
Scissors and tweezers
Epi pen- if allergic to bee stings
Sewing needles or sewing kit
Moistened towelettes/wet wipes
Antiseptic soap
Antiseptic solution- iodine compounds
Antibiotic ointment (neosporin)
Thermometer
Tongue depressors (2)
Tube of vaseline or lubricant
Safety pins in assorted sizes
Cleaning agent/soap
Latex gloves (2 pairs)- non latex too in case of allergies- it will be extremely important to create a fluid barrier between you and any victims you might help treat especially if they are outside of your family.
Sunscreen
Insect repellent
Caladryl or generic equivalent
First Aid manual
Rubbing alcohol
Cotton balls
Heavy string
Splinting material
Prescription medications- with a schedule of names, dosage amounts and frequency. (one of the problems facing aid workers in Japan right now is that the tsunami victims don't remember the names or dosage amounts of their prescription drugs)
Non-prescription drugs
Aspirin and non-aspirin pain reliever
Anti-diarrhea medication
Antacid (for stomach upset)
Laxative
Iodine pills- taking iodine pills can help prevent the absorption of radiation so in the event of a nuclear disaster (terrorism, war or like Japan's nuclear power plants) you can take those to help keep your family safe
Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)

The biggest first aid injury you will probably face will be bleeding. Knowing how to stop or slow major bleeding is probably the most beneficial thing you could learn.
On a very basic level, if someone is bleeding profusely you can try to control it using these methods:

• bandage the injury very tightly (not tourniquet tight though).
• if they bleed through that bandage, wrap around another one
• if still bleeding, elevate injury above the heart
• if elevation doesn't help, put pressure on the nearest pressure point. (There are pressure pints located under the knee, inside thigh/groin area, right above the bicep in the arm pit, ect)
• If none of these work then use a tourniquet. A tourniquet is your last option. Once you put it on you can't take it off and they will most likely end up losing that limb. At this point though it would be preferable to lose the limb because if you don't stop the bleeding they will have lost so much blood that they will end up dying without the tourniquet.