Building An Emergency Kit
You probably have not thought about the essential items that should go into a first aid kit since you were in boy scouts
. Nowadays, you can find completed first aid kits already packed up and ready to buy.
They may be a little bit more expensive to buy ready-made, but a lot more convenient. Usually, these pre-made kits have everything that you would need in them to take care of small wounds.
They pack them so tiny and small that they do not have much room in them to include the bigger things. It can become a cute little carry on that you can decorate and tends to lose some of its more practical purposes.
If you want to build a real first aid kit, then what should you include inside it? There are several things that you will want to make sure that you fit inside of your emergency kit.
The first thing you should look at is the bandages. There are many types of bandages in all kinds of sizes.
You can buy a pack of small band aids that cover anything from a small prick in the finger to a huge gash on your arm. A good suggestion might be to make sure you have one or two bandages in each size instead of buying a whole box that only has one size.
Not only do you need to look at the different sizes of bandages, but also the type of bandages. There are some that have adhesive on the backs and some that stretch to wrap around the wound.
For smaller wounds, bandages with adhesive on the back usually work quite well. Whereas for larger wounds, you will want something that you can wrap around it a few times to help soak up any blood and cover the whole area.
Whoever is helping take care of the wounds will also need some type of protection so that they do not get any blood or other bodily fluids on them. Putting a couple pairs of latex gloves into your kit will help solve this problem.
The next thing you should consider are different types of cream such as; antibiotic ointment, burn ointment, and anti-itch cream. Just having a small bottle of each one to put in your kit is better than having a huge bottle of only one kind.
You never know what you are going to need, so if you have a good variety of stuff then you will be better prepared. Make sure that you have both tweezers and a good pair of scissors.
A pocket knife that includes both of these things would be even better because it will have a knife and be stored a lot safer than the scissors by themselves. Pocket knives fold up really well and you can find one that will everything you will ever need on it.
As far as non-prescription medicines go, you should have a few tablets of pain reliever and fever reducers. Never give out any prescription medicine to someone that is was not meant for.
Eye wash solution and cleansing soap would be very useful to put into your kit. You want to be able to wash and disinfect the wounded area so that the victim will not get any bacterial infections.
Some other small items to include in your kit are; thermometer, ice pack, non stick sterile pads, tube of lubricant, CPR mask, and an antihistamine for allergic reactions. You just need one of each of these items to put into your bag.
Bigger items that people usually do not even think about are things such as; a blanket, ready to eat foods, water, and flashlight with extra batteries. You never know what kind of condition your patient is going to be in or what kind of help they will need, so having all of things in a small backpack will come in handy in whatever situation you may find yourself in.
One last item that you should keep in your first aid kit is an old cell phone. Whether or not the cell phone is in service, it is always able to call 911 for an emergency- just make sure it has some battery life.
by: Jack Landry
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