First Aid Kit for Emergency
Acting quickly is crucial in a medical emergency. Some sources claim that every year in the UK, up to 150,000 lives are at risk due to a lack of first aid knowledge. While a first aid bag won’t necessarily help you conduct CPR, thousands of lives perish every year as a result of the lack of information, skills, and confidence of others around them in the event that they experience a cardiac arrest.
A non-fatal workplace injury affected about 693,000 persons in 2019–2020, costing an estimated 6.3 million lost working days. It is crucial to have the appropriate tools close at hand. First aid kits are an easy method to make sure that we always have access to tools that can help save lives or stop injuries from growing worse, no matter where we are.
Items in a First Aid Kit
A first-aid kit should always be present everywhere. It should be kept out of children’s grasp but within an adult’s easy reach. A well-stocked first-aid kit will ensure that you always have the necessary supplies on hand to handle emergencies as they arise.
You can assemble your own first-aid pack or buy one from a nearby drugstore. If you decide to create one yourself, use a container that is roomy and simple to carry and open. For instance, plastic tackle boxes work well as first-aid kit storage.
Here are 20 materials you must make sure to include if you decide to create your own kit:
- a first aid guide
- sterilised gauze pads of various sizes
- sticky tape
- bandages in various sizes
- stretchy bandage
- Antiseptic wipes
- antibiotic cream
- antiseptic remedy (like hydrogen peroxide)
- Ibuprofen and acetaminophen
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Instantaneous disposable cold packs
- Alcoholic rags
- non-latex plastic gloves
- additional batteries for a flashlight
- a covert mouthpiece for performing CPR
- Calamine cream
Home First Aid Kit
Every home and vehicle should have a first aid kit, which can treat anything from a mild illness to a more serious injury. It can lessen the chance of infection or lessen how bad an injury is. First aid kits often contain a range of items that can be used to treat burns, sprains, and other types of injuries in addition to cuts and scrapes. You may easily purchase a pre-made kit online or put one together yourself. Find out what products are often included in a first aid kit and how to keep your family safe at home and on the road.
Customise Your Kit
When assembling a first-aid pack, take your family’s medical requirements into consideration. For instance:
- Include antihistamine medications and an epinephrine injector if you have a family member who has a severe allergy.
- A roll of paper tape can be helpful for safeguarding sensitive skin if you have older family members with it.
- Include a juice box, glucose pills and gels, and an emergency glucagon injection kit if you or a family member has diabetes.
- If they are not aspirin allergic, chewable baby aspirin may be helpful for someone with coronary artery disease.
As suggested by a prominent medical emergency specialist, always attach a note to your kit with instructions on where to find other items around the house and how to act in specific emergencies. For example, you can use a note to remind you where sugary drinks and foods are kept in case of a diabetic emergency.
A person who is using a first-aid kit in an emergency might need to call 911 for assistance. Having the home or office address written on the outside of the kit itself can give users a handy location reference for 911 operators.
First Aid as a Practical Skill
A first-aid kit is a tool, but the effectiveness of any tool depends on the user.
One location where individual requirements and practical knowledge converge is first-aid kits. There are other approaches to preparing for catastrophes besides stockpiling supplies. Enrol in an Emergency First Aid at Work Training Course to protect yourself and others by learning emergency knowledge and skills.
Many practical skills are simple to pick up. But life-saving skills like first aid should be certified and everyone should get an Emergency First Aid at Work Certificate because a medical emergency is never announced before arriving. It’s better to be prepared and enrol in an EFAW course and get a formal certification. Learning the following practical skills is among them:
- Perform hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Operate an automated external defibrillator (AED)
- Apply a tourniquet and control bleeding
- Administer seizure in first aid
- Use the contents of a first-aid kit
