First Aid Kit

Better a thousand times careful than once dead.

~Proverb

You never know when you are going to need First Aid. It could be paper cut, a bee sting, a trip and fall, etc. Business places must, by law, have a first aid kit. Ask to be taken to it if you need it. For your own sake you should keep a First Aid Kit in your house, cars, boat, purse, office, etc. I met one survival trainer who always wore a first aid kit in a fanny pack. He said that the first aid kit in your car won't help if you're alone and fall down a ledge while taking a photo and break your leg.

Now you could buy a kit, which is better than nothing, but it will be mostly a bunch of band-aids. Make your own kits with supplies from a Dollar store.

¨      First Aid Book!

¨      Adhesive bandages ("Band-Aids")
in a variety of sizes

¨      Sterile dressings (gauze) in rolls or large squares for big wounds

¨      Medical tape to attach the gauze

¨      Scissors to cut the tape & gauze

¨      Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection

¨      Antiseptic hand cleaner for your hands before and after doing first aid

¨      Wound cleansing agents: soap, antibiotic towelettes, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide 

¨      Anti-itch cream for insect bites and poison ivy

¨      Aloe or Burn Cream for sunburn

¨      Two pairs of sterile gloves for your protection when helping strangers

¨      Plastic bag to safely dispose of bloody items

¨      Tweezers for slivers or ticks (Don't tweeze bee stings, scrape them off.)

¨      Thermometer to check for fever

¨      Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant

¨      Nail clippers for hang nails and broken nails

¨      Non-prescription drugs:

o        Non-aspirin pain reliever (never use aspirin on children)

o        Chewable Aspirin for adults with heart attack symptoms

o        Anti-diarrhea medication

o        Antacid for upset stomachs

o        Laxative

o        Allergy medication

¨      Instant cold & heat packs for outdoor and traveling kits

¨      Emergency Chocolate

Bottom Line

For more ideas see
www.ready.gov/america/getakit/firstaidkit.html

en español: www.listo.gov/america/getakit/