Emergency Supplies Blog

Whether it’s an earthquake, fire, flood, or other natural disaster, it’s important to be prepared if things go bad.  Keeping extra water, food, and medical supplies on hand is always a good idea.  You should have at least two first aid kits or medical supply boxes.  We suggest one in your car and one in your house at all times.  It’s hard to prepare for a disaster, after all, you can’t know all the minute details until the disaster is upon you.  But it’s a good idea to have your supplies readily accessible and/or even have extra supplies outside your home, like in your car.  You should also set a meeting point with family and friends.

If you prepare for an emergency or disaster beforehand, you will be much calmer and able to address the situation should the unthinkable occur.  Being prepared is not just about having the right planning and supplies, it’s about abstaining from fear.

What is in your first aid kit?  The Red Cross suggests keeping a first aid kit in your home and another in your car.  There are a lot of first aid kits available today.  You probable do not have to buy a first aid kit if you would rather make your own.  Here is my recommended list of items that should cover 90% of basic care.  You can also add items you feel are important.

Bandages & Medical Supplies: Two 4 by 6 absorbent compression dressings, 30 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes, one large roll of cloth tape, an assortment of gause pads, and an assortment of roller bandages, 10 packets of antibotic ointment, 2 packets of hydrocortisone ointment for bee stings and rashes, and aspirin.

Protective Gear: A breathing barrier with a one way valve and some latex gloves.

Additional Supplies: a couple of space blankets, scissors, tweezer, a first aid book, an oral thermometer, and a list of emergency phone numbers.

Accidents can happen at any time to anybody, and the family that’s determined to be as safe as possible will acknowledge this possibility. If you want to make sure that your family has access to at least basic medical aid, make sure that you choose a first aid kit for your family. Sort through all the first aid kits at the store to ensure that you’re picking the one that’s right for your family. If you find that it’s lacking something, purchase the missing elements and make sure that they fit within the first aid kit. In this way, all the emergency medical supplies are together in one place.

The first thing to do with a first aid kit is make sure that everyone in the family knows exactly how to use all the elements within the kit. They aren’t of much use, after all, if no one can actually identify or use the products within it. The other important thing is that you check the kit every month to ensure it’s still fully stocked. Minor things like Band-Aids are sure to get used first, and a kit can quickly run out of these items.

Triage is defined as the act of prioritizing patient according to the severity of their injuries. The idea behind a triage system is that it allows the medical personnel to treat as many patients as possible in situations where treating them is difficult due to situation, terrain, or shortage of medical personnel. Triage kits and their use are an essential part of the success of any triage operation.  You will want to obtain a basic triage kit to set up your operation.

You will also want to obtain the tools necessary for quick and efficient CPR as well as a portable stretcher or two or three for easy and quick evacuation of the most seriously injured patients.   

In most cases of natural disaster situations such as earthquakes, non medical personal will find themselves involved in a type of triage known as S.T.A.R.T. which stands for simple triage and rapid treatment. This is simply designed to identify the injuries quickly and get the most seriously injured to hospitals for full care as soon as possible. That’s why it is important for volunteers to know the ins and outs using a triage kit.

Medical first aid kits and supplies are indispensable in times of emergencies. This collection of supplies allows you to take immediate action against injuries that can happen anytime. And because you can never know when an emergency can happen, it is always a good idea to keep separate first aid supplies in your home, car and office. As a matter of fact, it is more prudent to have separate kits in each major section or room in your home. This way, you can always reach for medical first aid kits in a snap.

Your medical first aid kits and supplies should not be too small like a matchbox or too big like your garage. While there is no hard-and-fast rule about how big your first aid kits should be, you must make sure that your emergency medical set can contain all the essential items for first aid treatment. Also, take into consideration the weight of your first aid kit. It is better to have a lighter box than a heavier one because you will definitely need to carry it to many areas, not just inside your home, but also in other places where there is an emergency. Nevertheless, the type of container for your first aid supply can be varied according to your needs. You can use a re-sealable plastic bag or even a clean toolbox for your supplies.

Medical first aid kits and supplies should be placed in good open location, meaning, your kits can be easily seen by anyone inside your home. If you have kids, make sure that they understand the importance and the uses of having first aid kits. You will never know when you will rely on your kids to respond to emergencies, especially those that involve you, so you might as well teach them early on. Furthermore, if you can not afford to have multiple first aid supplies, you can just invest on one medical first aid kit and place it somewhere in the central area of your home such that you can see it and grab it from wherever you are coming from.

Medical first aid kits and supplies basically include bandages, adhesive tapes, cotton balls, clinical gloves, anti-bacterial solutions and eye goggles too.  See First Aid Supplies on our web site and you will notice that the main components of good medical first aid kits include items that protect not just the injured but the respondent as well. Above all, make sure that your first aid supplies are of good quality. You can get your kits and supplies from reputable drugstores and online, or you can assemble them yourself.

Great suggestion on adding in the Ipecac for poisoning.  I am a EMT.  So you know I have more to add.  Besides the basics you could also add more Ace bandages, for sprains, etc…; antibotic ointment and/or Antiseptic wipes will be used on just about everything; a birting kit; a blanket blood presure unit burn gel, draws the heat out; burn ontiment; butterfly stiches; calamine lotion; eye dropper; eye wash kit; flashlight face mask; insect/snake bite kit; cold packs; heat packs; magnifing lens; smelling salt; sponge sterile pads; stethescope; tourniquet; tounge depressor, and a tweezer.    

Really I am more impressed just to see that people have a first aid kit in their homes and in their cars and then leave the more serious work to the professionals.  That really is the ideal situation.

Everybody’s outdoorsman needs a good first aid kit.  The outdoor first aid kit below is perfect for the sportsmen in our family. 

Knowing that the guys have this kit and a couple of extra solar blankets helps me feel more comfortable about them going out hunting, as I know they have some emergency supplies and a few first aid supplies. 

I can’t believe how many houses I have been to that do not have a first aid kit.  It happens all the time, and I always urge each of my friends to keep one inside of their homes just in case anything happens.  Nobody ever expects a disaster, but that is really the crux of the issue isn’t it?  Disaster always strikes at the worst possible time and the only thing that we can do is to prepare ourselves as best as possible.

A first aid kit is a simple, inexpensive way for us to have something available at the drop of a hat.  Although when we are at home, emergency services are available for us to utilize, having full reliance on these services might not be the wisest thing.  Being prepared in advance at home and out on the road is.

It’s always good to have a first aid kit available when someone needs it.  You never know when you may run upon someone that has scraped some part of their body, or some other minor incident or accident.

There are some people that just seem to be accident prone and can’t help themselves.  Then you have those that in spite of being careful, end up hurting themselves anyway.  Having a small first aid cabinet can help those who need to take care of a minor injury.  When you are getting a first aid kit together, you should consider what you think you will need for your family.

One thing you will probably need is band-aid strips.  Both plastic and woven ones will do the trick.  The difference is the plastic ones are thinner and the woven ones are slightly thicker.  So, it .may depend on the cut as to which ones you should use.

Or if you have someone that has slightly injured or cut their fingertip or knuckle area, you may want to have some fingertip and knuckle woven band-aid strips.  Since the injury will more than likely be minor, then these can be kept on the area for a few days.

Gauze pads can be used for larger wounds that occur on the arm, knee or leg areas.  Depending on the size of the wound or injury will determine what size gauze pads to use.  Of course, before you put on the pad, you will need to put some antibiotic on the affected area.  The antibiotic will help the affected area to heal.

Sometimes, an unknown substance can get into the eye and cause it to burn.  You will need eye wash to flush it out in addition to water.  This may have to be done several times until the person feels that their eye is ok.  Even after that, it is probably advisable that they see a physician to make sure everything is fine with their eye.

You definitely need to have a first aid book so that you can follow the instructions.  There will be different things in the first aid kit that you may not know what to do with them.  So this book will be able to help you use the right thing for the appropriate injury or minor illness.

Having a small first aid cabinet will come in handy for you and the family members that live with you.  If they are old enough, they too, need to know what’s in the first aid cabinet and should know how to utilize it.

Medical first aid kits and supplies are indispensable in times of emergencies. This collection of supplies allows you to take immediate action against injuries that can happen anytime. And because you can never know when an emergency can happen, it is always a good idea to keep separate first aid supplies in your home, car and office. As a matter of fact, it is more prudent to have separate kits in each major section or room in your home. This way, you can always reach for medical first aid kits in a snap.

Your medical first aid kits and supplies should not be too small like a matchbox or too big like your garage. While there is no hard-and-fast rule about how big your first aid kits should be, you must make sure that your emergency medical set can contain all the essential items for first aid treatment. Also, take into consideration the weight of your first aid kit. It is better to have a lighter box than a heavier one because you will definitely need to carry it to many areas, not just inside your home, but also in other places where there is an emergency. Nevertheless, the type of container for your first aid supply can be varied according to your needs. You can use a re-sealable plastic bag or even a clean toolbox for your supplies

Medical first aid kits and supplies should be placed in good open location, meaning, your kits can be easily seen by anyone inside your home. If you have kids, make sure that they understand the importance and the uses of having first aid kits. You will never know when you will rely on your kids to respond to emergencies, especially those that involve you, so you might as well teach them early on. Furthermore, if you can not afford to have multiple first aid supplies, you can just invest on one medical first aid kit and place it somewhere in the central area of your home such that you can see it and grab it from wherever you are coming from.  Medical first aid kits and supplies basically include bandages, adhesive tapes, cotton balls, clinical gloves, anti-bacterial solutions and eye goggles too. The main components of good medical first aid kits include items that protect not just the injured but the respondent as well. Above all, make sure that your first aid supplies are of good quality.