Avian Flu Diary: #NatlPrep : First Aid Kits - Don't Leave Home Without One

Note: This is day 14 of National Preparedness Month. Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep #BeReady or #PrepMonth hashtags.

This month, as part of NPM20, I’ll be rerunning some updated preparedness essays, along with some new ones.

#15,456

A little over forty-eight years ago - when I still a high school student in a sleepy central Florida town - I took a 3-night first aid class offered by the American Red Cross, taught by our local fire chief. Part of our homework was to put together a `cigar-box’ first aid kit, which we would pledge to carry in our cars, or keep in our home.

I made two. One for the home, and one more for the trunk of my car.

While they weren’t exactly of professional quality, and I’ve upgraded many times since, I’ve never lost the habit. The following year I went on to become an EMT, and two years after that, I was a paramedic. I confess to still feeling a bit naked these many years later without having a decent first aid kit within easy reach.

I’ll admit that owning 2 ambu-bags , 3 BP cuffs (one for personal use), and a couple of Pulse Oximeters borders on the excessive, but I certainly feel better knowing they are there. In addition to my two main `jump bags', I've a couple of `minor' cuts & scrapes kits I keep stashed in my medicine cabinet and in an overnight bag I keep for traveling.

Well equipped first aid kits are a necessity in every home, and ideally should also be found in the trunk of every car. While you can purchase a ready-made kit (the quality of which varies depending on price), I’ve always preferred to create my own.

I undoubtedly have a more elaborate kit than most, but perhaps a look inside my auto first aid bag will inspire some of my readers to make one of their own.The `bag’ is an old style Laptop computer case, with a handle and a shoulder strap. I like these, because they have numerous compartments, are soft, and are reasonably waterproof.

On the `trauma’ side of the bag, I’ve got `Kling’-style roll bandages, an ACE bandage, a couple of cravat `Triangle’ bandage (sling & swath), sterile 4x4 gauze pads, paper tape, Band-Aids, antibiotic cream and several absorbent feminine pads (they make excellent trauma dressings).

On the opposite side, I’ve got an `ambu’ bag-mask resuscitator along with a selection of adult and child airways, a foam C-Collar, a B/P cuff, stethoscope, flashlight, and some ammonia caps – hidden away where you can’t see them are bandage shears, tweezers, and a magnifying glass, along with a spare pair of reading glasses.

There is also a penlight, a felt tipped pen, and a note pad.

Under the front `cover’ flap, I keep some basic OTC medicines, including aspirin, acetaminophen, some hand antiseptic, and a bulb syringe (can be used for minor suctioning).

Under the flap on the other side, I’ve got surgical & N95 masks, exam gloves, and a `space’ blanket.

And if that weren't enough, I've a non-medical emergency kit in my trunk as well. Some water, another space blanket, glow sticks (safer than road flares), gloves, a few tools, flashlight, etc.

Of course, having a kit isn’t enough. You need to know how to use it.

And for that, you need first aid training. If you haven’t already taken a course, contact your local Red Cross chapter, and find out what is available either online or in your area. Other sources of information include older copies of the Boy Scout Handbook, YouTube videos (search `Basic First Aid'), and first aid books and websites.

Just as important as know what to do is knowing what not to do. A lot of old first aid advice - like cleaning wounds with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol, or putting butter or ice on a burn, or fashioning a tourniquet to stop bleeding - can do more harm than good.