Why
You Should Know the Basics of First Aid and How You Can Be Prepared
With Your Own First Aid Kit.
A
knowledge of basic first aid can make the difference between life and
death. A brief glance at some statistics shows why:
- In 2009, there were 24, 690 serious injuries and 2,222 fatalities on the UK’s roads
- Road traffic accidents are one of the top ten causes of death worldwide
- The British Heart Foundation estimated that there are approximately 124, 000 heart attacks in the UK each year
However,
several studies have shown that effective first aid can be vital in
the first few minutes after an emergency. First aid is an important
life skill. A first aid qualification, such as those from First
Aid Management can help your CV/personal statement, or even open
up job opportunities. There are also opportunities to volunteer using
your first aid skills. But more importantly, it helps in being
prepared for any unexpected situation involving a medical emergency,
both at home and at
work.
There
are 3 main aims of first aid:
Your
first aim is to preserve life by carrying out emergency first aid
procedures (such as opening a person’s airway using resuscitation
techniques). Secondly, you should attempt to prevent the casualty’s
condition from deteriorating further. This could include asking them
to stay still to prevent movement of possible fractures and by
stopping any bleeding. Finally, you can promote recovery by arranging
prompt emergency medical help. In addition, simple first aid can
significantly affect the long-term recovery of an injury. For
example, quickly cooling a burn will reduce the risk of long term
scarring.
To
be prepared to assist in the event of an
injury, medical emergency or disaster, it is important to have a
basic first aid kit on hand - and it’s not even as expensive as you
might think!
You
can buy a small basic first aid kit for around $25 from your local
department store, or you could put together a household kit for
yourself. Here are some things to include:
-
Adhesive plastic strips, large packet
-
Sterile wipes
-
Antiseptic
-
Different sized bandages
-
Sterile dressing
-
Dressings, adhesive and non-adhesive
-
Saline eyewash solution
-
Gauze swabs
-
Tweezers
-
Small scissors
-
Safety pins
-
Disposable gloves
-
Paper tape
My thanks to the reader who contributed this post. I appreciate those who contribute in any way, either by writing guest posts, or who leave comments or questions. My guidelines guest posts are that the post has to contain information that is of interest or educational pertaining to the subject of preparedness, preferably from a low-income perspective. My goal with this blog is to help people fine affordable ways to be prepared for whatever may happen. Product links in the post are acceptable if 1) they pertain to affordable preparedness, and 2) the actual article has real information that doesn't require clicking to a link to get the rest of the story.
Please leave comments and questions below, or email them to:
Thank you!
Susan and the Poverty Prepping team
One of the things people don't tell you about first aid is just the sheer amount of stuff you go through when you are dealing with blood coming from a large wound. You need lots. So if money is really an issue then look out or acquire an old sheet or several old sheets. Wash them and hang them out in the sun to disinfect them. Then cut some into long bandages, some to be folded into pads, some to be folded in halves for triangular bandages. Then iron them and store in ziplock plastic bags. Also you don't need to buy saline solution. Boil water for 10 minutes then add a teaspoon of salt to 3-4 pints of water. Lots of saline for little money. Also use plastic wrap to cover open wounds and burns while skin is starting to grow. This is what we did on the instructions of our ED doctor when our son ripped a huge gash up his arm and took off a 10 inch long by 2 inch wide strip of skin and fat underneath. Would I have liked to have proper hospital type bandages? Yes, of course. But with little money we had little choice and this kept his wound clean and infection free as it healed. We washed it in home made saline twice a day, wrapped it in plastic wrap for three weeks, then just used clean, ironed cotton bandages.
ReplyDeleteYou can also use rolled blankets for splints and the rest of the time they can keep you warm. So don't feel you have to buy lots, though good scissors and tweezers are a must. And get some good easy -peel off the skin tape - your family will thank you for it.
Personally I don't use sterile wipes - ironed sheeting and home made saline works. Nor sterile dressings - ironed sheeting here.
Frugal prepping Nana
Thank you very much for sharing these great ideas with us. For the frugal, low-income, or 'poverty' prepper, as well as others, this is valuable information.
DeleteThanks!
Susan