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If you bought your first aid kit from places like Walmart, Canadian Tire or other big box stores, then it’s lacking the right equipment. Typical first aid kits don’t have the proper supplies to deal with the most common emergencies. Suppliers love to toss every kind of bandage in their but as we both know first aid is much more than bandages. You might be ready for a paper cut or a splinter with that kit, but if you want to be ready for real emergencies then add these items now!
This is the first and most important addition to your first aid kit. And rightfully so. If you’ve ever taken a first aid course they probably talked a lot about two things – CPR and personal protective equipment. A pocket mask is essential for both. But why? What is a pocket mask? *Hint* It’s not what we’ve been wearing for the past two years of Covid!
A pocket mask is a device used to provide rescue breaths to a victim who has stopped breathing. The rescuer covers the victims mouth and nose with the pocket mask and proceeds to breath into it, filling their lungs with air. This can also be accomplished with mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose. So why use equipment when we don’t have to? Well, a pocket mask has one crucial benefit over these techniques. It also protects the rescuer from coming into contact with bodily fluids, lowering the risk of transmitting infection or disease. A real risk when performing first aid & cpr. Plus, most people would rather not perform mouth-to-mouth if they don’t have to.Â
Here’s our go to but there’s tons of options out there
Here’s another example of important personal protective equipment – latex-free gloves. When you’re on scene you may deal with various bodily fluids, such as saliva, blood or vomit. You may also encounter contaminated or risky materials such as drugs. If you don’t have gloves, what do you think’s going to happen when you touch those things? Nothing good! Medical gloves are cheap and easily fit in any first aid kit. We like latex-free in case the victim has an allergy but we also like ones with chemical resistant coating.Â
Check these ones out on amazon.
Emergency numbers? Everyone knows how to dial 911!Â
Well, that might be true but did you know not all communities have access to 911? Smaller or remote communities typically have a 10 digit emergency number instead. These communities likely won’t have a full hospital, let alone a fleet of ambulances and dispatch staff that cities with 911 access require. Our suggestion would be to ensure you have the proper number to call in case of emergency.Â
You’ll also need other numbers like poison control, non-emergency police number, and mental health support lines like the suicide/crisis line.Â
Alright, so an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) sends electricity into the victim’s body in the hopes of restarting their heart. We have a couple considerations when playing with voltage. These items aren’t very important by themselves but when you need to use an AED, you’ll want to have the following…
First off, we’ll need access to the victim’s bare chest to attach the AED pads. This is where you’ll need the scissors. Cut away or remove any clothing that’s in your way. Second, electricity and water don’t mix, which means we must ensure our victim is dry of water and sweat. Grab that towel and wipe it away. And finally, you’ll need a good connection between those pads and the victim’s chest. This is an issue if they’re overly hairy. This is where the razer comes in handy. You can use it to shave the two sections. Remember, we don’t need to shave their whole chest and we’re not worried about razor burn. Now you’re ready to shock your victim.
Band-Aids are great for small bleeds. Trauma pads are great for big bleeds. Unfortunately, neither option is great a stopping a bleed. There’s two types of bleeds – Minor and Major. A minor bleed means it has been easily stopped with direct pressure, usually from someone’s hands or even just from the bandage itself. A major bleed is when it won’t stop from direct pressure. These are more often than not an arterial bleed. The blood is flowing to quickly for direct pressure to stop it. Instead you’ll need to cut off blood flow entirely. This is where you’ll need a tourniquet. Basically, it’s a slightly modified belt that you tie around an arm or leg and tighten so much that blood won’t enter that body part. This is risky but not riskier than letting your victim bleed out from a wound you can’t stop. Just make sure to note the time when it was applied and update the paramedics or 911 dispatcher.
This over-the-counter pill is a life saving medication for heart attack and angina victims. Aspirin is an anti-platelet, also known as a blood thinner. Heart attack and angina are relatively similar in the fact that they both have issues getting blood to the heart due to narrow or blocked blood vessels. Blood thinners will help break down a clot, speed up blood and take some stress off the heart. Aspirin can be bought at most grocery stores and any drug store near you.
Before you get into adding medication, make sure you know the victims rights. As first aiders, we can’t administer medication. We can only assist the victim in taking it themselves. Ensure you have taken at least an Emergency First Aid course before you add this into your kit.
Diabetics have issues controlling their blood sugar. If they regularly go to high, it will cause long term negative effects. BUT…if they go to low, they could be dead within the day. What does someone with low blood sugar need? Sugar! Glucose tablets are a very fast acting version that will improve their condition rapidly.Â
Okay, you might have this item in your kit already because it’s pretty simple and can be bought at the dollar store. Ice packs are a very common remedy for injuries of all types to reduce pain and inflammation. In our courses we discuss their use for sprains, strains, broken bones, heat emergencies, and nose bleeds. Now we’re not talking about the ones you keep in your freeze. These ice packs are single use and chemically frozen in an instant with a quick pop like a glow stick. You can keep two or three of these in your kit if you have the room.
As we get down the list we get to items that are less important but still very useful if you have the space in your kit. Tongs are great for picking up contaminated items like needles or other sharps. These things could be picked up with hand wrapped up in gloves up there’s a risk they’ll puncture them and injury you. Tongs can be another personal protective equipment piece to keep you, the rescuer, safe on the scene.
Our last item on the list is safety glasses/goggles. The final PPE we discuss will protect you from bodily fluids, chemicals, splashes and splatters. These can be a big risk when dealing with major bleeds with spurting blood or scenes with chemicals present. Eyes are a sensitive area and can quickly make you a victim if injured.