Safety First Aid For Preppers
What is the best emergency first aid survival kit a UK prepper can have?
Firstly, your kit must ensure that essential safety first aid can be given to either yourself or any other injured person.
Which means that a good emergency first aid kit cannot be just thrown together. In fact it can be quite personal to you and your situation.
It must be thought out to ensure emergency first aid equipment is the most appropriate for the conditions that you are liable to encounter if faced with a SHTF situation
* No:1 First Aid Essential Items
Without a doubt, the number 1. most essential first aid items is going to be your own medication. You cannot function if you are the one who is ill.!
If you need certain pills or medication to help your own health, then that has to be your priority before all else.
This may well mean you need to be stocking up to ensure you have supplies in advance and before you need them.
It is normally OK to get a three month supply from your GP, more if you say you going away on holiday.
* A Standard First Aid Kit Covers Many General Options
There are many types of 'off the shelf' emergency first aid kits that come close to what you may need, but it is pretty certain you will need to add too and improve your survival kit in readiness for your particular situation.
Typically, a Family First Aid Kit, shown here, will cover a most of your needs as a non-trained first aider, and will only set you back £15 or so. But remember, it will always be a very basic kit.
That means you are very limited as to what can be used, and you will invariably find you do not have the right equipment with a basic kit.
It can be a starting point for everyone. But you must add more essential items to your kit to be effective.
Some people will buy an 'off the shelf' kit from the start, while others will build from scratch. Either way a comprehensive first aid kit is on of your most important pieces of survival gear.
Do not scrimp on this equipment....
* What Are The Main Factors When Choosing
The main factors that will decide the level of your safety first aid kit.
- Are you trained in emergency first aid
- If you are trained in emergency first aid – to what level
- How long ago were you trained – are you up to date with modern emergency procedures
- If you were confronted with an emergency would you help the injured person
If you answered ‘no’ to questions 1 & 4 then the type of safety first aid kit you need is just a 'basic, of the shelf’ pack that covers the very basic of injuries.
This type of pack, like the Family 1st Aid Pack above, is quite well equipped for a standard 'low level' emergency first aid kit, but contains only the very basic safety first aid essentials.
Although it's relatively cheap, at under £15, it will be sufficient for your needs as a non trained first aider dealing with a low level emergency (small cuts, sprains etc.)
Whatever your level of first aid training - for MOST emergency situations
"Poor first aid, given today, is far better than good first aid tomorrow"
Essential safety first aid requirements for any UK Prepper
- Enrol in one of the many first aid classes and learn how to administer good first aid
- Practice your emergency scenarios regularly
- Evaluate your own emergency first aid survival kit requirements - exactly what do you need in your own kit.
- Buy a good first aid manual - one for home and one kept with your safety first aid kit
- Download a first aid manual to your smartphone for emergency use and reference
* Typical entry level first aid kit
Here are the contents of a typical 'off the shelf' first aid kit. These type of kits come with a good holdall that is very handy, and generally OK for the kit that's inside.
They will contain a fair amount of useful equipment, as well as scissor, tweezers and safety pins, and is very well priced at under £20
The contents form a good base from which you can build on to get a good kit together for your needs.
* Considerations For Choosing Your Survival First Aid Kit
Consider your location and where you are liable to go to should SHTF and ensure you have the correct first aid supplies that meet these needs.
An example would be if you foresee bugging out into the forest then you must carry insect bite creams and anti-histamine creams, as well as protection for stings and bites.
Maybe consider some good tweezers for splinters and even a good magnifying glass to help see them.
You location plays a big part in putting together a safety first aid kit – and what about the weather?
Your kit needs to be seasonal as well, this will mean changing the contents to ensure you have the correct items for first aid.
This would mean sun tan lotions and creams, lip balm and after sun creams too. Of course the reverse is true for a winter bug out as well.
If you are on any personal medications then they will take priority over everything else.
You must ensure you are fit and well enough at all times - you must have enough medication to survive at least twice as long as your anticipated time.
As a general rule for a 72 hr bug out bag carry at least six days of your own personal medications.
Once you have established your essential items you can then go about choosing an appropriate safety first aid survival kit that suit your needs best.
* What Emergency First Aid Kits Generally Contain
Typical family first aid kit is a basic requirement to have, and contains the items below:
2 x Instant Cold (Ice)
2 x 15ml Sterile Eye Wash
2 x Sterile Eye Pad 6cm x 8cm
2 x Bandages 7.5cm x 4.5m
2 x Triangular Bandages 96cm x 96cm x 136cm
2 x First Aid Tape Roll 1.25cm x 4.5m
3 x Wound Dressing 10cm x 10cm
2 x Crepe Bandage Roll 7.5cm x 4.5m
30 x Adhesive Plasters 1.9cm x 7.6cm
20 x Adhesive Plasters 1.0cm x 4.0cm
1 x Foil Emergency Blanket 130cm x 210cm
3 x Non Adherent Pad 3" x 3"
10 x Antiseptic Wipes
2 x Pairs of Medium Gloves
1 xPlastic Tweezers
1 x Medical Scissors
10 xsafe pin
1 X CPR Face Mask
A kit with this equipment inside a carry bag will cost around £20
* Improvements & Additions You Must Make:
These improvements need to be more specific to you and your families needs.
Certainly doubling and trebling up on some of the items is a must or go for a higher specification safety first aid kit that includes much more – this will come with a larger carrying bag as well.
But, one of the more common injuries that will happen are blood related injuries, so be prepared for that..
The emergency first aid items below are a 'must have' to add to your kit:
Creams & Anti-Septics
These may vary due to personal use, but certainly need to be added to your kit.
Keeping a wound as sterile as possible is not always that easy, but adding an anti septic cream is going to help a lot.
Vinyl Gloves
I would definitely add some more vinyl gloves to your kit.
These are quite essential to stop any dirt getting into wounds as well as protecting you from any nasties that could infect your body, especially if you have a cut on your hand.
As well as that, vinyl gloves also have other uses - for carrying water or keeping things dry -very handy items.
Adhesive Sutures
Closing a larger or deeper wound is not an easy task, especially if you want to do it fast and efficiently.
These Steri-Strip sutures make the job much simpler, especially for an untrained person.
They are fast to apply and use, and work well in an emergency.
Blood Clotting Pad
A deep cut is a very high risk and the loss of blood can be critical.
Adding a clotting agent to your first aid pack is another essential add-on.
Both the clotting powder and pads work well in an emergency and are a must have in you pack.
Duct tape and even super glue are also worth considering in a survival situation - as we all know, duct tape solves everything!
From a wound dressing to an arm sling to a stretcher... don't leave home without it..!
Trauma Wound Dressing
An accident involving a deep, severer cut is very high up on your emergency list, and so is being able to stop the flow of blood.
A trauma wound dressing, sometimes called an Israeli Bandage, is another essential addition to your emergency first aid pack.
A wound dressing like this one is capable of stemming even the worse of wounds.
The Israeli Bandage is a standard issue for the military, and you should carry one and learn how to use one as well.
The bandage has lots of various uses all over the body and is suitable for young or old people.
They are available in a 6" bandage and also a 4" bandage.
Tourniquet
Another essential item for your first aid kit: the tourniquet.
This is a one hand operation system that will help stop blood flow from a serious wound.
Combine this tourniquet with the clotting pad and an Israeli bandage and you have all the bases covered for tackling most major blood injuries.
* Essential Safety First Aid Reading
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0241241235″ locale=”UK” tag=”blogfirstaid-21″]First Aid Manual[/easyazon_link]
[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”160″ identifier=”1906095353″ locale=”UK” src=”https://ukpreppersguide.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/511ebsmI23L.SL160.jpg” tag=”blogfirstaid-21″ width=”114″]
[easyazon_link identifier=”1906095353″ locale=”UK” tag=”blogfirstaid-21″]Outdoor First Aid:
A Practical Manual: Essential Knowledge for Outdoor Enthusiasts[/easyazon_link]
[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”160″ identifier=”1507202342″ locale=”UK” src=”https://ukpreppersguide.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/51LgCloTEYL.SL160.jpg” tag=”blogfirstaid-21″ width=”104″]
[easyazon_link identifier=”1507202342″ locale=”UK” tag=”blogfirstaid-21″]Bushcraft First Aid:
A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care[/easyazon_link]
The St John Ambulance run many courses for all levels.
I think this an absolute must for any prepper.
But in the meantime get yourself a Safety First Aid kit, even a basic kit to get you started, something you can build on later, because you just never know when SHTF.
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