Be Prepared for Injuries During a Crisis

By Emma Green

In a crisis, injuries can happen very quickly. It is extremely important to be ready to handle these injuries during a time when doctors and hospitals may be inaccessible. Here are a few tips to help you improve your emergencypreparedness plan.

First Aid Kits

Every single family should have multiple first aid kits at their disposal. Keep a kit in every vehicle. Keep at least one kit with any other survival supplies that you may have. Keep a kit on each story of your home. First aid kits are relatively inexpensive, and it is best to stock up before an emergency. During a crisis, first aid kits, and all of the individual items found inside will become scarce and will be in very high demand.

Inform everyone living in your household of each first aid kit location. If you have children that are old enough to understand, have a family activity where you pull out each item in the kit and explain what it is used for. This will help them to have a better understanding of when and how to use the first aid kit.

Be sure to rotate through the contents of your first aid kits often. An easy way to remember when to do your rotation is to do it during each daylight savings time change. This way, you can make sure that the contents are checked two times every year, and that any medication inside isn’t expired. For any expired medication, safely dispose of it, and refill the kit so that it is stocked.

Make sure that if you create your own first aid kit, that you create a list of every included item. The list can be tucked inside or taped to the front of the kit. By having a list available, if anyone uses part of the contents, you can easily see which items are missing and replace them so that your kit is always fully stocked.

For a list of suggested first aid kit items, check out what the RedCrossrecommends.

Improve Your Knowledge

Besides getting a first aid kit ready, one of the best things that you can do to be prepared is to take a first aid, CPR, and AED class. Every household member (including any kids who are old enough) should be involved in taking these types of classes.

After you have taken a the class, make sure to keep practicing the skills that you learned. This is another great family activity to get the kids involved in. Once a month, hold practice sessions and just review your skills. Repetition is key to being successful in a crisis. If you have practiced what you learned, then when the adrenaline kicks in you will be acting instinctually, and you won’t have to worry about remembering what to do.

Another way to improve your knowledge is to keep a couple of medical books with your disaster survival kits. Unless you are a doctor, you probably won’t know how to react during many medical emergencies. By finding some good books to keep as a reference, you will be far more prepared. You don’t have to spend a lot of money in search of these books. Look online for old editions of nursing and first aid college textbooks. You never know when you may need to refer to them in order to save a life.

In Conclusion

By having first aid kits, informative medical books, and the knowledge to use first aid, CPR, and an AED, you can be much better prepared for any injuries that could occur during a crisis. Even if there isn’t a crisis, injuries are always happening, and your skills can at least assist you until further medical help arrives. It is always better to be safe than sorry these types of situations.

EmmaGreen resides in Southern Utah. She is passionate about dogs, health, and emergency preparedness. She occasionally writes for the food storage company, FoodInsurance. You can visit Emma on her blog at emergencyfoodstorage101.com, or feel free to contact her by email at emmagreenie@live.com

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