What items should be included in a first aid kit. How to assemble a well-stocked emergency kit. Which medications are crucial for a survival kit. When to use specific first aid supplies in emergencies.
Key Components of an Effective First Aid Kit
A well-prepared first aid kit is an indispensable tool for addressing common injuries and emergencies. Whether you’re at home, traveling, or engaging in outdoor activities, having the right supplies can make a significant difference in emergency situations. Let’s explore the essential items that should be included in every comprehensive first aid kit.
Basic First Aid Supplies
The foundation of any first aid kit consists of basic supplies for wound care and injury management. These items include:
- Adhesive tape
- Elastic wrap bandages
- Assorted bandage strips and “butterfly” bandages
- Nonstick sterile bandages and roller gauze
- Triangular bandage (can be used as a sling)
- Instant cold packs
- Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
- Disposable nonlatex examination gloves
- Scissors and tweezers
Are scissors and tweezers really necessary in a first aid kit? Absolutely. Scissors are crucial for cutting tape, gauze, or clothing in emergency situations, while tweezers are essential for removing splinters, ticks, or debris from wounds.
Crucial Medications for Your First Aid Kit
Including a variety of medications in your first aid kit can help address various health issues that may arise during emergencies. Essential medications to consider include:
- Pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen)
- Antihistamines
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Antibiotic ointment
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Antacids
- Aloe vera gel
- Calamine lotion
Can pain relievers make a significant difference in emergency situations? Indeed, they can. Pain relievers not only help manage discomfort but can also reduce fever, which is crucial in many medical emergencies.
Specialized Items for Enhanced Preparedness
To elevate your first aid kit’s effectiveness, consider including these specialized items:
- Eyewash solution
- Breathing barrier (surgical mask)
- Aluminum finger splint
- Rubber tourniquet or 16 French catheter
- Super glue (for closing small wounds)
- Duct tape (for makeshift solutions)
- Syringe or medicine cup for accurate dosing
Is super glue safe to use for wound closure? While not ideal for all situations, medical-grade super glue can be used to close small, clean cuts when professional medical care is not immediately available. However, it should not be used on deep wounds or cuts near the eyes.
Essential On-the-Go First Aid Items
For those who are frequently on the move or enjoy outdoor activities, a compact version of a first aid kit is invaluable. Key items for an on-the-go kit include:
- Tweezers
- Hand sanitizer
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Pain relievers
- Gauze and tape
- Antiseptic wipes or solution
- Antibiotic cream
- Allergy medications
Why is hand sanitizer crucial in a portable first aid kit? Hand sanitizer allows you to clean your hands quickly when soap and water aren’t available, reducing the risk of infection when treating wounds in outdoor or emergency situations.
Tailoring Your First Aid Kit for Specific Needs
While a standard first aid kit covers most emergencies, you may need to customize your kit based on specific health conditions or activities. Consider adding:
- Auto-injector of epinephrine (if prescribed for severe allergies)
- Personal medications that don’t require refrigeration
- Specialized items for specific sports or outdoor activities
- Additional supplies based on family members’ health needs
How often should you review and update your first aid kit? It’s advisable to check your kit at least twice a year. Replace any expired medications, restock used items, and ensure all supplies are in good condition.
Proper Storage and Maintenance of Your First Aid Kit
The effectiveness of a first aid kit relies not only on its contents but also on how it’s stored and maintained. Consider these tips:
- Store the kit in a cool, dry place
- Keep it out of reach of young children
- Use a water-resistant container for outdoor kits
- Regularly check expiration dates on medications
- Replace any used or damaged items promptly
Does the container for your first aid kit matter? Yes, it does. A sturdy, water-resistant container protects the contents from moisture and damage, ensuring they’re ready for use when needed. For outdoor activities, consider using a brightly colored container for easy visibility.
Understanding and Using First Aid Kit Contents
Having a well-stocked first aid kit is only half the battle. It’s equally important to know how to use the items effectively. Here are some key points to remember:
- Familiarize yourself with the contents of your kit
- Learn basic first aid techniques through courses or reliable resources
- Keep a first aid manual in your kit for quick reference
- Practice using items like bandages and splints before emergencies occur
- Understand the proper use and dosage of medications in your kit
Is it necessary to include a first aid manual in your kit? Absolutely. A comprehensive first aid manual can guide you through various emergency situations, providing step-by-step instructions when you might be under stress or unsure of the best course of action.
Advanced Considerations for Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness
For those looking to expand their emergency preparedness beyond basic first aid, consider these additional items and strategies:
- Emergency blanket (space blanket) for hypothermia prevention
- Water purification tablets or portable water filter
- High-energy, non-perishable food items
- Emergency contact information and important medical documents
- Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Waterproof matches or a lighter
How can a space blanket be useful in emergency situations? Space blankets, despite their compact size, are incredibly effective at retaining body heat. They can prevent hypothermia in cold environments, serve as an emergency shelter, or even signal for help with their reflective surface.
Creating Multiple First Aid Kits
To ensure you’re always prepared, consider creating multiple first aid kits for different locations and purposes:
- Home kit: A comprehensive kit stored in an easily accessible location
- Vehicle kit: A compact version kept in your car for travel emergencies
- Outdoor/hiking kit: A lightweight, waterproof kit for outdoor adventures
- Workplace kit: A basic kit tailored to potential workplace injuries
Why is it important to have multiple first aid kits? Having kits in various locations ensures that you’re prepared for emergencies regardless of where they occur. Each kit can be tailored to the specific risks associated with its location or intended use.
Addressing Specific Emergency Scenarios
While a general first aid kit covers many situations, it’s beneficial to consider specific emergency scenarios you might encounter based on your lifestyle, location, or activities. For example:
- Coastal areas: Include items for treating jellyfish stings or saltwater exposure
- Snake-prone regions: Add a snake bite kit with pressure immobilization bandages
- High-altitude areas: Include medication for altitude sickness
- Extreme temperatures: Add instant hot or cold packs appropriate for the climate
How does preparing for specific scenarios enhance your overall emergency readiness? By anticipating potential risks based on your environment or activities, you can ensure your first aid kit is equipped to handle a wider range of emergencies effectively.
Integrating Technology into Modern First Aid Kits
As technology advances, there are new opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of first aid kits. Consider incorporating these modern elements:
- Smartphone apps with first aid instructions and emergency protocols
- GPS tracking devices for outdoor adventures
- Portable power banks to keep communication devices charged
- QR codes linking to online first aid resources
- Smart bandages that monitor wound healing
Can technology really improve the effectiveness of a first aid kit? Indeed, it can. While traditional supplies remain crucial, technological additions can provide real-time guidance, improve communication in emergencies, and even enhance the treatment process.
The Importance of Regular Training
Having a well-stocked first aid kit is essential, but knowing how to use it effectively is equally important. Consider these training opportunities:
- Basic first aid and CPR courses
- Wilderness first aid training for outdoor enthusiasts
- Online refresher courses to keep skills up-to-date
- Scenario-based practice sessions with family or friends
How often should you refresh your first aid skills? It’s recommended to take a refresher course or review your skills at least once a year. Regular practice helps maintain confidence and competence in emergency situations.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
When assembling and using a first aid kit, it’s important to be aware of legal and ethical considerations:
- Understand Good Samaritan laws in your area
- Be aware of the limitations of your training and skills
- Respect individuals’ right to refuse treatment
- Maintain confidentiality about any medical information you may learn
- Stay within the scope of your training when providing assistance
What are Good Samaritan laws, and why are they important? Good Samaritan laws provide legal protection to individuals who offer assistance in emergency situations. They encourage people to help others without fear of legal repercussions, as long as they act in good faith and within the scope of their training.
Adapting First Aid Kits for Special Populations
Different groups may have unique first aid needs. Consider tailoring kits for:
- Infants and young children
- Elderly individuals
- People with chronic health conditions
- Individuals with disabilities
How can you adapt a first aid kit for infants and young children? Include pediatric-specific items such as infant-sized bandages, liquid pain relievers with appropriate dosing instructions, and a nasal aspirator. Also, ensure all medications are in child-resistant containers.
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly First Aid Kits
For those concerned about environmental impact, consider creating a more sustainable first aid kit:
- Choose biodegradable or recyclable packaging
- Opt for reusable items where possible (e.g., cloth bandages)
- Select natural or organic products when available
- Properly dispose of expired medications and used items
Is it possible to create an effective first aid kit while being environmentally conscious? Absolutely. Many first aid supplies now come in eco-friendly versions, allowing you to be prepared for emergencies while minimizing your environmental impact.
Cultural Considerations in First Aid Preparedness
In our diverse world, it’s important to consider cultural factors when assembling and using first aid kits:
- Include culturally appropriate medical items
- Be aware of cultural beliefs that may affect treatment preferences
- Consider language barriers and include multi-lingual first aid instructions
- Respect cultural practices regarding physical contact and modesty
Why is cultural awareness important in first aid situations? Cultural sensitivity ensures that emergency care is provided in a respectful manner, increasing the likelihood that individuals will accept and benefit from the assistance offered.
The Future of First Aid Kits
As medical science and technology continue to advance, the future of first aid kits looks promising. Some potential developments include:
- Integration of artificial intelligence for real-time diagnosis and treatment guidance
- Nanotechnology-enhanced bandages for faster wound healing
- Portable diagnostic devices for quick health assessments
- Augmented reality interfaces for step-by-step first aid instructions
- Biodegradable and self-sterilizing medical supplies
How might these advancements change the way we approach first aid? These technologies could significantly enhance the speed and accuracy of emergency care, potentially saving more lives and improving outcomes in critical situations.
Community-Based First Aid Initiatives
Beyond individual preparedness, community-based first aid initiatives can greatly enhance overall emergency readiness:
- Neighborhood emergency response teams
- Community first aid training programs
- Shared access to advanced medical equipment
- Local emergency communication networks
- Collaborative disaster preparedness planning
How can community-based initiatives improve overall emergency preparedness? By pooling resources and knowledge, communities can create a more robust emergency response system, ensuring faster and more effective assistance in large-scale emergencies.
In conclusion, a well-prepared first aid kit is an essential tool for emergency preparedness. By understanding the key components, regularly maintaining your supplies, and continuously educating yourself on proper usage, you can significantly enhance your ability to respond effectively to a wide range of emergency situations. Remember, the best first aid kit is one that is readily accessible, properly stocked, and accompanied by the knowledge of how to use it effectively.
8 Essential on-the-Go First Aid Kit Items
Tweezers
Tweezers are an essential part of any first aid kit, particularly if you enjoy hiking or other outdoor activities. The safest way to remove a splinter or a tick is with a clean pair of tweezers. Disinfect the tweezers with alcohol well before and after each use.
Hydrocortisone Cream
For itchy bites, consider carrying a small tube of 1% hydrocortisone cream. This topical steroid provides quick relief from itching and reduces inflammation.
Hand Sanitizer and Gloves
If you or a friend gets injured on the go, the last thing you want to do is tend the wound with dirty hands. Alcohol-based gel or wipes can sanitize your hands when soap and water aren’t readily available. Sanitize before, slip on a pair of latex or non-latex exam gloves, and sanitize again after treating the wound.
Pain Relievers
No first aid kit would be complete without medication to relieve pain and bring down a fever. Aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are popular over-the-counter pain relievers. Aspirin should not be given to anyone under age 18 because of the danger of Reye’s syndrome.
Gauze and Tape
For cuts and scrapes, you can use gauze pads to apply pressure to small wounds until the bleeding subsides. When used with tape, gauze can also serve as a bandage to cover and protect wounds. Adhesive bandages of different sizes can also help protect minor cuts and scrapes.
Wipes or Solution for Cleaning a Wound
Before you bandage, you’ll want to clean scrapes or wounds. Antiseptic wipes or sprays are handy for cleaning injuries when there’s no clean water nearby. Sterile water or saline, such as contact lens saline solution, is good to have for flushing out eye injuries and can be used on other wounds. Available in small bottles, it can also be easy to pack.
Antibiotic Cream
An antibiotic cream or ointment has several key uses. It can help protect minor wounds from infection. It can keep the area moist, which may promote healing. And it can help prevent the wound from getting stuck to a bandage.
Allergy Medications
Be ready to counter a mild allergic reaction with antihistamines. People with serious allergies should carry injectable epinephrine. It can save a life in the case of anaphylaxis — a severe and potentially deadly allergic reaction to triggers such as insect stings or food.
Creating Your Kit
Once you’ve gathered the essentials for your mobile first aid kit, you’ll need a way to keep them clean and dry. You don’t have to buy a fancy medical bag. A water resistant makeup bag, tool kit, or fanny pack can work well.
First-aid kits: Stock supplies that can save lives
A well-stocked first-aid kit can help you respond effectively to common injuries and emergencies. Keep at least one first-aid kit in your home and one in your car. Store your kits someplace easy to get to and out of the reach of young children. Make sure children old enough to understand the purpose of the kits know where they’re stored.
You can buy first-aid kits at many drugstores or assemble your own. You may want to tailor your kit based on your activities and needs. A first-aid kit might include:
Basic supplies
- Adhesive tape
- Elastic wrap bandages
- Bandage strips and “butterfly” bandages in assorted sizes
- Super glue
- Rubber tourniquet or 16 French catheter
- Nonstick sterile bandages and roller gauze in assorted sizes
- Eye shield or pad
- Large triangular bandage (may be used as a sling)
- Aluminum finger splint
- Instant cold packs
- Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
- Disposable nonlatex examination gloves, several pairs
- Duct tape
- Petroleum jelly or other lubricant
- Plastic bags, assorted sizes
- Safety pins in assorted sizes
- Scissors and tweezers
- Hand sanitizer
- Antibiotic ointment
- Antiseptic solution and towelettes
- Eyewash solution
- Thermometer
- Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing wounds
- Sterile saline for irrigation, flushing
- Breathing barrier (surgical mask)
- Syringe, medicine cup or spoon
- First-aid manual
- Hydrogen peroxide to disinfect
Medications
- Aloe vera gel
- Calamine lotion
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Laxative
- Antacids
- Antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Cough and cold medications
- Personal medications that don’t need refrigeration
- Auto-injector of epinephrine, if prescribed by your doctor
- Pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
Consider keeping aspirin in your first-aid kit, as well. Aspirin may be life-saving in an adult with chest pain. If you or someone else has new or unexplained chest pain or may be having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Then chew a regular-strength aspirin. However, don’t take aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin, have bleeding problems or take another blood-thinning medication, or if your doctor previously told you not to do so.
Never give aspirin to children.
Emergency items
- Emergency phone numbers, including contact information for your family doctor and pediatrician, local emergency services, emergency road service providers, and the poison help line, which in the United States is 800-222-1222.
- Medical consent forms for each family member
- Medical history forms for each family member
- Small, waterproof flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries
- Waterproof matches
- Small notepad and waterproof writing instrument
- Emergency space blanket
- Cell phone with solar charger
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellant
Give your kit a checkup
Check your first-aid kits regularly to be sure the flashlight batteries work and to replace supplies that have expired or been used up.
Consider taking a first-aid course through the American Red Cross. Contact your local chapter for information on classes.
Prepare children for medical emergencies in age-appropriate ways. The American Red Cross offers a number of helpful resources, including classes designed to help children understand and use first-aid techniques.
July 14, 2020
Show references
- Emergency care for you: Home first aid kit. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/Health-Tips/Home-Safety/Home-First-Aid-Kit/. Accessed April 27, 2018.
- Anatomy of a first aid kit. American Red Cross. http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit. Accessed April 27, 2018.
- Auerbach PS. First-aid kit. In: Medicine for the Outdoors. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 27, 2018.
- Rohren CH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
June 22, 2018.
.
Must-Haves for Your First-Aid Kit | Blogs
First-aid kits are nothing new. They go back over 100 years to when, as the story goes, Robert Wood Johnson debuted the first-aid cabinet in 1888.(1)
First-aid kits have changed over the years, but they are as useful as ever. They make it possible for ordinary people to be the help until professional help arrives. You don’t need a special certification to provide first aid, but you do need the right supplies and education.
Kate Elkins is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and 911 specialist in the Office of EMS and the National 911 Program. An active paramedic, Elkins also responds to 911 calls and serves as a medical specialist with Maryland Task Force 1, a FEMA urban search and rescue team.
First-hand experience has shown her how important having a well-stocked and maintained first-aid kit can be. “There are certain things you need to have at hand in the moment. In a crisis, you’re not going to have time to go to the store to get what you need,” Elkins points out.
The American Red Cross suggests that a first-aid kit for a family of four include the following items:
- A first-aid guide
- 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
- 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
- 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
- 5 antibiotic ointment packets
- 5 antiseptic wipe packets
- 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
- 1 emergency blanket
- 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
- 1 instant cold compress
- 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
- 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets
- 1 3-inch gauze roll (roller) bandage
- 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
- 5 3 x 3-inch sterile gauze pads
- 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
- A thermometer (non-mercury/non-glass)
- 2 triangular bandages
- Tweezers
Supplement basic items with personal needs and bleeding-control essentials. Things like a commercial tourniquet, bandages, and a felt-tipped pen. Take bleeding-control training to use such and prepare for a bleeding emergency.
Remove, throw away, or use and replace any supplies before they expire. Set a calendar reminder on your smartphone to update the supplies in your kit every six months and/or as the healthcare needs of your family change.
Think about the healthcare needs of your family when putting together a first-aid kit. For example:
- If you have a family member with a severe allergy, include antihistamine medicine and an epinephrine injector.
- If you have elderly family members with fragile skin, including a roll of paper tape can be useful for protecting delicate skin.
- If you or a family member lives with diabetes, include a juice box, glucose tablets and gels, and an emergency glucagon injection kit.
- Chewable, baby aspirin might help someone who has coronary artery disease, provided the person is not allergic to aspirin.
Elkins also suggests attaching a note to your kit with instructions on where to find other items around the house and how to act in specific emergencies. For example, you can use a note to remind you where sugary drinks and foods are kept in case of a diabetic emergency.
A person who is using a first-aid kit in an emergency might need to call 911 for assistance. Having the home or office address written on the outside of the kit itself can give users a handy location reference for 911 operators.
A first-aid kit is a tool, but any tool is only as good as the person using it.
First-aid kits are one place where personal needs and practical skills come together. There are ways to prepare for emergencies that have nothing to do with collecting supplies. This includes learning practical skills that you can use to protect yourself and others.
Many practical skills are easy to learn. Some require special certification or formal training. Others just education. Practical skills include learning how to:
Family, friends, coworkers, and bystanders—not first responders—are often first on the scene in a medical emergency. Elkins has seen this many times in the field. “One time, we had a patient who had a very bad accident with a circular saw,” she recalls. “There was a lot of blood on the floor. The patient’s coworker, who had no formal training, put all his body weight on the wound and used it to slow the bleeding. He yelled for help until others came and called 911. He saved his coworker’s life because he made the right decision and took action.”
You can take action today. “You Are the Help Until Help Arrives” and “Stop the Bleed” are examples of training that teach you how to provide first care. A good first-aid kit and the practical skill to use it can help you save someone’s life.
Learn more ways to prepare your health for emergencies on the CDC website.
- Johnson & Johnson First-Aid Kit History
- American Heart Association Aspirin Guidance
Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that the CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.
Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.
15 Essential First Aid Kit Contents
Add to Favorites
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Though we know we should carry a first aid kit, contents can vary box by box. Should you purchase ones sold on department store endcaps or build your own? Whether buying pre-made or assembling your own first aid kit, contents should be verified and chosen with care.
First of all, what’s the difference between a trauma pack, EDC bag, and a first aid kit? Contents can be similar in each, but the three have different purposes.
Trauma packs care for immediate, life-threatening injuries such as lacerations. Police and EMT crews carry full-sized trauma packs, but they are also available to the public in waterproof, pocket-sized bags. They contain nitrile gloves, sterile dressings and tape, antiseptic wipes, and triangular bandages. Some contain duct tape and clotting agents. Most also have instructions for managing traumatic injuries. Pocket trauma packs can be valuable additions to your first aid kit contents or within your glove compartment.
EDC, or Every Day Carry, bags contain lightweight items necessary to get you out of an immediate emergency, medical or otherwise. Though fully packed EDC bags house small first aid kits, contents also include medications, emergency phone numbers, and a multi-tool. EDC bags can also hold a phone charger, flashlight, pen and paper, a way to start fires, and survival bandanas that can be used as triangular bandages. Though they won’t get you through TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) they are designed to get you to a safe place.
First aid kit contents may cover everything included within trauma packs and EDC bags but also care for a wider range of medical emergencies. They have cold packs for sprains and burns, splints for broken limbs, tweezers for removing splinters, breathing barriers for administering CPR, and finger bandages for the most minor injuries. First aid kits for allergic families may also have Epi-pens or allergy medicine.
If you have a kit for you, how about one for your animals? A good first aid kit contents list and their uses for livestock mirrors those for humans. Disposable gloves and sterile dressings care for human wounds as well as bumblefoot or infected hooves. First aid kits for animals may also include evaporated milk for orphaned lambs or penicillin administered specifically to livestock.
Photo by Shelley DeDauw.
Checklist: Do You Have These First Aid Kit Contents?
Do you trust that plastic case made by the baby shampoo people? How do you know if your first aid kit contents are adequate?
Both the Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross have published online guides for checking and filling first aid kits. The Red Cross website also lists how much you need of each item for a four-person family. Compare ready-made kits, or prepare your own, based on this list.
- Adhesive Bandages: Little cuts may become infected if they’re not properly covered. Plastic bandages are more water resistant while the cloth ones tend to stay on better. Include different sizes, from fingertip bandages to larger strips.
- Antiseptic Wipes: Moist towelettes from barbeque restaurants come in handy but they don’t kill as many germs as alcohol wipes. Larger kits may include bottles of isopropyl alcohol and sterile paper towels.
- Blanket: Some websites suggest you carry rolled-up blankets in large plastic bags. Others admit large items are cumbersome and may be left behind. Space blankets, foil sheets which reflect heat, fold into tiny squares and take up almost no space. But they can save the life of a person in shock.
- Breathing Barrier: Performing CPR may be an unquestioned action when it’s a family member.
But does that stranger have a disease which may endanger your health? Breathing barriers allow you to perform rescue breaths without coming in contact with saliva or other bodily fluids. One-way valves ensure you breathe out but vomit doesn’t come back through.
- Cold Compress: Look for the instant kind, which activates when an inner bag ruptures and chemicals mix with water. Cold compresses treat insect bites and stings, cool thermal burns and reduce swelling from sprains.
- Instructions and Information: How up-to-date is your CPR certification? What about everyone else in your family? Can they use first aid kit contents if the person with medical experience becomes incapacitated? Free instruction booklets are available online.
- Medications: Of course, include your own prescriptions. But an aspirin packet can save the life of someone with a heart condition. The Red Cross recommends including aspirin but the Department of Homeland Security also recommends anti-diarrhea medication, laxatives, antacid and non-aspirin pain relievers like ibuprofen.
- Ointment: Antibiotic ointment kills germs and avoids infection. Hydrocortisone reduces irritation from allergies, rashes or toxins. Burn ointment protects wounds and helps skin heal but doesn’t hold in the heat the way lotion or oil can.
- Oral Thermometer: When a child’s fever spikes on a camping trip, it’s important to know when to head back home. Carry non-glass and non-mercury thermometers, as both mercury and broken glass have their own hazards.
- Scissors: Whether you’re trimming gauze pads to fit small lacerations or cutting clothing away from serious injuries, small pairs of scissors can help save lives. EMTs carry angled scissors which give better accessibility.
- Sterile Dressings: These include compress dressings, gauze pads and roller bandages. Include several sizes, such as 3×3 and 4×4, and both thick and thin rolls of gauze.
- Sterile Gloves: Most sites recommend non-latex gloves, such as nitrile, because of latex allergies.
Gloves protect you from bloodborne pathogens while you help someone else.
- Tape: Most first aid kit contents include adhesive tape, though stickiness can fail in dirty or wet environments. New kinds of stretchy, self-adhering athletic tape (the kind wrapped around your elbow after you give blood) sticks to itself and grips limbs and is reusable if you don’t wind it just right.
- Triangular Bandage: They suspend broken limbs or act as tourniquets for serious lacerations, but triangular bandages can have many more uses. Clean away dirt, use as a sunshade, wrap a sprained ankle, or even signal for help with this simple piece of cloth.
- Tweezers: Splinter removal seems like a minor issue. But tweezers can also remove ticks, bee stingers, or pieces of glass. They can grab tiny items such as the end of suture thread.
Other Items:
Special Needs: Depending on who is in your care, you may include glucose-monitoring and blood pressure monitoring equipment. Include inhalers for someone with asthma, prescribed nitroglycerine for cardiac patients. Glucose tablets are important for diabetics and epinephrine can save a person from anaphylaxis. Consider family or friends with specific psychiatric or emotional needs; ask them which pharmaceutical or natural treatments they use to maintain health. Always check expiration dates on medications and rotate periodically.
Tools: Though covering non-medical needs falls under EDC or bug out bags, adding a few tools can help in a crisis. They also add weight, so use discretion and try to predict where you may be using your kit. Consider flashlights, batteries, signal mirrors, radios and extra gloves.
Photo by Shelley DeDauw.
How Big Should First Aid Kits Be?
The list of first aid kit contents is lengthy. Sizes vary and should depend on your activities. Stationary kits within homes can contain heavy blankets while those designed for hiking should fit within a backpack without adding much weight. First aid kits within vehicles may focus on emergencies more likely to happen on the road, such as automobile accidents or engine failure in the middle of winter.
It’s wise to pack several kits. Keep one in the home, one in the vehicle, and one readily available in case you need to grab it and run. Pocket trauma packs are easy to carry in cargo pants while commercially sold first aid kits often have handles and lightweight, waterproof cases.
Be sure each person in your group or family is aware of the first aid kit’s contents, location and how to use it. Replenish items after they are used.
Have you ever needed to use your first aid kit contents? We’d love to hear your story.
First Aid Information for First Aid Kits
Almost everyone will need to use a first aid kit at some time. Make time to prepare home and travel kits for your family’s safety. First aid kits may be basic or comprehensive. What you need depends on your medical training and your distance from professional medical help. Ready-made first aid kits are commercially available from chain stores or outdoor retailers, but it’s easy to make smart, inexpensive first aid kits yourself.
Home and Travel First Aid Kit Basics
Home first aid kits are usually used for treating these types of minor traumatic injuries:
- Burns
- Cuts
- Abrasions (scrapes)
- Stings
- Splinters
- Sprains
- Strains
First aid kits for travel need to be more comprehensive because a drug store may or may not be accessible. In addition to personal medical items, the kit should contain items to help alleviate the common symptoms of viral respiratory infections such as these:
It should also contain items to treat these ailments:
- Cuts
- Mild pain
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Skin problems
- Allergies
Make Your Own First Aid Kit
Try to keep your kit small and simple. Stock it with multi-use items. Almost anything that provides good visibility of contents can be used for a household first aid kit.
- If your kit will be on the move, a water-resistant, drop-proof container is best.
- Inexpensive nylon bags, personal kits, fanny packs, or makeup cases serve very well.
- You do not need to spend a lot of money on a fancy “medical bag.” Use re-sealable sandwich or oven bags to group and compartmentalize items.
- Put wound supplies in one bag and medications in another.
How to Use a First Aid Kit
Make sure you know how to properly use all of the items in your kit, especially the medications. Train others in your family to use the kit. You may be the one who needs first aid.
Pack and use barrier items such as latex gloves to protect yourself from the bodily fluids of others. Check the kit twice a year and replace expired drugs. Find out the phone number of your regional poison control center at the American Association of Poison Control Centers Web site and keep the number with your kit.
Where to keep your first aid kit:
- The best place to keep your first aid kit is in the kitchen.
Most family activities take place here. The bathroom has too much humidity, which shortens the shelf life of items.
- The travel kit is for true trips away from home. Keep it in a suitcase, backpack, or dry bag, depending on the activity.
- A first aid kit for everyday use in the car should be just like the home first aid kit. For that matter, you could keep similar kits in your boat (inside a waterproof bag), travel trailer, mobile home, camper, cabin, vacation home, and wherever you spend time.
Must-Have First Aid Kit Essentials
You can buy all items for your first aid kits at a well-stocked drug store. Ask the pharmacist for help in selecting items.
Home kit:
A household first aid kit should include these items:
- Adhesive tape
- Anesthetic spray (Bactine) or lotion (Calamine, Campho-Phenique) — for itching rashes and insect bites
- 4″ x 4″ sterile gauze pads — for covering and cleaning wounds, as a soft eye patch
- 2″, 3″, and 4″ Ace bandages — for wrapping sprained or strained joints, for wrapping gauze on to wounds, for wrapping on splints
- Adhesive bandages (all sizes)
- Oral antihistamines — diphenhydramine (Benadryl causes drowsiness) or loratadine (Claritin doesn’t cause drowsiness) — for allergic reactions, itching rashes (Avoid topical antihistamine creams because they may worsen the rash in some people.)
- Topical corticosteroids, such as over the counter Hydrocortisone 1% for rashes
- Aloe vera topical gel or cream for burn relief
- Exam gloves — for infection protection, also to make into ice packs when filled with water and frozen
- Polysporin antibiotic cream — to apply to simple wounds
- Nonadhesive pads (Telfa) — for covering wounds and burns
- Pocket mask for CPR
- Resealable oven bag — as a container for contaminated articles, can become an ice pack
- Safety pins (large and small) — for splinter removal and for securing triangular bandage sling
- Scissors
- Triangular bandage — as a sling, towel, tourniquet
- Tweezers — for splinter or stinger or tick removal
Travel First Aid Kit Essentials
Travel kit:
A travel first aid kit may contain these items:
- Adhesive tape
- 4″ x 4″ sterile gauze pads
- Antacid — for indigestion
- Antidiarrheal (Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, for example)
- Antihistamine cream
- Antiseptic agent (small bottle liquid soap) — for cleaning wounds and hands
- Aspirin — for mild pain, heart attack
- Adhesive bandages (all sizes)
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or loratadine (Claritin) — oral antihistamine
- Topical corticosteroids, such as over the counter Hydrocortisone 1% for rashes
- Aloe vera topical gel or cream for burn relief
- Book on first aid
- Cigarette lighter — to sterilize instruments and to be able to start a fire in the wilderness (to keep warm and to make smoke to signal for help, for examples)
- Cough medication
- Dental kit — for broken teeth, loss of crown or filling
- Exam gloves
- Small flashlight
- Ibuprofen (Advil is one brand name)
- Insect repellant
- Knife (small Swiss Army-type)
- Moleskin — to apply to blisters or hot spots
- Nasal spray decongestant — for nasal congestion from colds or allergies
- Nonadhesive wound pads (Telfa)
- Polysporin antibiotic ointment
- Oral decongestant
- Personal medications and items
- Phone card with at least 60 minutes of time (and not a close expiration date) plus at least 10 quarters for pay phones and a list of important people to reach in an emergency
- Plastic resealable bags (oven and sandwich)
- Pocket mask for CPR
- Safety pins (large and small)
- Scissors
- Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more
- Thermometer
- Tweezers
What do I need in my first aid kit?
Things to consider
Burns
Burns are common, especially around your home. Burns are commonly caused from heat, fire, radiation, sunlight, electricity, chemicals, or from hot/boiling water. There are 3 degrees of burns:
- First-degree burns: These are red and painful. They swell a little. They turn white when you press on the skin. The skin over the burn may peel off after 1 or 2 days.
- Second-degree burns: These are thicker burns. They are painful and typically become blisters on the skin. The skin is very red or splotchy. It may be very swollen.
- Third-degree burns: These burns cause damage to all layers of the skin. The burned skin looks white or charred. These burns may cause little or no pain because the nerves and tissue in the skin are damaged.
First-degree burns usually heal in 3 to 6 days; second-degree burns heal in 2-3 weeks; and third-degree burns usually take a very long time to heal. Most first aid kits can treat first and second degree burns if the injured area is less than 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
For minor burns, soak the burn in cool water for at least 5 minutes. The cool water helps reduce swelling by pulling heat away from the burned skin. Treat the burn with a skin care product from your first aid kit that protects and heals skin. This would include products such as aloe vera cream or an antibiotic ointment. You can wrap a dry gauze bandage loosely around the burn. This will protect the area and keep the air off of it. An over-the-counter pain reliever can help treat swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Some first aid advice for burns is a myth. For example, never put butter or oil on burns. This can cause more damage.
Cuts and scrapes
First aid kits are helpful for cuts, scrapes, and stitches, too. Clean a cut, scrape, or puncture wound (such as a wound from a nail) with cool water. Use tweezers that have been sterilized with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt that remains in the wound after washing.
If a cut bleeds, that helps clean it out. Most small cuts or scrapes will stop bleeding in a short time. Wounds on the face, head, or mouth tend to bleed more. To stop the bleeding, apply firm but gentle pressure on the cut with a clean cloth, tissue, or piece of gauze. If the blood soaks through the gauze or cloth you’re holding over the cut, don’t take it off. Just put more gauze on top of what you already have in place. Re-apply pressure for 20 to 30 minutes.
Leaving a cut uncovered helps it stay dry and helps it heal. If the cut isn’t in an area that will get dirty or be rubbed by clothing, you don’t have to cover it. If it’s in an area that will get dirty (such as your hand) or be irritated by clothing (such as your knee), cover it with an adhesive bandage. You also can use sterile gauze and adhesive tape. Change the bandage each day to keep the wound clean and dry.
Certain wounds, such as scrapes that cover a large area of the body, should be kept moist and clean to help reduce scarring and speed healing. Antibiotic ointments help heal the scrape and prevent infection. A bandage does pretty much the same thing. Most minor cuts and scrapes will heal just fine without antibiotic ointment, but it can help the wound close up and help reduce scarring.
Stitches
To care for an injury that requires stitches, wash the area that has been stitched after 1 to 3 days. Washing off dirt and the crust that may form around the stitches helps reduce scarring. If the wound drains clear or yellow fluid, you may need to cover it with gauze or a bandage. You also may need to use a small amount of antibiotic cream. Your doctor will tell you whether he or she wants you to use an antibiotic ointment.
Always keep an eye on your cut, scrape or stitches. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about injuries that can’t be treated with a first aid kit.
CFOC Standards Database | National Resource Center
5.6.0.1: First Aid and Emergency Supplies
Content in the STANDARD was modified on 01/23/2020.
Early care and education programs should maintain fully equipped first aid kits in each classroom in case of an injury. The first aid kit should be kept in a container, cabinet, or drawer that is labeled and stored in a location that is known and accessible to staff at all times and out of reach of children. First aid kits in vehicles and classroom kits taken out for recess or a walk should be stored safely in a place that is out of reach of children. When children leave the facility for recess or a walk or to be transported, a designated staff member should bring a first aid kit in a portable device (eg, backpack) or otherwise ensure that a first aid kit is readily available.
Early care and education staff should inventory or check first aid supplies once a month and replace any used or expired items.1 An itemized list of supplies and a written log should be kept that documents
- The date that each inventory was conducted
- Verification that expiration dates of supplies were checked
- Location of supplies (eg, in the facility supply, transportable first aid kit[s])
- The legal name/signature of the staff member who completed the inventory
Early care and education program directors should have plans/methods for verifying that these steps are taken as planned.
First Aid Items
The following first aid supplies should be in all classroom first aid kits 1(p463-464)-4:
- Adhesive bandages (assorted sizes) and tape
- Antiseptic solution (hydrogen peroxide) or antiseptic wipes
- Cold pack
- Cotton-tipped swabs
- Disposable powder-free, latex-free gloves
- Eye patch
- Fever-reducing medications (eg, acetaminophen/ibuprofen) to be used ONLY for children with an order from a primary health care provider and signed parental consent
- Flexible roller gauze
- Liquid hand soap and/or handwashing gels
- Mouthpiece for giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (available from your local Red Cross)
- Pen/pencil and note pad
- Plastic bags (for disposing of blood and other body fluids)
- Safety pins
- Sanitary pads, individually wrapped (to contain bleeding of injuries)
- Small scissors
- Sterile eyewash
- Sterile gauze pads (various sizes)
- Thermometer—digital or tympanic (ear)—should not contain glass/mercury
- Triangular bandages
- Tweezers
- Water (2 L of sterile water for cleaning wounds or eyes)
When children are on a walk or are transported to another location, the transportable first aid kit should include ALL items listed previously AND the following emergency information/items:
- A roster of all children present
- Contact information and list of approved family/guardians authorized for pickup
- List of emergency phone numbers (eg, poison control, hospital/emergency facilities)
- Special health care plans/emergency medications for both children and caregivers
- Special health care documents
- Signed emergency release forms for each child
- First aid/choking/CPR chart (American Academy of Pediatrics or equivalent)
- Up-to-date first aid manual
- Written transportation policy and contingency plan (up-to-date and easily accessible)
- Maps
- Cell phone
- Radio
- Whistle
- Flashlight
RATIONALE
Facilities must place emphasis on safeguarding each child and ensuring that staff members are prepared and able to handle emergencies.3 Well-stocked first aid and disaster/emergency supplies help ensure staff are prepared and able to handle possible emergencies and injuries.
TYPE OF FACILITY
Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home
RELATED STANDARDS
1.4.3.1
First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training for Staff
1.4.3.2
Topics Covered in Pediatric First Aid Training
3.2.2.5
Hand Sanitizers
3.4.3.1
Medical Emergency Procedures
3.6.1.3
Thermometers for Taking Human Temperatures
4.9.0.8
Supply of Food and Water for Disasters
9.2.4.1
Written Plan and Training for Handling Urgent Medical Care or Threatening Incidents
9.2.5.1
Transportation Policy for Centers and Large Family Homes
Appendix NN: First Aid and Emergency Supply Lists
REFERENCES
-
American Academy of Pediatrics. PedFACTs: Pediatric First Aid for Caregivers and Teachers. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2014
-
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Emergency supply list. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1390846764394-dc08e309debe561d866b05ac84daf1ee/checklist_2014.pdf. Accessed August 20, 2019
-
KidsHealth. First-aid kit. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/firstaid-kit.html. Reviewed August 2018. Accessed August 20, 2019
-
eXtension. First aid in child care. https://articles.extension.org/pages/25746/first-aid-in-child-care. Published September 14, 2015. Accessed August 20, 2019
NOTES
Content in the STANDARD was modified on 01/23/2020.
What should be in a first aid kit
Adhesive plasters of various shapes and sizes. Cuts and scrapes can be anywhere on the body and can be in different shapes. You need to be ready for this and stock up on various types of adhesive plasters.
- Gauze wipes. For burns, wounds, deep cuts and scrapes, you may need gauze or gauze.
- Antiseptic alcohol wipes. Before dressing the wound, it is imperative to clean and disinfect the skin with alcohol.
- Gauze bandages. After applying a gauze pad, bandage the wound with a gauze bandage to prevent the dressing from slipping and to ensure that any fluid seeping through the first layer is absorbed.
- Antiseptic gel or ointment such as Betadine. Use antiseptics to prevent infection with bacteria or fungi.
- Antiseptic spray. This product can be useful for a large number of scratches and wounds.
- Skin patch suture for tightening the edges of the wound. These strips are designed to secure the wound edges and are breathable medical tape that should be found in every first aid kit.
- Elastic bandage. In many cases, a pressure bandage is required to secure the dressing, provide pressure, or to stretch the ankle or wrist ligaments.
- Vata. Cotton wool is used for cleaning, dressing and dressing wounds.
- Scissors. Scissors are necessary for cutting off bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, and for cutting clothes in order to expose damaged areas.
- Tweezers. Used to remove splinters, insect stings or other foreign bodies, and for dressing and dressing small areas.
- Eye wash. Used to remove foreign bodies from the eyes or to flush if toxic substances have entered.
- Antihistamine tablets and ointment. Used in case of allergic reactions and itchy rash.
- Medical rubber tourniquet. Tourniquets stop bleeding in wounds, limiting blood loss. However, incorrect application of the tourniquet can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to know the basic rules for applying a tourniquet.
A first aid kit can be required by everyone at any time. Don’t be caught off guard, be prepared for it. If you think that a doctor should treat the wound, do not waste time and go to the nearest medical facility.
First aid kit
Each enterprise should have a first-aid kit, which is simply necessary in the event of any kind of emergency to provide first aid to victims before the arrival of doctors or before the possibility of leaving the focus of the accident.
The Labor Code of the Russian Federation clearly states both the need to provide an enterprise of any type with first aid kits, and the employer’s obligation to comply with this requirement.Thus, each employer must organize in his organization, regardless of the scope of its activity and connection with potentially dangerous factors, separate security sectors in which personal protective equipment is stored.
Requirements for the first aid kit
The complete set of first-aid kits is approved by the relevant regulations of the higher authorities and depends on the type of activity and the quantitative composition of the organization.The employer (the responsible person appointed by the employer) is obliged to check the condition and equipment of the first aid kits for compliance with the above normative documents.
Also, the exact correspondence of the names of drugs also belongs to the requirements for the kitting of first-aid kits – it is strictly forbidden to replace the drugs that are part of the first-aid kit with analogues. Also, you cannot arbitrarily change the number of drugs. After the expiration date, the medical device must be replaced.When using a certain amount of drugs, it is necessary to replenish the composition of the first-aid kit to the amount specified in the standards.
First aid kit composition
The composition of a first aid kit primarily depends on its purpose. Since the use of this kind of medical protection can be useful in completely different places and in the treatment or prevention of various types of injuries, first aid kits are filled in accordance with these conditions.
Basic tools that can be part of a first aid kit include:
means for treating wounds (bandages, tourniquets, adhesive plasters, etc.),
antiseptic agents (hydrogen peroxide, iodine, boric acid, etc.),
analgesic medicines (aspirin, analgin, etc.),
antimicrobial drugs (streptocide, ampicillin, etc.),
remedies for pain in the heart (validol, corvalol, etc.),
antispasmodics (no-shpa, baralgin, etc.),
detoxifying agents (activated carbon, etc.),
antiallergic drugs (suprastin, tavegil, etc.),
ammonia,
chemical antidotes,
first anti-shock agents,
means and tools required during first aid (rubber (latex) gloves, scissors, clamps, bags, masks, notebook and pen, etc.)
Purpose of first aid kits and their equipment
The purpose of first-aid kits has a direct impact on their packaging.
Examples of first aid kits:
First aid kit for organizations, enterprises, institutions is designed to provide first aid in emergencies of natural and man-made nature. | |
First-aid kit for energy enterprises (bag) is designed to provide urgent medical care to any worker in the energy industry, and for workers in electrical specialties as a result of an occupational injury or emergency.First aid kit | |
The first-aid kit for employees of institutions of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation is recommended for use in institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Designed for a team of up to 50 people. Composition of the first aid kit | |
First aid kit for Protective structures for 100-150 / 400-600 people Composition of the first aid kit | |
The first-aid kit of an oil and gas worker was developed by the Medical Department of OAO Gazprom and OOO PKTs SpetsTekhSbyt for workers in the oil and gas production and processing industry.First aid kit | |
The STS motorist kit includes everything you need to undergo a technical inspection and in case of emergency on the road. Composition of the first aid kit | |
First-aid kit automobile “FARCO” of a new model is designed to provide self-and mutual assistance to drivers and passengers of vehicles. The first-aid kit of the new model provides means for assisting with injuries of mild and moderate severity until the arrival of doctors of specialized medical institutions.First aid kit | |
Automotive first-aid kit STS-Auto is designed to provide first aid for people in a car, minibus, bus. | |
Anti-HIV first aid kit for consumer services is designed to provide first aid and prevent the spread of HIV in consumer services enterprises (hairdressers, beauty salons, manicure rooms, etc.).First aid kit composition | |
First aid kit “STS” is intended for first aid in case of burns of various degrees. | |
First aid kit for children’s and educational institutions STS is designed to provide first aid to children in children’s and educational institutions, sports clubs and children’s centers. First aid kit | |
First aid kit collective “FEST” for the workplace (layer.suitcase) is suitable for equipping a workplace, place. |
First aid kit use
When using a first aid kit, there are some rules that it is advisable to follow in order to avoid undesirable consequences for the victim or his own infection from the patient in case of viral infections.
The first rule of using a first aid kit is to work with casualties with rubber gloves and, if necessary, a protective mask.This applies mainly to work with infectious lesions and open wounds. In the event that any contaminated liquid has fallen onto the person providing assistance from an infected patient, it should be immediately removed with an antiseptic napkin.
All medicines from the first aid kit must be used strictly as directed. For example, tourniquets are used for dressing to stop bleeding. The time of application of the tourniquet must be recorded (for this, there is a notebook and a pen in the first-aid kit).Wounds, scratches, abrasions must be treated with antiseptic agents. In case of open wounds, do not forget to use sterile wipes. If necessary, the wound can be bandaged. The use of other medicines is also possible only according to the instructions of each of them.
What to put in a first aid kit?
In every house, in a cool, dark place, out of the reach of children and pets, there is a small plastic box with the simplest over-the-counter medicines – a home doctor for those cases when you can cope with the illness yourself.But do we fill, store and use it correctly?
First of all, a first aid kit should be in the house, and it deserves careful and careful handling. Preparations are best stored away from sunlight, gas stoves and central heating radiators, in lockers that curious children cannot reach. It is best to keep them in their original packaging, but if there is not enough space in the box, you can simply bandage the blisters and instructions for use with an elastic band. Be sure to write the expiration date of the drug on it and in large letters – what does it help from.This can be useful in an emergency when there is no time to unfold the instructions. Also, on one of the walls of the box or pharmacy basket, you can stick a leaflet with the phones of the nearest ambulance substation, clinic and other necessary medical services and pharmacies.
Once every six months or a year, it is imperative to revise the contents of the first-aid kit – to get rid of expired drugs and those whose expiration date is about to come to an end.
The contents of a home first-aid kit can be divided into several blocks: dressings, devices and instruments, medicines.
1. Dressings . It is impossible to lay down a straw in advance and predict a cut, burn, or fall. But on the other hand, you can alleviate the consequences as much as possible by stocking up on dressing materials and antiseptics. In a home first-aid kit should lie comfortably next to:
- sterile bandages in the package;
- sterile gauze wipes for the application of drugs;
- elastic bandage for fixing in case of sprains, bruises or fractures, it also helps to hold compresses;
- cotton wool in sterile packaging or cotton pads – for treating wounds, stopping bleeding and warming compresses;
- rubber band;
- a set of plasters of various sizes – medical fixing and bactericidal;
- antiseptics for treating the wound surface – chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide 3% (use with caution on large open wounds, i.e.because the healing process slows down), iodine solution. Do not forget that antiseptics also have a shelf life, after which they become plain water.
Wound-healing anti-burn panthenol in any form – cream, ointment, aerosol or emulsion – can be referred to the same section.
2. Devices and instruments. This section should also not be neglected – body temperature and blood pressure can fluctuate, and the sooner you know the exact values, the easier it will be to determine the treatment.You need to put in the first-aid kit:
- thermometer. An inexpensive and accurate, but not the safest, mercury thermometer in a case or an electronic one that remembers the last readings, with replaceable disposable tips and batteries that run out of time – everyone decides for himself, but a thermometer in a first-aid kit is vital;
- tonometer – especially if there are hypertensive patients and the elderly among the household;
- scissors, tweezers for removing splinters;
- measuring spoon and measuring cup;
- pipettes;
- syringes and alcohol wipes – if a doctor has prescribed injectables;
- shoe covers – useful in case an ambulance arrives.
3. Medicines . Practice shows that most often at home we try to cope with ARVI, indigestion, headache, toothache, painful menstruation. Therefore, in the first-aid kit, in addition to the obligatory medications prescribed by a doctor for chronic diseases, the following drugs should be:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory: paracetamol, ibuprofen and nimesulide – drugs with which you can bring down the temperature. The most harmless is paracetamol, if it does not help, then, following the instructions, you can use ibuprofen.Acetylsalicylic acid also has antipyretic effects, but it should not be given to children under 12 years of age;
- spray or lozenges for sore throat;
- nasal drops to facilitate breathing that reduce swelling of the nasal mucosa, such as Pinosol;
- sorbents – activated carbon, sorbents based on lignin, smecta;
- means for rehydration, restoring the water-salt balance, necessary in case of poisoning and high temperature;
- ointments or gels that relieve muscle pain;
- antidiarrheal agents;
- antihistamines.
In any case, it is better to collect this section of the first-aid kit after consulting a doctor, and use drugs that have already been prescribed earlier – taking into account individual contraindications and characteristics of the home. Also, do not keep antibiotics in the first-aid kit: the body is able to cope with the vast majority of acute respiratory viral infections on its own, from the home doctor you only need to stop the symptoms and make sure that there are no complications in the recovery process. For the same reason, it is better not to equip the first-aid kit with drugs with unproven efficacy like arbidol, kagocel, ingavirin and oscillococcinum (the latter is generally homeopathic sugar balls) – there is no benefit from them in ARVI, but they make the wallet noticeably easier.
APPOLO First Aid Kits – the guarantor of your peace of mind and safety!
A properly equipped first aid kit is a guarantor of safety for you, your relatives, friends or colleagues. The composition and size of first-aid kits varies depending on the scope of its application: the conditions for the provision of assistance, the nature of the injuries, and the number of victims.
In the online store “Komus” you can buy first-aid kits manufactured by APPOLO (Russia), which are widely known in the market for their quality of performance.The components included in the composition undergo strict control and meet the highest requirements.
The composition of the first-aid kits meets the requirements of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
First aid kits for office and production
First aid kits for office and production are a necessary attribute and optimal solution for providing first aid during the work process.
Any office worker can inquire about the location of the first aid kit and its composition.The first-aid kit must be constantly updated, in accordance with the expiration date of the drugs and their quantity.
Each medicine included in the composition must be signed, that is, have a label. Employees should be familiar with the action of drugs and the rules of first aid.
You can find out the composition of the first-aid kit and a detailed description if you follow the link.
Car first aid kits
Driving is associated with a risk to human health.It is important that the car first aid kit contains all the necessary supplies for providing first aid to the victim.
Automotive first aid kit is completed in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation and complies with European standards. The new format of the first-aid kit presupposes the complete exclusion of drugs from it and an increase in the volume of dressing and hemostatic materials, as well as means for carrying out resuscitation measures. The changes also affected the increase in the shelf life of the first aid kit.This period is now 4.5 years, plus 6 months to replace it.
You can find out the composition of the first-aid kit and a detailed description if you follow the link.
There are also special car first-aid kits for beautiful ladies-drivers, which are additionally equipped with hygiene products.
The composition of the first-aid kit and detailed characteristics you can find out if you follow the link.
First-aid kits for children’s and educational institutions
Children and adolescents are not insured against cuts, abrasions and fainting.Therefore, educational institutions must have a first-aid kit that allows them to provide first aid to a student.
First-aid kits for children’s and educational institutions are designed to provide pre-medical self-and mutual assistance for minor injuries, ailments and emergency conditions.
Important! The first-aid kit must be removed to a hard-to-reach place to exclude the possibility of independent use of medicines and instruments by students.
The composition of the first-aid kit and detailed characteristics you can find out if you follow the link.
Also in our online store you can buy universal and individual first-aid kits, first-aid kits for summer cottages, first-aid kits for mothers and babies.
What you need to know
A first aid kit must be in every office, enterprise and production, educational institution or hotel, but its presence is not a panacea for all ailments and emergencies.
Do not neglect preventive measures that will help to avoid viral and colds.Pay special attention to factors that can lead to situations that threaten human life and health.
There must be an employee with medical education who, if necessary, will be able to provide first aid to the victim, and will also monitor the timely replenishment of medical supplies and instruments.
Familiarize employees with safety regulations, fire safety regulations, and first aid procedures.
Remember that a first aid kit is only needed to provide first aid in an emergency until the arrival of a full-time paramedic or ambulance.
Be healthy!
The Ministry of Health approved the requirements for the complete set of the automobile first aid kit
https://ria.ru/20201110/aptechka-1583984691.html
The Ministry of Health approved the requirements for the complete set of the automobile first aid kit
The Ministry of Health approved the requirements for the complete set of the automobile first aid kit, 10 …11.2020
The Ministry of Health approved the requirements for the complete set of the automobile first-aid kit
The Ministry of Health of Russia approved the requirements for the complete set of the automobile first-aid kit, it must contain masks, gloves, bandages, a tourniquet, adhesive plaster, sterile wipes, … RIA Novosti, 10.11.2020
2020 -11-10T18: 09
2020-11-10T18: 09
2020-11-10T22: 09
Society
Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Ministry of Health of Russia)
Auto
Health – Society
/ html / head / meta [@ name = ‘og: title’] / @ content
/ html / head / meta [@ name = ‘og: description’] / @ content
https: // cdn21.img.ria.ru/images/152371/12/1523711232_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_05436a
4e94c113e697ac0969e02.jpg
MOSCOW, Nov 10 – RIA Novosti. The Ministry of Health of Russia approved the requirements for the complete set of a car first-aid kit, it must contain masks, gloves, bandages, a tourniquet, adhesive plaster, sterile napkins, scissors and instructions for first aid, the corresponding order is published on the official Internet portal of legal information. “Approve the attached requirements for equipping a first aid kit with medical products for providing first aid to victims of road accidents, “the document says.The first-aid kit should include two medical non-sterile disposable masks, two pairs of gloves, a mask for artificial respiration, a tourniquet, bandages, gauze medical sterile napkins, an adhesive plaster, it is noted in the order. In addition, the first-aid kit should contain scissors and instructions for first aid. is specified in the document. The presence of drugs in the first-aid kit is not provided.
https://ria.ru/20201107/konfiskatsiya-1583521941.html
RIA Novosti
internet-group @ rian.ru
7 495 645-6601
FSUE MIA “Russia Today”
https: //xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/
2020
RIA Novosti
7 495 645-6601
FSUE MIA “Russia Today”
https: //xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/
News
ru-RU
https://ria.ru /docs/about/copyright.html
https: // xn – c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn – p1ai /
RIA Novosti
7 495 645-6601
FSUE MIA “Russia Today”
https: //xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards /
https://cdn24.img.ria.ru/images/152371/12/1523711232_171 0:2902:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_4d395a3c42f0827dcfc1499b9bfc133a.jpg
RIA Novosti
https: // xn – c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn – p1ai / awards /
RIA Novosti
7 495 645-6601
FSUE MIA “Russia Today”
https: //xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai / awards /
society, ministry of health of the russian federation (ministry of health of russia), auto, health – society
Composition of a new type of car first aid kit
The order approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on the list of medicines that must be in a car first-aid kit will oblige drivers to have a first-aid kit of a new type.And this is not only the obligatory means for providing first aid, but also what the driver himself considers necessary to put in – medications, a non-contact thermometer, or a tonometer.
What is included in a car first aid kit
What is included in a car first aid kit? The list of funds that must be found on a mandatory basis is quite simple, and the principle of application is clear from the instructions. These are:
- Tourniquet for stopping bleeding;
- Five packs of non-sterile bandages, with different widths;
- Sterile bandages also come in a set of five with different widths;
- One package for dressing injuries;
- One package with gauze bags;
- Bactericidal plasters in a total of 12 pieces;
- Regular plaster, roll 1 piece;
- Device for resuscitation of artificial respiration;
- One scissors;
- One medical gloves;
- One case, for packaging funds;
- One instructions for use with recommendations.
The complete absence of medicines in the first aid kit does not mean that it cannot be supplemented. Each vehicle owner supplements his first aid kit at his own discretion. As a supplemented list, you can use drugs such as:
- Analgin and citramone as an anesthetic;
- Heart drops or tablets;
- Alcohol for disinfection;
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Antibiotics
- Non-contact thermometer and others.
If instructions for use are not required for analgin and citramon, then when supplementing the first-aid kit with a thermometer, you need to study the instructions and put it to the preparations. This is done in order to know how to use a non-contact thermometer. If you have an infrared thermometer in stock, then this is one of the measuring instruments for determining the temperature of the human body. Such a device was recently put into operation, and not everyone is familiar with it. Often, people use only mercury measuring devices, but as a supplement to a car first aid kit, such a thermometer can be inconvenient, and if damaged, it is dangerous to health.
How does a non-contact thermometer work? To do this, you need to understand the principle of how to correctly measure the temperature with such a device. To do this, you need to make sure that the person’s forehead is free of moisture and cream, and point the thermometer to the forehead, at a distance of up to 6 centimeters. The measurement time is up to a loud sound signal, and the error is up to 0.4 ° C. During the procedure, it is undesirable that there are extraneous air flows between the person and the device – a heater or air conditioner, only then will the infrared radiation show reliable measurements.
Rules for the use of an auto first aid kit
The rules for the use of an auto first aid kit are quite simple, and every driver will cope with the medicines and preparations put into it. But there are guidelines that can make your task easier if you follow the basic rules.
It is important to know that all the manipulations that you will carry out when assisting victims in an accident must be done with rubber gloves. This will protect you from possible infection, and save the victim from possible infection.When carrying out manipulations to prevent bleeding using a tourniquet, you need to fix the tourniquet above the point of damage, and then apply a bandage using bandages and napkins. If you are doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, then the first aid kit will have the right device that will help the victim to establish the respiratory process. Bactericidal patches are used for small wounds and scratches.
The period of validity of such a first-aid kit is 4.5 years. All medications that the driver adds himself will have an expiration date indicated on the package.A rubber band and plasters are stored for more than 6 years, after which they must be replaced.
Contents of the emergency first aid kit
APPENDIX No. 2
to the order of the Ministry of Health of the Trans-Baikal Territory dated December 29, 2011 No. 2544 “On measures to prevent infection with HIV and parenteral hepatitis in the workplace”
Composition of a personal prevention kit for contact with biological fluids
Preparations:
70% ethyl alcohol – 100.0 ml
5% alcohol solution of iodine – 10.0 ml
1% aqueous boric acid solution – 100.0 ml
Consumables:
Sterile cotton balls – 10 pcs.
Sterile bandage – 1 pc.
Bactericidal adhesive plaster – 1 pack
Syringe 2.0 without needle – 2 pcs.
Other:
Scissors – 1 pc.
Container for storing the first-aid kit (with the possibility of multiple processing) – 1 pc.
To be provided:
- Continuous availability of first aid kit
- Continuous replenishment of used drugs and consumables
- Regular monitoring of the expiration dates of drugs and consumables
Extract from the Resolution of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated 28.01. 2008 No. 4 (as revised on June 29, 2011) On the Approval of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Rules of the Joint Venture. 1.3.2322-08 “Safety of work with microorganisms of III – IV groups of pathogenicity (danger) and pathogens of parasitic diseases”.
Emergency first aid kit:
ethyl alcohol 70% (two bottles of 100 ml each), 2 – 3 weighed portions of potassium permanganate for the preparation of a 0.05% solution (0.0125 g of potassium permanganate + 25 ml of water), sterile distilled water, 5% tincture of iodine, scissors with rounded branches, dressings (cotton wool, bandages, etc.)), tourniquet and ammonia.
In addition to the above, in the first-aid kit of the virological laboratory there should be a 1% solution of boric acid, interferon or an interferon inducer; in the first-aid kit of the mycological laboratory – 1% solution of boric acid or weighed portion for solution preparation (0.25 g of boric acid + 25 ml of water).
In the laboratories of research institutes conducting research with microorganisms of III – IV pathogenicity groups with altered properties, there should be a supply of funds for emergency prevention and treatment (antibiotics, serums, immunoglobulins, etc.