Household Safety: Basic First Aid Kits For Home Or Car

Whether you have children, are elderly, or live alone, people (including yourself) are in and out of your house or automobile on a daily basis. Where there are people, there are accidents, illnesses, and sometimes even emergencies. For many emergencies and for some illnesses, the difference between life and death can be just a small amount of preparedness. Often emergency responders are at minimum 4-5 minutes away, and that is in an optimum situation. A more likely response is 7-8 minutes from the time you begin calling 911, which is more than enough time for a large loss of blood or irreparable brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Are you prepared to help your loved one in an emergency?

A small emergency first aid kit in the home and in your automobile can give just enough help in those types of emergency situations to help you or a loved one last until Fire and EMS can arrive. A simple first aid kit can also help in more routine conditions such as a small laceration or cut, a small burn, or another less dangerous situation.

Do you or your loved one's have special needs such as Diabetes, Anemia, or Asthma? These first aid kits can also help make sure their needs are taken care of when "life" happens. Below you will see some simple first aid kits for the home or car, some great things to include in them, and just how these emergency first aid kits can save someone's life.

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First Aid Kits For Travel

Many people don't take the time to get a first aid or emergency kit for their automobile because they think it has to be large and would be in the way or they think they would never need it. Today, people are driving all the time. Whether it be from home to work, to the supermarket, or even a 5 hour trip across state, we are always in our automobile.

Having a small, essentials-only first aid kit in your vehicle could mean being able to help in someone's time of need, rather than standing by, helpless and waiting for emergency care providers. These small kits are easy to stow away in a glove box, center console, or even the trunk, if necessary.

Most kits will have bandages and some ointments, but most importantly they will have gloves, which will keep you save should you be helping out a stranger who is bleeding. One of these kits, by AAA, also has a mini air compressor and a small set of jumper cables for automotive emergencies that may occur along the way.

Home First Aid Kits

Although many people have medical supplies at home, such as bandages, ointments, etc., few of them have them all together or even know where they are. Rarely are those unprepared homeowners able to recall where important emergency items are when a true emergency arises. As most emergencies occur at or near the home, it should be common sense to have emergency first aid kits available and ready to use.

The first kit I have listed to the right is perfect for young families or households that have small children. This first aid kit has stickers, colorful bandaids, and crayons, all to help make a bad situation better for little ones. It also has sting relief pads, antibiotic ointment, and one-time use thermometers to deal with the cause of the emergency.

The second kit has everything from cold packs, pain medicine, and bandages to a "save-a-tooth" system. This kit has everything needed to deal with most in-home emergencies.

The third kit is a larger kit from Johnson & Johnson, always associated with home and medical products. This kit has plenty of bandages, etc, and is enough for a large family or any office. The kit also includes a first aid guide to assist anyone who should need the kit.

5 Must Have's In Any First Aid Kit!

While you are preparing your first aid kit for your home or automobile, there are many things that you will put in it. Below are 5 things that every first aid kit for your home or car should have. If your kit does not have these in it, order them!

1. Aspirin - Every kit will have some sort of pain reliever or fever reducer in it, but few will have some Aspirin. Aspirin is great for fevers and pain, but unless a person is allergic, every person who experiences chest pain or other heart attack symptoms will be given some. In many cases, emergency dispatchers will instruct you to take Aspirin prior to the arrival of Fire or EMS. You will want 325mg or 81mg chewable tablets.
2. Candles or Flashlight - Rarely do emergencies occur when things are going well. You may have a medical or traumatic emergency when it is dark and may not have electricity. In that case, have a candle or a small flashlight to make dealing with the emergency possible.
3. Tape - Every first aid kit that you will find will have bandages, gauze, and/or triangle bandages (slings). Rarely will you find a kit that has any tape that is worth using. Most kits will have an old style fabric tape or a paper tape. Be sure that you have something in the kit to hold a bandage on!
4. Ziploc Bags - An easy thing to include in any kit are Ziploc or any other seal-able bags. These bags are excellent for making ice packs but are also essential for preserving removed teeth or small amputated appendages, such as fingers, to be reattached.
5. A Written List! - Especially for the household kit, you may want to put a list of medical allergies, past medical history, or a list of prescriptions. These are some of the first questions a medical responder is going to ask of the patient, so if you have this information ready, not only will that make the emergency response work faster, that also ensures that the correct information follows you or your loved one throughout the medical treatment process.