Building a primary First Aid/Trauma kit

May 22nd, 2017 |

When people think First Aid what usually comes to mind is Band Aids and Antibiotic ointment in the bathroom or a small first aid kit. First Aids kits , for the most part, are sufficient. Taking it to the next level there are Trauma kits. These are used by First Responders like EMTs. They contain items in First Aid kits but much more. Think of them as a portable doctor's office. Both kits come in all shapes and sizes. First Aid kits range from a few to a hundred dollars. Trauma kits can cost several hundred dollars. You can get premade kits, the items themselves or the empty bags. In this article I'm going to go right to what I recommend as a primary kit that has everything needed for a serious injuries shy of having to go to the hospital. You have two options here. Option #1 is spending time learning about all the items to have in these kits and find places that sell them then build your kits. Option #2 is buying a premade Trauma kit Emergency Responders use, learn about all the items and then add missing items. Me personally, I do a combination of both.

First Aid Supplies

First Aid Instructions (Pamphlet or book)
Adhesive and Butterfly bandages
Antiboitic Ointment
Hydrogen Peroxide
Antiseptic wipes
N95/100 mask (N95 are the most common. N100 are harder to come by)
Thermometer
Emergency Blanket
Cotton Balls/Swabs
Nitrile Gloves
Medical Tape
Petroleum Jelly
Cold Compress
Compress Dressing
Gauze Pads (Minor Bleeding)
Rolled Gauze
Elastic Roller Bandage
Triangular Bandage
Medical Scissors
Tweezers
Moleskin (Used for blisters)
Pain relief medicine
Anti Itch medicine
Antacid
Anti Diarrhea medicine
Antihistamine
Sunscreen
Insect Repellent

Trauma Supplies

Alcohol Prep pads
91% Isopropyl Alcohol
Burn Dressing
Bulky Gauze Bandage
Combine Pad (Heavy Bleeding)
Blood Clotting Agent (Highly Recommended)
Trauma Dressing
Ammonia Inhalants
Blood Pressure Cup
Stethoscope
Safety Goggles
CPR Shield
Eye Pad
Eye Wash
Tourniquet
Splint (Arm, Leg and Finger)
C-Collar (Neck Brace)
Oral Airways
Dental Filling kit
Irrigation syringe
Antibiotics
Injectable epinephrine
Instant Glucose (Treat hypoglycemia)

Storage

Now that you have all the items, where do you store them? You can have all these items in a plastic storage bin or a large First Aid/Trauma bag. Both are portable but the bag will be more flexible. The point of this is mainly for the bulk of your supplies. For example; I have duplicates of the basic first aid items in smaller kits all over the place. The primary kit has a large quantity of all the basic items as well as the items needed for severe injuries; hopefully you will not need to use. You may have noticed I didn't mention anything about expiration. That subject is highly debatable in so many fields. For the most part I found that expiration dates mean quality degradation. I personally don't dwell on this subject. I do wind up discarding items that are obviously unusable. I also periodically use up items I have stored for a long period of time.

Training

Make sure you learn about all the different first aid items and uses. Also make sure you get proper training in first aid. I learned some from college and the military but I plan on continuing my training. I will be looking at what the Red Cross has to offer. I also plan on getting CPR certified.

Final thought

First Aid is a large piece of Emergency Preparedness. I focus much of my preparedness time on the subject. The main thing to focus on is properly identifying first aid situations and having the means to address them.