Safety First Aid

Safety First Aid 

What is the best emergency first aid survival kit a UK prepper can have that will ensure essential safety first aid can be given to either yourself or any other injured person.

The best safety first aid kit cannot be just thrown together, it must be thought out to ensure emergency first aid equipment  is the most appropriate for the conditions you are liable to encounter if faced with a SHTF situation.

There is no such thing as a standard safety first aid kit.

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.

The main factors that will decide the level of your safety first aid kit. 

1. Are you trained in emergency first aid
2. If you are trained in emergency first aid – to what level
3. How long ago were you trained – are you up to date with modern emergency procedures
4. 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.

Typically a Family First Aid Kit will cover all your needs as a non trained person.

This pack is quite comprehensive for a standard emergency first aid kit but contains only the basic safety first aid essentials and is both cheap and sufficient for your needs as a non trained person. As with most kits it has it’s own carry bag included.

Click here to view more details of the > Family First Aid Kit.

Whatever the level of your first aid training –  for MOST emergency situations

” Poor first aid, given today,  is better than good first aid tomorrow “

Essential safety first aid requirements for any UK Prepper

1. Enrol in one of the many first aid classes and learn how to administer good first aid
2. Practice emergency scenarios regularly
3. Evaluate you own emergency first aid survival kit requirements – exactly what do you need in your kit
4. Buy a good first add manual – one for home and one kept  with your safety first aid kit

Consideration for choosing your first aid survival 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 good tweezers for sprinters 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 esablished 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 are available

 Typically a  Family First Aid Kit is a basic requirement to have and contains the items below:

This kit is full of every possible first aid product. 1 x Guidence Leaflet,1 x Gloves (pair), 1 x HSE Medium Dressing 12cm, 1 x HSE Large Dressing 18cm, 1 x No 16 Eye Pad, 1 x Finger Bandage, 1 x Crepe Bandage 7.5cm x 4.5m, 1 x Crepe Bandage 10cm x 4.5m, 1 x Conforming Bandage 10cm x 4.5cm, 2 x Non Adherant Dressings 5cm x 5cm, 1 x Non Adherant Dressing 7.5cm x 7.5cm, 20 x Assorted Washproof Plasters, 2 x Triangular Bandages, 1 x Microporous Tape 1.25cm x 4.5m, 6 x Wipes, 1 x Survival Blanket, 2 x Instant Ice Packs, 1 x Hot/Cold Reusable Pack, 1 x Resusciaid, 2 x Eye Wash Pods, 1 x First Aid Scissors.

- The kit is fairly comprehensive for a basic emergency first aid kit – this will cost below £20

An improvement on this Family Kit  now needs to be done that is 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.

Typical upgrades from the family first aid kit are:

There are several item I have in my emergency survival first aid kit that I feel are needed in addition to the normal equipment.

These are my items:

• Several extra pairs of latex gloves – in medium & Large sizes
• Anti septic and wipes – for cleaning hands before & after an incident
• Anti septic hand wash gell - for cleaning hands before & after an incident
• Surgical masks – to reduce to transfer of air born contaminates
• Pack of adhesive sutures – to close serious wounds. 
• Scalpel – avoid using your survival knife – a sterile scalpel for removing tissue, minor surgery.
• Super glue – if you need to close a wound fast
• Duct tape – an essential item for everything

This list and more could go on and on but being prepared with some emergency first equipment is better than none.

Finally…. get yourself trained and learn some first aid.

TheSt John Ambulance run many courses for all levels – I think this an absolute must for any prepper.

But in the meantime get some first aid kit, even the basic, you just never know when SHTF.