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Thanks…now on to the good stuff!

Today we are going to chat about medical kits!

(Medical kits make me happy!)

This topic is near and dear to my heart this week...

Last Tuesday I accidentally left a burner on my glass top stove after I got done cooking. Then I managed to sit a porcelain bowl down on top of the burner for about 5 minutes without realizing it was turned on.  All I can say is when I picked up the bowl, it was not super awesome!

Luckily I used my first aid training to start my burn treatment at home.  

I also sought medical treatment, which included a tetanus shot, some advanced burn & antibiotic cream, and a very cool gauze mitten :)

Why do I need a first aid kit?

The “great burner incident of 2020” reminded me of why it’s important to have medical supplies available at ALL times.  You never know when someone in your family is going to get hurt or injured. It might even be you!

Even day-to-day accidents make having a basic emergency kit almost a necessity. When we start talking about emergency situations and natural disasters, the likelihood of needing medical supplies to treat injuries and illnesses is even greater. In emergency situations, medical treatment facilities may not be available immediately. Having medical supplies available can help keep your family healthy and safe.

After water and food, medical supplies need to be at the top of your list for getting prepared for the unexpected.

A solid medical kit can go a long way in preparing you and your family for a variety of emergency situations, and it can provide peace of mind in an injury situation. Injuries can be disconcerting, but having the training and medical supplies on-hand can make these types of situations a little less stressful.

Last Tuesday there was a moment of disbelief when I picked up the bowl and it shattered in my hand…then there were a few moments that passed before my brain registered that my fingers were burning. Then I freaked for a second (or two)…

After that I let my basic first aid training take over. I ran my hand under cool water for ten minutes and applied some burn cream to my injured fingers (that were already blistering from the second degree burn).

Having the training and supplies available made the injury feel a little less scary, even though it hurt more than I can describe.

What do I put in my kit?

There are tons of great resources out there that list first aid supplies you want to have in your medical kit.

I recommend thinking about the following categories as you start prepping.

• Basic medical supplies

• Over the counter medicines

• Advanced wound treatment options

• Items for treating strains & sprains

• Burn treatment supplies!

Obviously, you should store basic items like bandaids, gauze, medical tape, and ointments. You should also include pain relievers, basic cold medicines, and vitamins.

Depending on your family health concerns, your level of training, and your comfort with treating medical conditions, I’d also consider more advanced medical supplies in your kit.

We store tourniquets, Celox, quick clot, and chest seals. However, these types of supplies are ONLY useful if you have the training to use them!

Having ace bandages, some braces, and ice packs are also great options for strains and sprains, and of course don’t forget creams and bandages designed for burn care!

It’s important to remember that having medical supplies isn’t enough to deal with emergencies.  ALL of your supplies are relatively useless without training.

What kind of training do I need?

Training, is critically important to your prepping efforts.  Everyone in your family should have basic first aid training.  This training is available from the Red Cross, some outdoor stores like REI, and many local community colleges.

I also recommend advanced wilderness medical training.  The reason this is a good option is because most wilderness courses focus on treating emergency situations where medical professionals aren’t readily available.  This is exactly what you will want when the local emergency room isn’t a good option.

Knowing how to stabilize injuries and treat family members for shock are vital if you can’t get to a medical treatment facility in a short amount of time. In a natural disaster emergency services might be overwhelmed or the ability to get to the hospital may be limited due to road hazards. In situations like this advanced medical treatment can go a long way in keeping everyone safe and calm.

I took an outdoor wilderness course in college, which was great and I have received refresher training a number of times since then. You can look for wilderness first aid courses at outdoor stores like REI and local colleges. I’d also recommend checking out NOLS for medical training.

NOLS is one of the leaders in advanced wilderness training. They have fantastic courses that are offerred all across the US.

You can check them out at:

https://www.nols.edu/en/wilderness-medicine/why-nols/

If you are really motivated, and medically inclined, you could also seek advanced medical training like EMT or Paramedic certification.

Why you need a medical library!

Okay, now it’s time to talk about having reference materials on hand to review treatment recommendations.

Last week when I burned my hand, I relied on my training, but I also leveraged Google to make sure I treated my burn correctly.  I am guessing you look up treatment options on Google as well!

In normal times, you can probably find most emergency information on the internet (just make sure you look for reputable sources), but in some emergency situations, you may not have access to the internet.  

That’s why it’s also critical to keep PHYSICAL COPIES of first aid books with your supplies.  

Here are three books you might want for your prepping library.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Finally, remember to practice with your first aid supplies. As you take classes, practice basic treatment techniques and rotate medical supplies that can expire!

We keep an extra tote with advanced supplies to use as our practice items. The purpose of this practice kit is to ensure we don’t accidentally use up our real supplies.

Hopefully, you are ready to get started on your kits. If you want a quick & comprehensive medical supply list, without all the searching, check out my Medical Supply Checklist.