How to Build an Emergency Survival Kit
Families Prepare by Disaster Planning and First Aid Training
Sep 13, 2009
Knowledge of basic first aid techniques and proper supplies can mean the difference in life or death. As the Boy Scouts would advise, it’s just a matter of being prepared. Yet, how can a person be certain he is ready for medical emergencies?
Strategies for Surviving an Emergency Include
- Taking a First Aid course
- Having First Aid supplies on hand
- Assessing the family’s basic and medical needs
- Building a complete, customized survival kit
- Maintaining and storing the kit
Learn First Aid by Taking a Course
What cannot go wrong? People slip and fall in bathrooms. They are burned cooking supper. Hands get smashed in car doors. But people are also accidentally electrocuted, they have heart attacks, and they lie broken and bleeding from automobile accidents.
If that were not bad enough, what if any of these scenarios came during an ongoing disaster such as a flood or hurricane? Would the first person on the scene know what to do?
The Red Cross offers excellent training, including:
- CPR Certification courses (cardio pulmonary resuscitation)
- First Aid Certification courses (which are more extensive and also cover CPR)
- Jr. & Sr. Lifeguard courses (which cover basic first aid, CPR, and emergency water rescue)
- Water Safety Instructor (WSI) courses (which include the above, plus teach how to instruct water safety)
These are all superior course offerings. They don’t take much time. They don’t cost much money and they come complete with a reference/instruction manual. The Lifeguard and WSI courses provide students with some exercise, too. So besides being educational they are both good clean fun!
Have Basic First Aid Kits on Hand
It is also wise to have several basic cheap first aid kits on hand. These can be purchased online, or at stores such as Wal-Mart, pharmacies and sporting-goods outlets. These first aid kits are handy and very inexpensive. A good one is made by Johnson & Johnson–bar code: 8137-008123.
Keep one in each vehicle (not in the trunk), one in the kitchen or bathroom, and place another first aid kit where the family would shelter from a tornado or other sudden emergency. When something is used from the kit, make a note of it and replace that item as soon as possible.
Assess the Family’s Emergency Needs
The key to building a custom survival kit lies in knowing first aid. Once students of first aid learn the basic techniques for treating medical emergencies, they begin to realize how many ways situations can go very wrong.
Armed with this knowledge, the student is only a short step from being able to put together a top-notch first aid survival kit for his family. The next step only requires a little bit of imagination.
First, imagine the family is camping in the wilderness with little shelter and no way of summoning help. Further imagine the car has broken down. It may be many days before rescue. Now ask these questions:
- What is the weather likely to be? Freezing, flooding, heat wave, severe drought?
- Does anyone have severe allergies?
- Is anyone receiving ongoing therapies for diabetes, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, seizures, etc.?
- Is there an infant or an elder with special needs?
Answer these questions and make notes about what supplies will be necessary to keep the family safe for at least a couple of weeks under these conditions.
Finally, ask “what if” questions such as:
- What if someone feels nauseous, develops diarrhea, has a headache?
- What if someone gets cut, burned, or bitten?, etc.
It rapidly becomes apparent that drugstore first aid kits are mostly a joke compared to what families might actually need in an extended emergency.
For the purposes of emergency survival in a disaster or a mandatory evacuation, families need a portable waterproof survival kit. For this, a large Rubbermaid® style container works very well.
Next, sit down with a pen and paper and list all of the “what if” questions that come to mind; answering them with what will be needed to solve those problems. If one’s memory needs jogging, sit down in front of the medicine cabinet and go through all of the accumulated supplies. If equipment or medicine is in there, it was once necessary and is likely to be needed again.
How to Stock an Emergency Survival Kit
The easiest way to begin stocking an emergency survival kit is to move all household emergency and medical supplies into the waterproof container. In this way they are ready to grab-and-go if necessary, but still remain available for daily use. Keep a list of all supplies and replace nearly-used or expired items promptly.
Then, go back to the list of questions and answers and methodically go about packing any additionally needed items. These might include:
- Extras of prescribed medications and photocopies of prescriptions
- “Space Blankets” for insulation from temperature extremes and to prevent shock
- Plastic garbage bags for keeping emergency areas clean and sanitary
- For diabetics – all blood-sugar testing supplies and some sugary hard candies
- For allergies – Epi-Pens®, Benadryl®, Caladryl®, cortisone creams, nasal sprays, Poison Ivy scrub, eye drops
- Safety pins, scissors, duct tape, sewing needles, heavy-duty thread, twine
- An eye-washer cup, particle masks, bandanas, manicure kits, razors and blades
- Soap, sanitizer, baby wipes
- Ice bags, hot-water bottles
- Sunscreen, mosquito repellent, Aloe Vera gel
- Multi-vitamins
- Manual can-opener, pocketknife
- A latex band (used by ballet dancers for strengthening points)
- Indelible markers like Sharpie® or Marks-a-Lot®
- Waterproof stopwatch with alarm
- Craft sticks for splinting fingers; finger cots
- Strike-anywhere matches
- Flashlights, spare batteries
- Knee, ankle, elbow, or wrist braces
Storing and Maintaining Emergency Survival Kits
Many online sources offer extensive premade emergency survival kits. Some come complete with food and meals-ready-to-eat (MRE). Yet, it is still wise to go through the process of customizing premade kits to fit the family’s particular needs.
Finally, keep first aid survival kits secure and readily accessible. Check them at least yearly for dwindling supplies, expiring medications, and to replace old batteries. They will be ready and portable if necessary, in any weather condition. They will even float!
BNC101
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