Click on the images above for purchase Information

ITEMS TO KEEP ON HAND FOR YOUR FIRST-AID KIT

1. Tweezers remove splinters, ticks and small objects from a wound. To use: Grasp the foreign body as close to the skin surface as possible. Gently pull away from the skin with steady pressure.
2. A Large Safety Pin is one of the most versatile first-aid tools you can use to remove a splinter or embedded foreign body. You can also secure a bandage, help fasten an arm sling, or pop or drain a blister. Before using a safety pin to drain a blister, sterilize it with rubbing alcohol or pass it through a match flame.
3. Mouth-to-Barrier Devices with either a face mask with a one-way valve or a disposable face shield to protect you against disease during rescue breathing. Personal protective equipment is especially important in a car kit because you’re more likely to encounter a stranger who is severely bleeding or needs resuscitation.
4. Disposable Medical-Grade Exam Gloves protect you against bloodborne diseases, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Use gloves in situations involving blood or other body fluids. Store gloves in a plastic bag or empty film canister. (See number six below.)
5. Ice Bags can effectively treat orthopedic injuries, such as dislocations, bruises, and strains of muscles and joints. Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 to 30 minutes every 2 to 3 hours during the first 24 to 48 hours.
6. Resealable Plastic Bags make excellent ice packs and improvise other first-aid supplies. For an ice pack, double-bag (one inside another) ice or snow. Apply one layer of a wet cloth over the injury. Place the ice pack on top. Use an elastic bandage to hold in place. For amputation care, place the amputated part in the bag on a bed of ice. Don’t bury the part in ice.
7. A Thermometer measures body temperature. (You can also use the back of your hand to feel someone’s forehead. The back of your hand is more sensitive than the front.)
8. Gauze Pads (4 inches x 4 inches) control bleeding, prevent infection and contamination, and absorb blood and other drainage. To stop bleeding, place a sterile gauze pad over the entire wound. Apply direct pressure with your fingers or palm.
9. Adhesive-Strip Bandages, in assorted sizes, are handy for small cuts, abrasions and shallow wounds. You can also use adhesive tape with gauze pads to cover wounds.
10. A Conforming Self-Adhering Roller Bandage (4½ -inch width) holds a compression, dressing or splint in place. The slightly elastic, gauze-like material clings to itself so it can be wrapped around almost any body part – usually the arm or hand.
11. Scissors cut bandages or clothing. Blunt-tip scissors prevent injury while cutting next to the skin.
12. Elastic Roller Bandages (3-inch width) are used to apply compression, which prevents swelling from a sprain, strain or bruise. To use: 1) Start the elastic bandage several inches below the injury and wrap in an upward, overlapping (about three-fourths of its width) spiral, starting with even and somewhat tight pressure. 2) Gradually wrap looser above the injury.
13. For an ankle injury: Most ankle injuries are sprains; about 85 percent of sprains involve the ankle’s outside (lateral) ligaments and are caused by having the ankle turned or twisted inward. Form a sock or small towel into a "horseshoe" and place it around the ankle knob next to the skin and under the elastic bandage. This will compress the soft tissues rather than the bones. For a bruise or strain, place a pad over the injury and compress it under the elastic bandage.
14. Adhesive Tape (1½ -inch width) helps hold a splint and secures roller bandages and small dressings. For those allergic to adhesive tape, use paper or special dermatological tape. To apply: Wrap tape partially around, not up and down, the extremity. For "ouchless" removal: Pull tape parallel to the skin and in the direction the hair grows. Or pinch the skin near the wound to defer pain. Quickly remove the bandage.
15. Duct Tape prevents blisters, holds a splint in place, and can substitute as a sling. For blisters, apply a piece of silver aluminum duct tape or use moleskin with a hole cut out of the middle, secured by tape.
16. Antibiotic Ointment protects against bacteria and prevents infection of minor cuts, abrasions and burns.
17. Calamine Lotion helps stop itching and works as a drying agent for poison ivy, oak, sumac and skin rashes.
18. Hydrocortisone Cream (1 percent) relieves minor inflammation, skin irritation and itching.
19. Aspirin or Ibuprofen reduces pain, swelling and fever. Acetaminophen reduces pain and fever, but not swelling, and should be used for children instead of aspirin.
20. Antihistamine reduces pain, swelling and fever. Acetaminophen reduces pain and fever, but not swelling, and should be used for children instead of aspirin.
21. Emergency blanket made of mylar can reduce body heat loss.