upamfva
Forum Superstar
Join Date: 6.11.2021
Posts: 788
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Posted: 12.7.2022 10:44:16
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Build Your Own First Aid Kit – IFAK
Before you decide to build your own first aid kit, you should start by answering a few questions and go from there. Choosing the items you decide to add to your first aid kit is very subjective and personalized. Much like a bug-out bag, what items you add to your kit, may be meaningless to others. This article will address the train of thought you need to build your own perfect FAK and make a few recommendations and suggestions for items to add to your kit.To get more news about portable medical kit, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
We are all exposed to potentially hazardous conditions every day of our lives. However, the hazards that we are exposed to may be unique. For example, a person who hikes in the mountains is exposed to dangers that a city dweller may never experience, however, the urban resident is also exposed to dangers the hiker may not need to consider. While falling off the side of the mountain or being attacked by a wild animal is something a hiker may need to consider, the person who lives in the city needs to worry about vehicle accidents and violent attacks from two-legged predators. At the same time, a person who works in a factory is exposed to hazards that an office worker might not even consider.
For this reason, before building your own first aid kit, we must identify the hazards you are exposed to. It would also make sense to prioritize those hazards. A plane falling out of the sky is a hazard but is incredibly unlikely. A person who will never touched a firearm is less likely to experience a gunshot wound than someone who works at a gun range. Start by paying attention to the world around you and taking note of injuries people just like you have experienced.
Where will you store your kit?
Many of us have kits in our house. I often refer to these types of home first aid kits as “boo-boo kits”. They often include bandages and antiseptic for everyday cuts and scrapes. These boo-boo kits are often about half the size of a shoe box or larger. If you are storing the kit on a shelf in your home, size doesn’t matter much. However, you may be surprised to learn that many thousands of people wear their kits on their person as part of what we call “Every Day Carry” (EDC). In many situations, these kits are often worn around one’s ankle.
An Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) is usually smaller than the kit you keep at your home or in the trunk of your vehicle. For that reason, size and weight matter and one would only keep the direst of necessities. Whereas the larger kits may include less emergent gear like the bandages and antiseptic.
Another thing to consider when deciding where you will keep your first aid kit is the temperature of the storage location. Storing a first aid kit in the trunk of your vehicle will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. These temperature changes may affect the life of the items inside, specifically adhesives. Yes, many of the items which you may include in your kit do expire. Chest seals are known to prematurely fail when stored long-term in a hot vehicle.
How long will it take to get professional medical help?
I want you to consider how long it will take to get professional help, whether that help is coming to you or you are evacuating to an emergency room. Either way, how long will it take you to get the professional help that you need?
According to a CBS News article in 2019, the average response time for Chicago emergency medical personnel to arrive is approximately 7 minutes. The state standard is 6 minutes. I’ve had to call 911 twice for medical purposes, once in Niles, IL, and another in Glenview, IL and though I didn’t time either call, I can tell you they were roughly around the state standard. Can we agree that a tremendous amount of bad can happen in 7 minutes?
7 minutes may seem like a dream to the hiker with a compound leg fracture in the center of Pere Marquette State Park or someone living in rural America. Pere Marquette State Park exceeds 8,000 acres. Hypothermia may even be a consideration if one isn’t within walking distance from a warm shelter. The response time could be hours and most likely the victim will need to self-rescue. These are things that must be considered when building your own first aid kit.
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