(6 July 2024, 20:21)Pete Grey Wrote: New preppers and guests.....have you made a plan yet ?
I am not being patronising and make no apologies for these posts which I make in good faith.
So....FIRST AID....
Let’s face it accidents happen, and when there may be no medical care available we need to be extra careful in what we do, especially when using knives/tools etc, and if possible wear appropriate or protective clothing, and don’t forget your eyes.
We have first aid kits everywhere, basic each for EDC, larger vehicle kits in case we encounter a RTA, a large household kit kept in the kitchen where most accidents occur, then the SHTF crate with the bulk of our long term first aid preps.
When the inevitable happens you need to stop any bleeding, clean the wound, close it if it gapes open and then dress it, sounds simple.
Have you done a first aid course ?, there’s only so much an untrained person can do but a good course gives you confidence, you don’t faff about you just get on and do what you need to do.
So boiled water, wound wash, diluted hydrogen peroxide, dakins fluid (google it) for clearing the wound, povidone iodine, colloidal silver are useful antiseptics, steri-strips or micropore tape to close the wound, if nothing else gaffer tape, leave some way for the wound to drain.
Then sterile dressings, stock up as many as you can, you may have to redress the wound a couple of times a day for two or three weeks.
Melolin or similar dressings 5cm x 5cm 200 of, 10cm x 10cm the same I would consider the minimum, inodine dressings (contain povidone iodine) are very good.
Then cotton wool (lots of it), absorbent lint, bandages, adhesive tape, and you’ve got antiseptic creams, savlon, germolene, sudocream, vaseline etc what suits you, manuka honey is a must and works well on infected or ulcerated wounds.
Strong scissors might be needed for cutting away clothing, then sharp scissors for dressings, forceps, tweezers and irrigation syringes for flushing out wounds.
It might be useful to get the lifesystems sterile kit containing syringes and sutures in case you meet a medic after SHTF, also a dental kit.