Make your family first aid ready

In the event of an emergency, a personal home First Aid Kit and a
First Aid manual are invaluable tools. Since emergency 911 services may
not be available or may not be able to respond quickly, you may be the
only chance that a victim has to survive or escape further harm. Being
prepared for this type of situation could be second nature to you and
your family if you choose to make your family “first aid ready.”

Being knowledgeable about the effective implementation of basic
medical procedures can mean the difference between life and death in an
emergency situation. Although basic knowledge is better than no
knowledge, having that information centralized in a single member of
your family would not be beneficial if that member was the one who
needed help. In order to be effective, every member of your family,
including children, should be familiar with basic first aid procedures.

Here’s how to do it. Take one of the Basic First Aid courses taught
by the American Red Cross and make it a family affair. Bring the kids
along so that they can see how to help people in an emergency. Review
the procedures when you get home and on a regular basis thereafter. Once
a month, bring the family together and read through the first aid manual
and see who can remember how to do the procedures. You can even take it
as far as trying to make a family game out of it!

Then, when you are putting together your personal family first aid
kit, take your whole family shopping. Make sure that everyone
understands how to use the tape, gauze, and ointments in your first aid
kit. The kids might even like to pick out some special Band-Aids that
they can include in the kit.