07 / FIRST AID
First aid
When the power is out, help can take longer to reach you, and doctors' offices and pharmacies may be closed. First aid is the base most people leave until last, and the one that matters most when it is needed.
Common gaps
- A kit with a few bandages and nothing else.
- Expired items, or a kit nobody can find.
- A prescription that runs out during a long outage.
- No plan for powered medical equipment or medicine that must stay cold.
Build the kit
The American Red Cross publishes a first aid kit checklist. This is the minimum it recommends for a family of four. Scale it to your household and add what your family needs.
| Group | Red Cross list |
|---|---|
| Wounds | 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches), 25 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes, 1 roll of adhesive cloth tape, 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches), 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches), 1 roller bandage (3 inches), 1 roller bandage (4 inches), 2 triangular bandages |
| Cleaning and care | 5 antiseptic wipe packets, 5 antibiotic ointment packets, 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets, 1 instant cold compress |
| Protection | 2 pairs of non-latex gloves (large), 1 breathing barrier with a one-way valve for CPR |
| Tools | Scissors, tweezers, 1 oral thermometer (non-mercury, non-glass), 1 space blanket |
| Medicine | 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each) |
| Information | A first aid instruction booklet |
Check the Red Cross page for the current list before you shop.
About medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any medicine, including aspirin. Medicines are not right for everyone, and children and teenagers should not be given aspirin without a doctor's advice.
Keep it ready
- Keep a kit in the home and a smaller one in each car.
- Store it in a cool, easy-to-reach place, and make sure everyone knows where it is.
- Check it regularly. Check expiration dates and replace anything used or out of date.
- Add emergency phone numbers for your doctors, a flashlight, and a small supply of any medicines your household uses, as your doctor allows.
Prescriptions and medical devices
- Keep a list of every medicine, dose and prescriber.
- Ask your pharmacist or doctor about keeping a supply, and about medicines that need to stay cold.
- If someone depends on powered medical equipment, plan its power first. Tell your electric utility, and ask the device maker how long the device runs on battery. See our guide on medical devices in an outage.
- Ready.gov advises talking with your medical provider about a plan for power outages.
Learn it
The Red Cross offers first aid and CPR courses. A kit helps, but knowing how to use it helps more.
What to buy
| Item | What to look for |
|---|---|
| A first aid kit | Follows the Red Cross checklist, has a printed guide, and can be restocked |
| Extra supplies | Items your household actually uses, with dates |
| A pill organizer | A simple way to keep a week of medicines together, as your doctor allows |
No picks yet, because none has been spec-checked.
Sources
- American Red Cross, Anatomy of a first aid kit: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit.html
- Ready.gov, Build a Kit: https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
- CDC, Power outage safety: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/needtoknow.html
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