When you’re preparing for turbulent times that necessitate survival, knowing how to perform first aid on yourself or a loved one is crucial. A number of things can unexpectedly happen, and if you don’t have a good grasp on how to respond when yourself or someone else suffers an injury, it can be a very anxiety-ridden situation to say the least. Knowing you have the skills to remedy potential scenarios that require first aid is a real sense of security for those who are preparing. Without said skills, you can hope nothing happens that requires it, but if a situation arises where first aid is necessary it could make things very volatile if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Sprains, Strains and Physical Injuries
For a sprain, strain or tear, typically ice or a cold compress is applied for the first several days. If we’re in a grid down scenario in the summer time, that could pose problems if you’re not equipped with solar panels or a solar generator. If this is the case and you don’t have access to anything cold, be sure to have some strong anti-inflammatory medicines in your first aid kit. A good ibuprofen type supplement will reduce the pain and swelling.
A number of potential physical injuries can occur like broken bones, sprained ankles, abrasions, wounds and lacerations, painful blisters and back injuries. Knowing how to treat these conditions if they arise is really going to make a difference when everything is on the line. These types of injuries can really weigh you down and you need to know how to treat them so you can get back to focusing on your survival.
If someone finds themself choking, you have approximately 2 minutes to alleviate the situation. Being proficient in the Heimlich maneuver is something you should consider, or even better, having this anti-choking device in your first aid preps. As terrible as it sounds, someone could start having a heart attack, possibly from the stress of the situation. Having a CPR mask would be invaluable in that situation.
If times of survival are taking place in the warmer months, insect bites and stings will come into play. While not a particularly lethal or life or death concern, being able to treat these conditions can prevent scratching and itching that can cause infection. Depending on where you live and where you’re bugging out, snake bites might also be a concern.
Wounds Could Be Hazardous To Your Survival
If someone suffers a laceration or a wound, fast action and immediate care is required. Stopping the bleeding by compressing the wound is key. If your wound becomes infected, you are putting your prepping and survival mission at risk. It’s important to have the skills and materials to handle this situation swiftly.
You will also need to change the wound dressing regularly, at least once a day, or you risk infection. Having a wound become infected would be a dangerous situation to be in during a grid down SHTF scenario, so it is very important to have an adequate number of bandages in your prepping supplies. Having this wound gel we recommend can also be a game changer. The skin is a protective covering of sorts for bacteria and other foreign invaders, and when that barrier can be penetrated, bacteria now have the opportunity to enter the body and multiply inside. This is why knowing how to properly dress a wound and having enough bandages in your supply is absolutely key. An infected wound can be very painful, and the pain felt isn’t the worst part, so avoiding infection is paramount. Always wear disposable gloves when dressing a wound to reduce the risk of infection.
What If You Burned Yourself As The SHTF?
You also might find yourself in a situation where someone burns themself. One time I was cooking my dinner and after sauteing something up in the frying pan I added the other ingredients and placed the frying pan in the oven to bake. After removing the pan with my oven mitt, about 2 minutes later I was so scatterbrained that I grabbed the pan by the handle with my bare hand. Talk about painful! Wow did my hand get burned. I tried soaking my hand in ice water, putting aloe vera gel on it, and anything else I could think of and had access to in my home. I remembered my next door neighbor was a nurse, and I knocked on her door and asked her for help. She said “I have just what you need”. It was a generic burn cream that you can find in most basic first aid kits. My hand was throbbing with burning pain for 2-3 hours and as soon as she applied the burn cream to my fingers I felt instant relief. The moral of this story? You really need some burn cream in your first aid kit!
