Here in Ohio, we're in what seems like our 10th week of rain. It's really raining here -- a lot. The shows, however, must go on! Concerts, festivals, Fairs! I love fair food - especially fried dough, aka elephant ears. Mmmmm, sugary, fried, fluffy on the inside...so yummy... but I digress. Recently, when my husband and I were attending a Paul Bunyan show, a huge rainstorm blew in from nowhere. Everyone ran for cover; the barns were packed. It was uncomfortable to be in wet clothes all day even for the ride home. The show was great, the vendors top notch, but I didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked because our clothes were wet. We've also done volunteer first aid events where the weather has been wet. Our ill and injured patients need to be kept dry while waiting for advanced medical care or transport. That's another instance when having an emergency rain poncho is useful. Disposability in this case is important.
There are millions of other times when wanting, or needing, to stay dry is a necessity. Our MCR economy rain ponchos can help. Small enough to keep in a purse, pocket or knapsack, they'll be a welcome addition to your 72-hour emergency kit.
Welcome Summer! Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of Summer. In addition to fresh lemonade, taking a dip in the pool and having outdoor sunlight past 7pm, summertime can also means stings and scrapes -- sometimes worse.
The latest 2015 statistics show accidents as the 4th leading cause of death in America. That's why it's important to not only keep current with your CPR skills, but to revisit your basic First Aid training as well. While the basics remain the same, like applying direct pressure to stem bleeding and splinting an injury in the position you find it, it is still necessary to practice what you've learned and keep the supplies you need on hand to best utilize those ingrained skills.
Having a first aid kit is a step in the right direction. There is, however, no substitute for preparedness. We all need to examine our lives, busy as they are, and see what accidents or illnesses we're most likely to encounter. Our warehouse personnel need to be cautious when handling boxes as a mishandled cardboard box cuts just as easily as paper. And office workers can attest to how painful and inconvenient a bad paper cut can be. Little league coaches, do you know how to care for a child after they slide into second base and nick a fielder's cleat?
Scrapes and scars are part of life's adventure. Congratulations to everyone reading this as I bet at some point you've faced a situation where you required some first aid care, but no one was around. Your excellent administration of self-care is allowing you to read this article now - I applaud your efforts!
I must confess that one common practice often portrayed on TV and in movies makes my husband and I cringe every time we see it. Please, please do not worry about cleaning a wound when it is still bleeding profusely!!! If you're soaking dressings with fresh blood, there's no need to worry about washing germs away -- the bleeding is going to kill you faster than any perceived infection. So please, get that bleeding under control first, then worry about cleansing, dressing and bandaging, that way you'll stick around long enough to worry about infection!
With that said, a personal first aid kit ensures you've got your essentials at hand. MCR Medical Supply's compact kit is small in stature but big on
utility. Measuring just 4” x 4”, it’s chock full of components to treat
minor injuries. Plus, it’s our smallest kit which still includes the popular ice pack. The compact first aid kit is made from durable
nylon, stores easily in a briefcase, purse, glove compartment, or desk
drawer, and has a loop for easy carrying on a duty belt or backpack accessory strap. The kit comes with:
1 Instant Cold Pack
2 BZK Antiseptic Towelettes (alcohol-free towelettes to cleanse without stinging)
1 Non-Adherent Bandage
1 First Aid Tape 1/2" x 2.5yds.
1 Rolled Gauze 2" x 4yds.
10 Adhesive Bandages 3/4" x 3"
5 Adhesive Bandages 3/8" x 1 1/2"
1 Fingertip Bandage
1 Knuckle Bandage
1 Pair Vinyl Gloves
1 Triple Antibiotic Pack 0.9gm
1 Hydrocortisone Pack 0.9gm
1 Hand Sanitizer Pack 0.9gm
1 First Aid Instruction Guide
Not everything you need in your kit? (Because you've assessed your daily living situation and found you really don't need the hydrocortisone, but could really use some extra gloves.) Personalize it! Make it fit your lifestyle. That's good advice for any first aid or 72-hour disaster prep kit you buy. It has been assembled with what someone thinks folks will need, but I always think of things I'd like more of and some items I don't need at all. Always open the pack to see what's in there and where it is. Don't waste precious minutes rummaging through an unfamiliar pack searching for a dressing. Keep sterile packaging in its original condition, but absolutely rearrange, add or remove things from the kit. A rescue medic friend says you should be able to close your eyes, reach into your kit and know what's where. We'll work on it, Mike!
Looking for general purpose medical and/or training use gloves? Surecare
offers quality soft, supple beaded-cuff examination gloves for single use in
non-sterile environments.
Sold in a dispenser-ready box that holds 100 gloves, they are also available by the case. The case contains 1,000 gloves packaged as 10 boxes.
100% latex and powder-free
exam gloves comply with US ASTM standards. That means you can use them to refill your OSHA required first aid kits! The smooth finish gloves,
made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are manufactured with sensitive
individuals in mind as they contain no protein. Why are protein and powder free gloves recommended for sensitive persons? This answer from the CDC: Proteins responsible for latex allergies are attached
to glove powder. When powdered gloves are worn, more latex protein
reaches the skin. Also, when gloves are put on or removed, particles of
latex protein powder become aerosolized and can be inhaled, contacting
mucous membranes. As a result, allergic health care personnel and
patients can experience symptoms related to cutaneous, respiratory, and
conjunctival exposure. Health care personnel can become
sensitized to latex proteins after repeated exposure. Work areas where
only powder-free, low-allergen (i.e. reduced-protein) gloves are used
show low or undetectable amounts of allergy-causing proteins.
Whether teaching a CPR/AED and First Aid class, coloring your hair, or working in food preparation, vinyl gloves work well for general hand protection. Shop our store and stock up today!
At one time or another, we've all said those words. The truth is - stuff is always happening - and it's happening to someone who spoke those very words.
Preparing for the unexpected isn't something we put on our To Do list. It's not like laundry or dishes that demand our attention on a regular basis. It's not something that gnaws at our subconscious reminding us to, Be Prepared! But when the unexpected happens, catching us unaware ...well, then it's in the forefront of our every waking thought. It demands our complete and undivided attention. "If only we'd thought of that sooner" becomes the new mantra.
Humans have the wonderful ability to put off until tomorrow what doesn't need done today. But when it comes to disaster preparedness, we must think today about what we'll need tomorrow. Time and again I hear people, especially here in Ohio, say - "Oh, we're not the target of any terrorist threat, we don't have earthquakes or hurricanes - what's the point of preparing for something that'll never happen?"
Let's take a look at Ohio and what we have happening. Ice and snow storms. Flooding and yes, we even have earthquakes. A 5.4 magnitude quake shook western Ohio in 1937 and as recently as March 17, 2011, a magnitude 2.6 quake rattled the morning coffee cup. For a complete history of Ohio quakes, click here.
And what about personal disasters? Can you imagine your home burning to the ground, your possessions fueling the all-consuming blaze? I'd call that a disaster.
So, even here in "safe" Ohio, we're under threat of debilitating winter storms, crushing ice storms, fire, severe flooding, tornadoes ...oh my, what can we do?!
About the climate and weather, nothing. What we can do is prepare ourselves as best we can to help mitigate the impact to our property, our family, and ourselves. The good news is that we can do a lot in this area. Whether it's a weather disaster, or a personal crisis we are responsible for how we react and respond. Wouldn't it be nice to have some tools in our toolbox to aid and support us through this trying time?
There are numerous ways you can acquire those "tools". Attending a safety seminar at your local firehouse is a great way to learn how to keep your home and family safe. Fire safety personnel are a fantastic resource for fire safety information and are more often than not happy to share fire safety tips. Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? What size fire can you safety extinguish? What type of extinguisher goes with which type of fire? Wouldn't it be nice to know the answers to these questions before you NEED to know the answers to these questions? Here's a quick 2-minute video to help you with some of those answers:
Ok, so now we've thought about fire, but there's still so much to think about and prepare for! I know, it's a lot to deal with all at once, but that's the good thing about preparedness - you don't have to do it all at once. A little bit of attention a little bit at a time can build you a physical and psychological tool kit you'll be able to draw from when the need arises. That's the good news. But you have to start. And you have to start now.
The first step in learning what kind of disasters to prepare for might be to learn your city's hazard profile. Often, your state EMA can help you with this question. As an example, flooding and tornadoes are of particular concern here in Ohio. While you can't predict what type of disaster you'll have to deal with, you can always prepare. And preparation helps prevent panic.
There are a ton of resources to help you with the planning and preparing part. Often the hardest part is sifting though the mountain of information out there. Some sites lead you to believe that when it comes to disaster preparedness, anything less than a fully stocked underground bunker is pointless. That's just not true. You want to think ahead to what you'll need to keep you and your family alive and well should say, you're snowed-in and can't leave your house for three days. Or, what's my family's plan if there's a home fire? The questions you ask now and the plans you make can mean the difference between a struggle for survival versus safe, sustainable living through the trouble.
Start thinking about what you use on a daily basis. What you can and couldn't live without. A great exercise is to pack what you think you'd need to survive for three days - and live off that. Take it a step further and live from your pack outdoors for a time. Not a big fan of camping? Wouldn't it be better to see what it's like when you don't have to live that way versus when you're left with no option?
Finally, remember you don't have to do everything all at once. I do hope this gets your thinker thinking and maybe puts disaster preparedness on your To Do list. There's a ton of resource material out there to help you, but whatever you do, make sure your plan fits you, your family, your circumstances. Planning and practice helps prevent panic. Make the decision to be one of the folks who come out the other side saying, "We had the right tools when we needed them. We made it."
