Unfortunately for many new survival preppers, when it comes to first aid, they go no farther than making sure they have a basic first aid kit. These $10 to $20 kits are nowhere near enough to help you in a true emergency situation, especially not one that is played out over a longer period of time.
What’s worse is that they never learn to use the supplies they have. So even if they have the tools in front of them, they don’t know what to do in order to reduce pain or prevent further infection or injury.
Plus, you have to understand that in the survival situation, you may run out of or not have your first aid supplies on you. That means you have to understand how to adapt to the situation and remedy it for yourself or for a loved one in the best way possible.
One thing that people don’t realize is that when you are in a survival situation, such as a flood, a minor scratch on your leg could turn into something deadly because of things that are floating in the water or the unhygienic state of your surroundings.
Usually, you’re in a nice, safe home where you can cleanse a wound, cover it, and head to the doctor if anything looks unusual period but in a survival event, these will be luxuries you may not have access to.
You may not even have clean water to take care of an injury. And a simple first aid situation could turn into something where you have to save someone’s life by pairing whatever you can find around you with the knowledge you have gained ahead of time.
Common Injuries That You Can t Ignore in a Survival Event
The kind of first aid you’ll be applying an a survival event will depend on the severity of what you are undergoing and what you have access to. For example, even if a tornado destroyed your home, you may have injuries that can be treated at a hospital once rescue teams arrived.
But if the grid goes down and there’s no clean water in your home for a long period of time, you may have other injuries that have to be addressed, such as a burn that someone got from trying to cook over an open fire.
Or, if you are in a worst case scenario where you have to bug out into the wilderness, you may suffer all different kinds of seemingly minor injuries, that turn into something bigger without treatment.
Cuts and scrapes will be among these types of concerns. You need to find clean water so that you can wash out the wound and use any antiseptic you may have on hand before bandaging it.
With burns, it will depend on the degree of the burn. A simple first degree burn is just an outer layer problem that will be painful, but not necessarily risky. Once you go into the second and third degree burns, these blisters can open up and cause problems if the wound is not cooled to reduce inflammation and a burn cream with gauze applied to protect it.
You may also have to take care of any sprains or broken limbs in a survival situation. In some cases you’ll be able to visibly see when a bone is broken, but it may just be a swollen area with bruising and pain.
Trying to immobilize it, whether you have a traditional splint or you fashion one out of your surroundings like branches and vines, will help it keep from getting worse and becoming more severe in terms of pain.
In a wilderness survival situation, you may also be affected by insect bites. After removing the stinger, you’ll need to clean the area and if you have any type of antihistamine product, give that to the person to alleviate any type of reaction.
You never want to rely on your first aid kit for survival. You may have to use other items you have on hand, such as a menstrual pad as a makeshift bandage or some willow bark as a painkiller.
If you have an aloe Vera plant, you can apply that to burns, and honey has been known to have antibacterial benefits as well. When you have this knowledge, it can help steer your survival gardening and purchasing decision ahead of time so that you have backup first aid supplies whenever needed.
Be Alert to What s Happening in a First Aid Situation
With survival events, you want to have a level head. Panicking whenever someone is injured, regardless of how much, is never beneficial. You may have to take the lead and calm everyone else down while you assess the situation.
You want to make sure that the person is breathing properly. If they are choking or you can tell that their circulation is not working, that’s an immediate danger that has to be taken care of.
You might recognize something specific is happening, such as slurred words indicating a stroke or someone grabbing their chest to showcase a potential heart attack. If multiple people are injured, you want to assess everyone quickly and focus on the person that needs the most help based on the severity of the issue, not necessarily what it looks like.
Someone who is bleeding, but not necessarily at risk for anything severe happening may not need first aid over someone whose speech is slurring or whose airway is blocked.
Work on stabilizing people in the order of severity and treat their injuries before providing comfort to them. If possible, you may need to signal for rescue or somehow contact emergency services so that you can get the help you need.
Life-Saving First Aid Skills Everyone Needs to Know
For some of the more severe first aid situations, more than a scratch or a headache, you and your survival party need to know how to address these. It’s important that others know how to handle these situations as well in case you are the one who is in need of assistance or if they get separated from the rest of the group.
When we talk about open wounds, you may have to do a little more than simply washing something out and putting a bandage over it. There may be a situation where you have to stitch the wound if you cannot get to a doctor’s office or hospital.
Everything has to be sterilized with boiling water, and kept as clean as possible. Your first aid doesn’t end after the wound is stitched. You have to keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t get infected afterwards.
Being in a survival event is stressful, and you’ll want to know how to provide CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation). There are classes you can take for this, and if you want to invest in a defibrillator for your home, you can do that as well.
Likewise, knowing how to apply the Heimlich maneuver on someone else or on yourself is an important part of staying safe in survival situations. You want to be able to unblock the airway, whether it’s an infant, child, or grown person by performing quick upward thrust to the abdominal area.
Heat stroke and hypothermia are also situations you may have to deal with in terms of first aid if you are in an extreme weather location. You want to recognize the signs of these to illnesses and either work to increase the body temperature or cool them down, whichever scenario applies.
First aid is a skill for survival that you and your loved ones want to be prepared for in terms of supplies and knowledge. Learning things once is never enough to apply them in a true emergency event.
Things have to be practiced and you can conduct drills to ensure everyone knows how to handle a crisis first aid situation. By making sure everyone is knowledgeable, you will be gifting them with peace of mind and the emotional support they ll need to maintain their composure in a chaotic state.
Being prepared for survival situations is paramount, and a complete survival first aid kit is the key to ensuring your safety in unforeseen circumstances. Whether you’re facing a natural disaster, an outdoor adventure, or unexpected challenges, having a well-equipped first aid survival kit means you’re ready to handle anything that comes your way. From food and water supplies to tools, shelter, and communication devices, a comprehensive first aid survival kit is your lifeline during critical moments. It’s about taking control of your destiny and being self-reliant in challenging times. Don’t wait for disaster to strike – invest in a complete first aid survival readiness kit now to ensure you’re always ready for the unexpected.
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