Get Prepared
By Rod Brouhard, About.com Guide to First Aid
Getting ready for life's little emergencies -- and the big ones -- is about having the tools and training necessary to stay safe and provide first aid. Whether it's a first aid kit, a medical bracelet, or a sheet of plywood nailed over your windows to keep out the storm, chance favors the prepared.
First Aid and CPR Training
First aid and CPR education is the foundation of all emergency medical training. It's important to know where to find the right class and how to recognize it.
- What is First Aid?
- Learning First Aid
- Before You Take a CPR Class
- Teaching CPR to Kids
- Videos from About.com First Aid
Emergency Preparedness
Man-made to Mother Nature, disasters usually live up to their name. The best way to handle a bona fide disaster is to plan for it.
- Disaster Planning
- Evacuation Supplies
- Emergency Water Supplies
- Emergency Radios
- Home Fires
- Surviving Power Failures
- Video: Creating a Family Disaster Plan
- Surviving Floods
- Before You Get Caught in a Hurricane
- Surviving Tornadoes
- Surviving High Heat
- Extreme Cold at Home
- Traveling in Extreme Cold
First Aid Kits
Whether buying or building your first aid kit, pick the supplies based on the environment. A first aid kit for home is different than a first aid kit for the car or the soccer field. Do you want medications in your kit? Will you be far away from civilization? How much room do you have for a first aid kit?
- First Aid Without a First Aid Kit
- Ready-Made First Aid Kits
- Items Every First Aid Kit Needs
- Tour of a First Aid Kit
- Building Your Own First Aid Kit
- Medicines in a First Aid Kit
- Video: Choosing Pain Medication
- First Aid Kits for Travel
Travel Safety Tips
Preparing for first aid on the go is probably more important than at home. At least at home you have clean towels to stop bleeding and 911 to call if things go poorly. Stay safe on the road with these travel tips.
Managing Medical Information
Keeping accurate medical information handy is invaluable to emergency responders. When the ambulance gets to the scene, they need as much medical history, allergy and medication information as they can get.
- Where to Leave Medical Information
- Important Personal Medical Information
- Organizing Your Medical Information
- Printable Medical Information Sheet
Working in EMS
This is a wonderful career with tons of possibilities.
