What should be in a disaster first aid kit?

[flairon]

A buddy and I are talking about what to make in a disaster first aid kit. Not the standard little first aid kit that people put in their glovebox, something that will service 4 people for say 4-5 days. We have looked over what the red cross suggest and it just doesn't seem to be enough, and if you look at survival sites they have everything short of an ambulance in them.

What do people think should be a mandatory kind of thing in a first aid kit for something like a natural disaster type situation? Any special tools? knife? scalpels? needles? Should it be something that can hand the basic scrap/cut maybe even broken leg, or should this be something that can do light field surgery if needed.

[Lastbornjoker]

Twnkies!

[crupiea]

You have to figure what type of disaster you are planning for.

I live in san diego so chances are that i wont be prepping for a tornado. i would plan for an earthquake.

The chances of my house and everyone elses house completely collapsing would be slim. It might be severely damaged and uninhabitable but that doesnt mean I cant still go in parts of it or parts of my neighbors house. Of course a tornado would decimate things so thats a different story.

Now figure what you will really need.

- some way to get water or actual water

- some way to start a fire

- of course you can have bandaid and that sort of stuff but its not that big of a deal when you think about it.

Fo me, I live near a nasty river so i have no water, I have water purification tablets, matches and a lighter.

[SP1966]

Beer doesn't age well so I think wine would be the obvious choice, unless of course you are vigilant in rotating new in for the about to expire...

[SP1966]

You're three minutes late, and five short of a dozen...

[flairon]

You have to figure what type of disaster you are planning for.

I live in san diego so chances are that i wont be prepping for a tornado. i would plan for an earthquake.

The chances of my house and everyone elses house completely collapsing would be slim. It might be severely damaged and uninhabitable but that doesnt mean I cant still go in parts of it or parts of my neighbors house. Of course a tornado would decimate things so thats a different story.

Now figure what you will really need.

- some way to get water or actual water

- some way to start a fire

- of course you can have bandaid and that sort of stuff but its not that big of a deal when you think about it.

Fo me, I live near a nasty river so i have no water, I have water purification tablets, matches and a lighter.

true, but we're kind of trying to make a general purpose kind of kit. something that can hande a decent variety of injuries from scrapes/cuts all the way up to broken bones and maybe stitching up wounds and everything in between

[X-ring]

When I prep for imminent disaster.....MRE's, camelback, filtration bottle and my trusty M-4.

[so-tex]

Tequila and Peyote. If all else fails, call 911.

[Unforgiv3n]

Besides guns which is a must, you need a water purification system. You can get drops at academy for cheap. Magnesium stick for fires.

[flairon]

When I prep for imminent disaster.....MRE's, camelback, filtration bottle and my trusty M-4.

I've seen more than a few places that make a point of how MRE's are really the last food you want in a disaster situation. The reasoning is that mre's are freeze dried food and while they have an extended shelf life, they soak up the water in your body and many require water to prepare. In a time when water will likely be scarce, that's not a good thing. Makes sense I guess. I never thought about it back when i was in the service eating mres, but we always had water available too.

I've also seen a couple things that say water purification that is 'cheap' tends to be something that will likely not last long, but this isn't really for a long range kind of thing. I'm thinking 4-7 days.

[BillReilly]

true, but we're kind of trying to make a general purpose kind of kit. something that can hande a decent variety of injuries from scrapes/cuts all the way up to broken bones and maybe stitching up wounds and everything in between

It sounds like you are looking to gear up for a camping trip that goes wrong. In that case, buy something like this. Throw in a good quality knife and fire starters. Someone else mentioned the water purifiers. You could probably add something for stomach ailments. A week in the woods with the runs would suck. Of course, something to signal for help.

[danno25nh]

In your first aid kit you first need training.
All the cool stuff in the world does no good if you don't know how to use it.
My field kit includes bandages, airway management gear, antibiotics, suture, staples, a host of over the counter meds, and a simple surgical kit.
My disaster kit adds splints, burn management, c-collars, and assorted other upper end field gear.
I am however trained and experienced in the use of these items. For the non-trained individual kit, simple bandages, lots of curlex, over the counter meds, and some kind of illustrated manual. Anything else and you cause more harm than good.

[X-ring]

I've seen more than a few places that make a point of how MRE's are really the last food you want in a disaster situation. The reasoning is that mre's are freeze dried food and while they have an extended shelf life, they soak up the water in your body and many require water to prepare. In a time when water will likely be scarce, that's not a good thing. Makes sense I guess. I never thought about it back when i was in the service eating mres, but we always had water available too.

I've also seen a couple things that say water purification that is 'cheap' tends to be something that will likely not last long, but this isn't really for a long range kind of thing. I'm thinking 4-7 days.

The new MRE's are not freeze dried. There are lots of name brand items in them now. Back in the late 80's we ate LRP's which were freeze dried rations.

[crupiea]

My neigbors dont know it but I plan on eating their food. Maybe their pets too.

[flairon]

as I'm looking around for stuff i'm trying to be mindful to buy U.S. made products when I can. There apparently as absolutely no asprin made in the u.s.

[dungeonmistress]

my neigbors dont know it but i plan on eating their food. Maybe their pets too.

lol!

[dungeonmistress]

A buddy and I are talking about what to make in a disaster first aid kit. Not the standard little first aid kit that people put in their glovebox, something that will service 4 people for say 4-5 days. We have looked over what the red cross suggest and it just doesn't seem to be enough, and if you look at survival sites they have everything short of an ambulance in them.

What do people think should be a mandatory kind of thing in a first aid kit for something like a natural disaster type situation? Any special tools? knife? scalpels? needles? Should it be something that can hand the basic scrap/cut maybe even broken leg, or should this be something that can do light field surgery if needed.

what about some prescription meds in it if anyone in your family is taking any.

[V-240]

Seems like whiskey ought to be on the list someplace. Both as an antiseptic and for internal use. Also to trade for food or water. Not to mention, it ages well. Around me, it never has a chance to age much.

Better get a lot, yes?

[Degaussed]

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/...0089f0870aRCRD

http://72hours.org/household.html

[danno25nh]

The new MRE's are not freeze dried. There are lots of name brand items in them now. Back in the late 80's we ate LRP's which were freeze dried rations.

I enjoyed LRP's Better than C's and first run of MRE's.

[V-240]

A box of meal replacement bars like Muscle Milk or Balance Bars might be a good idea.

[medjen]

In your first aid kit you first need training.
All the cool stuff in the world does no good if you don't know how to use it.

Came in to say this. Unless someone in your family/group is a doctor/nurse/EMT/veterinarian/otherwise knowledgeable, you could easily get yourself in trouble.

[flairon]

A box of meal replacement bars like Muscle Milk or Balance Bars might be a good idea.

I thought about that, but iI wonder how long those kind of bars last?

I've seen a couple places that offer meal replacement bars specifically for this task that have a shelf life of 3 years. Also 'glucose cubes'....doesn't sound tasty but when you're hungry i suppose it would work.

Last night I was looking around on governmentsurplus.com and I am just amazed at how much crap our militaries waste. I know things like the LBE systems and molle gear isn't cheap when you buy it new, and knowing that most gov't contractors really inflate their prices of equipment to the gov't, I'm guessing that the average infantry guys LBE system is probably somewhere around $2000 or so. Out on that site you can buy pallets of LBE systems and accessories with digital camo, so that means they are relatively new, for pennies on the dollar. Deuce and a halfs that still appear to be in fine working order for a cargo vehicle for 3k. You mean there are no reserve units, guard units, rotc that this gear could be passed down to instead of using taxpayer money to buy new?

[flairon]

Came in to say this. Unless someone in your family/group is a doctor/nurse/EMT/veterinarian/otherwise knowledgeable, you could easily get yourself in trouble.

I have sufficient training I believe.

[cowboybiker]

But it here http://www.patriotoutfitters.com/scr...m_source=gbase

[mslman71]