First aid preparedness is a key factor in first aid. The training of the preparedness applies to a wide range of emergency situations and consists of certain knowledge and skills. The knowledge and skills gained include what to do for each illness and injury, how to assess a certain medical emergency and how to make the right decisions.
Why First Aid Preparedness is Essential
In order to be able to respond instantly to emergency medical conditions, it is important to have first aid supplies and manual at home, school or even in the workplace. Having these supplies enhances the degree of preparedness in case an emergency occurs. For instance, for those people living in areas that are prone to natural disasters such as floods, landslides or earthquake it is necessary to have disaster preparedness kits such as evacuation kits, earthquake kits, flood kits and others.
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK_wFiRUCLo” width=”200″ height=”200″]Preparedness for Travellers
Travellers need to be prepared to conduct first aid in areas they plan to visit. In Canada, effective first aid preparedness amounts to carrying first aid manual and kit in your belongings. Some of the medicines that travellers should carry include morning sickness medicines. It is also important to know how to manage other health problems such as traveller’s diarrhea. The traveller medicine kit should also have products such as insect repellents required for your place of destination. You should also learn how to use contact emergency service providers in your destination.
First aid preparedness also involves understanding specific skills such as abdominal thrust and CPR to help choking victims. First aid may also be needed for problems such as stroke, seizures, heart attack and other conditions such as nose bleeding and allergic reactions. The preparedness may also involve being able to handle environmental injuries such as insect and bee stings, heat exhaustive, sun burns and others.
Regardless of the level of first aid skills that you possess, it is always important to call 911 or any other emergency service provider near you immediately. Even if you have high level first aid preparedness at home or in any other place, there are always situations that you may not be able to deal with effectively. All you need to do in such situations to offer the help required before the emergency service provider arrives at the scene is immediate first aid. If you do not know what to do, it is advisable that you don’t do anything to avoid making the situation worse. However, ensure you are always prepared to give the required first aid.