The Importance of Having a Home First Aid Kit
Whether it’s a minor or serious injury, it’s a good idea for households to have first aid kits available and fully stocked.
A first aid kit with the proper supplies can help clean cuts, limit risks of infection and help an injury to heal such as a sprain. Below we have provided a list of items a first aid kit can include as well as additional reasons to the importance of having a home first aid kit.
What to include in your home first aid kit
- Emergency contact numbers for relatives, emergency medical service numbers, personal doctors and your local poison control centre
- First aid manual
- Band-Aids
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Thermometer
- Sterile gauze pads
- Adhesive tape and bandages
- Triangular bandages
- Safety pins
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Disposable non-latex gloves
- Antiseptic wipes or soap
- Instant cold packs
- Emergency blanket
- Eye patch
- Barrier devices, such as a CPR mask or face shield
Additional emergency supplies:
In case of a home emergency such as a power outage or natural disaster, it’s important to be prepared and have access to these items in your household:
- Bottled water
- Non-perishable food
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Battery-powered radio
- Whistle
- Family emergency plan
- Spare cash
- Important documents and photocopies such as identification, health card, passport, birth certificate, insurance and bank records
- Candles, matches or a lighter
- Extra clothing to change into
- Sleeping bags
- Personal hygiene items
- Duct tape
- Prescriptions and medications
- Toilet paper
- Extra mobile chargers
- Pet supplies
- Baby food supplies
- Tool kit
Fast response
Having a first aid kit ready in your home can help prevent an injury from getting worse and can potentially save any trips to a walk in clinic or hospital. This is especially crucial, if an injury involves blood-loss. You can offer temporary aid to someone who’s hurt but may still need to call emergency services, depending on the severity.
Peace of mind
Ultimately, having a home first aid kit can help provide you and your loved ones some peace of mind. Just be sure to re-stock supplies every so often and make sure everyone in the household is aware of where the first aid kit is. Also, check to see if your car emergency kit needs to be updated as well.
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These tips are provided for information and prevention purposes only. They are general in nature, and Desjardins Insurance cannot be held liable for them. We recommend using caution and consulting an expert for comprehensive, tailored advice.
In Quebec, Desjardins Insurance refers to Desjardins General Insurance Inc. In Ontario and Alberta, Desjardins Insurance refers to Certas Direct Insurance Company, underwriter of automobile and property insurance.