How to Stock Medical Emergency Response Team Supplies

Everyone wants to keep their family safe. One sure way to do that is to stock medical emergency response team supplies. Some of the supplies may already be lying around the house, but unless they are all grouped together in a bag that's easy to carry with you, you could spend more time looking for them than providing help. Other supplies you'll want to keep handy may include backup drinking water, nonperishable food and, most important, a cool and calm head.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Various supplies Bags to hold supplies

1. Gather disaster response supplies and a backpack or bag to store them in. These items are the things you'll need for digging someone out of rubble or leading your family through a dimly lit street after an earthquake. Some necessities include a hard hat, work gloves, vented goggles, a highly visible vest, flashlight and light stick, extra batteries, a pry bar and a blanket. These supplies are sold as a Community Emergency Response Team starter kit at DisasterStuff.com. See Resources below.

2. Stock up on medical supplies. Get another backpack or bag to stash all things related to medical care. They should include an instant ice pack, gauze, medical tape, an array of bandages, a blood stopping salve, healing salve for burns and cuts, a splint kit, eye wash, hydrogen peroxide, scissors, tweezers, one large and one smaller blanket. Medical kits with these or similar products and even more, with enough supplies to treat up to 100 of your neighbors, are also available at DisasterStuff.com.

3. Know how to use everything. A splint kit---or anything else---won't do any good unless you know what to do with it. Review package directions and practice wrapping wounds, setting bones and other medical procedures. Go to your local library or book store for a few manuals on procedures if you honestly have no clue. A guide to wrapping wounds appears in Resources below.

4. Brush up on your other emergency response skills. Look into emergency response classes if you are unfamiliar with how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or general first aid. Classes are widely available at local chapters of the American Red Cross. See Resources below to find a chapter in your area.

5. Prep your family. Make sure everyone living in your household knows what to do if a disaster or emergency does hit. Hold regular fire drills, earthquake drills or flood drills, depending on what's likely to hit where you live. Run your family through the motions of escaping the house, meeting in a designated spot and going for further help. Pets, too, should be taught procedures by going through the drills with you.

Resources

• Supplies at DisasterStuff.com
• Wrapping wounds
• American Red Cross chapter finder

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