Emergency Action and First Aid Kits

Be prepared. It's a simple enough thing to remember, and we all know we should be, but how many of us actually are? The answer is- less than you might think. And in a world where there are so many unpredictable things that can happen that you would rather not have happen, why leave things up to chance when you don't have to? When you are traveling, either in the woods, or in your car or even down the wilds of an urban jungle, a small investment in having the right things on hand can make the difference between being OK, or exposing yourself or others serious injury- or worse. 

First Aid Kit Supplies

Always keep some supplies on hand. It is small in terms of investment and huge in terms of the difference it will make if you ever need it. There are several kits available on this site that can suit your needs. If you have had a kit for a while, it will be a good idea to make sure the items in it like the antiseptic ointments and such are still OK.  The longer they sit past their date of expiration,  the less effective they will be at preventing infection. Check aspirin or pain relievers for this as well. Expired meds are simply not going to work as well across the board. 

When considering keeping a kit in your car or truck, The basic guidelines of consideration are how often you use your car, and what you're using it for and like travel or for camping and how many people you usually have traveling with you when you do.. When keeping a kit on hand t home you want to think about how many people you have at home, if you have very active children (or grownups), older adults, etc. 

Choose A Self Defense Device 

In an emergency, you must rely on reacting in a split second to a potential threat, and there several options. You may find it easier to make a lot of noise in which case something like a scream whistle could be effective. The whistle will be good at attracting attention, but if the attacker is motivated enough, or if there is the opportunity, it may not be enough. If  you are in more remote areas where noise may not be enough, perhaps pepper spray would be a better option. Pepper spray is non lethal- and this is very important point to drive home here. Statistically, people, and especially women are more likely to actually use a self defense device if it is not lethal than if it is. Pepper spray will incapacitate someone from 30 minutes to 2 hours, after which he will be OK again. Of course you'll be long gone! Whatever you choose, make sure and get some basic training, even if it's reading a manual, so if the moment comes where you would actually need to use it, you'll be ready.