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[I170]Importance Of First Aid

by Peter Gallacher, Pet

Dr Hilary Jones, the TV doctor from ITV's GMTV show said all parents should have the opportunity to learn first aid.

"We know how to feed them, what shopping to get and how to clothe them and keep them warm enough but we don't know what to do in an emergency.

"I know as a parent myself that when you're confronted with your own child after an accident you think what do I do. Even though I have 30 years medical training it's your own child and it makes it harder."

416,000 children under 5 have accidents in the home.

Dr Hilary Jones added: "It's a frightening figure and these are the ones that are just reported to accident and emergency departments. There are a lot of other minor things going on. 100,000 of those are caused by falling or slipping. Eight out of ten parents aren't fitting car seats properly and things like meningitis will occur in 3,000 cases every year, resulting in 300 deaths.

The well known television doctor said parents are often the first people on the scene.

"Stopping bleeding or doing something quickly about choking can make a real difference. Choking in particular - you can't just wait for the ambulance to arrive. If you deprive the brain of oxygen for more than a couple of minutes you don't know what the outcome will be so it's the parent who is there who can save the life," he said.

Dr Hanna Shaw from the UK Royal Life Saving Society said she is not surprised that many parents don't know first aid, including resuscitation.

"You're so terrified about being a parent anyway that to think about resuscitation is bottom of everybody's list. When people think about resuscitating courses they think about resuscitating adults who had heart attacks. Nobody really thinks that babies choke and occasionally babies do stop breathing."

For more information about first aid courses in the UK visit the UK Royal Life Saving Society. Or, contact your local Saint John's Ambulance society. Alternatively, contact your local helth advisor or doctor to discuss a course near you today. You never know, it could save a life.

First aid kits are sets of important supplies used to provide first aid in case of injuries or emergency. The composition of a first aid kit can differ depending on its purpose. Some first aid kits include basic supplies while others may include medical equipments.

The most basic supplies in first aid kits include cotton, bandages, alcohol, tweezers, antibiotics and painkillers. It is enough to treat minor injuries such as minor cuts, burns and insect bites.

Specialized first aid kits are equipped with modern medical equipments on top of the basic supplies. These are intended for emergency disaster rescue units and medical teams. Some of the supplies and equipments included are disposable gloves, face shield, manual aspirator, pocket mask, butterfly stitches, goggles, emergency blanket and portable oxygen tanks.

Emergency kits are commonly contained in durable plastic containers. There are also improvised containers. The commercially available containers come in different sizes depending on its purpose and content. Some commercially manufactured containers are waterproof to protect the items inside. It is usually green with a printed white cross in accordance to the ISO standard. However, some organizations use the Red Cross symbol also. The uniform design makes it easy to be recognized in cases of emergency situations.

These kits are necessary and come in handy in outdoor activities. Camping is an enjoyable and adventurous trip but the activity opens the participants to danger also. You could have insect bites, be scratched with thorny leaves, get a headache because of changing weather conditions, or get a stomach ache.

These are unpredictable circumstances you should be prepared for. Your kit should contain items that could give first aid to cuts, bruises, sprains, headaches, and other common injuries suffered during such trips.

More extreme camping activities such as hiking, mounting climbing, biking, kayaking, hunting and other activities may require additional supply for first aid kit.

In this case it is very important to bring along first aid kits to be prepared in case of injuries and accidents. This is helpful especially if the camp site is in a remote area far from hospitals.

Consider the place, environment, nature of activities and how many people joining as you prepare your kit. Make sure you not only have complete items inside, but more importantly an adequate supply to accommodate everyone.

Be ready with different sizes of gauze bandage, rinse solutions, mosquito repellant, antibacterial ointments, cottons, various medicines, syringe, scissors, cotton, towels, ice bags, sun burn ointments and other essentials. Check the medicines for their expiry date and immediately replace them with new stocks. It is also ideal to put labels to all the supplies included in your kit so as to make it easier for everyone to distinguish the use of each supply.

Try to learn also the basic first aid treatments. This will provide you enough knowledge in performing first aid treatments for any type of injury or other emergency situations when it happens. If possible, include some booklets of basic first aid procedures in your kit.

Soon as you arrive in the camp site, you must show everybody where you are going to place the first aid kit so everyone will be informed. It is best to place it in a secure place away from moist and dust. It is must also be placed in an area where everyone can see it easily.

Remember that having a complete first aid kit can help prevent serious injuries and can even save lives. First aid kits provide everyone a safe and exciting camping adventure.

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Both Peter Gallacher & David H. Urmann are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Peter Gallacher has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Fitness and Food And Drink. More great articles just like this one are available now at the My Baby Radio website, just click . Peter Gallacher's top article generates over 90500 views. Bookmark Peter Gallacher to your Favourites.

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