The first hour
- Keep calling 911. If you get a busy signal or recording, stay on or call again. Try texting 911; many areas accept texts.
- Bleeding: press hard on the wound with a cloth and don't let up. For severe limb bleeding, use a tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound.
- Not breathing normally: start hands-only CPR. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest, 100 to 120 times a minute, about 2 inches deep.
- Choking: use abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich).
- Poisoning: call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
The first day
- If you can safely drive someone to the ER, do it. Have someone else drive if possible.
- Write down what happened and the times, and any medicines given.
- Use urgent care or telehealth for non-life-threatening issues to keep ERs free.
The first week and beyond
- Follow up with a doctor.
- Restock your first aid kit.
- Take a first aid/CPR class.
Get ready now: checklist
Your checks save on this phone.
Common mistakes
- Hanging up and redialing over and over (you lose your place in line).
- Stopping pressure to check a wound.
- Giving food or drink to someone who might need surgery.
Keeping kids calm
- Teach kids to call 911 and say their address.
- Kids can learn hands-only CPR basics too.
Gear that helps
- Trauma kit with tourniquet: my pick, North American Rescue C-A-T Combat Application Tourniquet Gen 7
- Israeli bandage: my pick, Israeli Emergency Compression Bandage 6 in
- Gauze
- CPR face shield
- First aid manual
- Instant cold packs
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Sources
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Prepper tricks for this
First Aid and Health (8)
Skin glue for small cuts
Cost: Medical skin glue is about $8-12; hardware super glue is about $3.
Why it works: Glue holds the edges together and seals out dirt while the skin heals.
How to do it
- Use it only on small, clean, shallow cuts that have stopped bleeding (paper cuts, small knife slips).
- Wash the cut and your hands.
- Hold the edges together and paint a thin layer of glue ON TOP of the cut, a little past each end. Don't put glue inside it.
- Hold for about a minute. Add a second thin layer if needed.
Safety: Medical glues (like 2-octyl cyanoacrylate) are made for skin. Hardware super glue can irritate skin. Don't use on deep, jagged, bleeding or puncture wounds, bites, burns, or on eyes, lips or joints. Watch for redness, swelling or warmth (infection).
Honey on wounds: medical-grade only
Cost: About $10-20 for a tube or a few dressings.
Why it works: Honey is naturally antibacterial and keeps wounds moist, which helps healing.
How to do it
- For wounds and burns, buy medical-grade honey dressings or gel (sold as wound care, sterilized and FDA-cleared).
- Clean the wound, apply a thin layer, and cover with a clean dressing.
- Change daily, or as the package says.
Safety: Kitchen honey isn't sterile and can contain bacteria spores. Never give any honey to babies under 1 year. See a doctor for deep, dirty or infected wounds.
Source: FDA clearance of MediHoney wound gel (Medtech Insight)
Tape over hot spots to prevent blisters
Cost: Pennies; a roll of tape is about $5.
Why it works: Tape takes the rubbing instead of your skin.
How to do it
- The moment a spot on your foot feels hot or rubbed, stop.
- Dry the skin and put a smooth piece of tape (duct tape, paper tape or athletic tape) over it with no wrinkles.
- If a blister has already formed, cut a donut of moleskin to go around it, not on it.
- Wrap a few feet of duct tape around a water bottle or lighter so you always have some.
Safety: Don't pop blisters unless they're large and painful. If you must, use a clean needle and leave the skin flap on. Watch for signs of infection.
Source: Mayo Clinic: Blisters first aid
MYTH: Tampons are good for gunshot or serious wounds
Cost: A real tourniquet is about $25-35; trauma gauze about $10-40.
The truth: A tampon holds about as much material as two small gauze pads; a roll of gauze has yards of it for packing and pressure.
What to do instead
- The truth: tampons are made to soak up slow bleeding, not to stop heavy bleeding. There's no testing showing they work in trauma.
- For serious bleeding: call 911, press hard directly on the wound with both hands and don't let up.
- For an arm or leg, a tourniquet 2-3 inches above the wound stops life-threatening bleeding.
- Take a free Stop the Bleed class to learn wound packing with real gauze.
Safety: Buy tourniquets from reputable medical suppliers; cheap knockoffs can break.
Source: Crisis Medicine: Heavy flow is not massive hemorrhage - tampons don't belong in IFAKs
Sanitary pads as big bandages
Cost: About $5-8 for a pack of 30-40.
Why it works: They're cheap, absorbent, and individually wrapped so they stay clean.
How to do it
- Keep a pack of individually wrapped maxi pads in your first aid kit.
- For a large scrape or cut, place the pad over it and hold it in place with tape, a bandana or an elastic bandage.
- For heavy bleeding, press down hard on the pad with your hands.
Safety: They're clean but not sterile. They don't replace firm pressure, gauze or a tourniquet for serious bleeding.
Keep a backup supply of your daily meds
Cost: Usually just your normal copay.
Why it works: Pharmacies may be closed for days after a disaster. Some states allow emergency refills, but you shouldn't count on it.
How to do it
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting a 90-day supply, or refilling a few days early each month, to build up a small extra stash.
- Keep a 7-day 'grab' supply in a labeled bottle in your go-bag and rotate it so it doesn't expire.
- Write a list of your meds, doses, doctor and pharmacy on paper.
- Check your medication's storage instructions (for example, how long insulin is okay at room temperature).
Safety: Never stop or ration a prescription without talking to your doctor. Follow the rules for controlled medicines.
Source: Ready.gov: Build a Kit
Homemade oral rehydration drink
Cost: A few cents.
Why it works: The right mix of sugar and salt helps the body absorb water much faster than plain water, which is key with vomiting or diarrhea.
How to do it
- Measure 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of clean, safe water.
- Add 6 LEVEL teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 LEVEL teaspoon of salt.
- Stir until dissolved. Sip it slowly and often.
- Make a fresh batch every day.
Safety: Measure carefully; too much salt is dangerous, especially for kids. Store-bought rehydration salts are best when available. Keep breastfeeding babies. Get medical help for babies, older adults, or anyone very sleepy, not peeing, or with bloody diarrhea.
Source: Rehydration Project: How to prepare oral rehydration solution
MYTH: Put butter on a burn
Cost: Free.
The truth: Cool water pulls heat out of the skin and stops the burn from going deeper.
What to do instead
- The truth: butter, oil and grease trap heat and can raise infection risk.
- Instead, run cool (not ice-cold) water over the burn for about 10-20 minutes.
- Cover loosely with a clean, dry cloth or nonstick dressing.
- Get medical help for large, deep, or face, hand or genital burns.
Safety: Don't use ice; it can damage skin.
Source: Mayo Clinic: Burns first aid