The Survival Experts of GetReadyGear Explain the Most Important Items to Include in an Emergency First Aid Kit

Online, May 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - To help families and businesses stay prepared for an emergency or natural disaster the experts at GetReadyGear have published a list of the top emergency first aid kit essentials.

"To help Americans confused about what items to put in an emergency first aid kit," notes Jim Serre of GetReadyGear. "I have put together the following list of emergency first aid essentials."

Plenty of Bandages
No emergency first aid kit can be complete without bandages and gauzes of various shapes and sizes. You can never predict the extent of an injury; therefore it is important to have a wide variety of choices in case you need to bandage a wound.

Wound Cleaner
Every emergency first aid kit should also have the supplies needed to properly clean a wound, such as antiseptic wipes, and antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.

Disposable Gloves
Having antiseptic wipes and sanitizer are useless if the person cleaning your wounds is doing so with dirty hands. It is always a good idea to keep a package of disposable gloves in your emergency first aid kit so that you will be able to safely disinfect and treat injuries.

Ammonia Inhalants
Used to treat or prevent victims who have fainted or are feeling faint, ammonia inhalants may be necessary to keep a loved one conscious and out of harms way.

Pain Relief
Every good first aid kit should contain an ample supply of pain relievers in case of a painful injury. We recommend non-aspirin pain reliever in individual packages that can be used to treat pains associated with headache, muscle aches, backache, minor arthritis pain, the common cold, toothache and menstrual cramps. It is also a good idea to include water boxes in your kit to take pain pills, or hydrate victims.

Facemasks
Having at least a few facemasks in your kit is a great way to stay prepared for dozens of possible emergencies. Some common examples of such emergencies include protection from smoke during a fire, debris during an earthquake, or viruses during a flu outbreak like the recent H1N1swine flu pandemic.

Cold Packs
An instant ice pack is a great addition to any emergency first aid kit. They are perfect for minor injuries and a must for athletes on the go, since you never know when you are going to need to treat a sprained ankle. We suggest instant cold compresses that you can activate by simply squeezing and shaking to generate up to 30 minutes of icy pain relief.

Burn Treatment
Bug bites, or minor burns from the sun or a hot object should be treated differently than cuts and scrapes. We recommend including burn gel in your emergency first aid kit to treat such injuries.

Eye Wash
You should always have a bottle of eye wash in your emergency first aid kit, to safely remove foreign materials, chemicals, or relieve itching or burning due to smoke or air pollutants. Failing to properly remove objects or chemicals from the eye can lead to a dangerous infection later.