First Aid Essentials for Survival Situations

Beyond Band-Aids

A basic first aid kit from the pharmacy covers papercuts and headaches. In a real emergency — natural disaster, accident far from help, grid-down scenario — you need a kit and skills that handle serious trauma.

The good news: you don't need to be a paramedic. A few critical skills and the right gear can save a life.

Tier 1: Stop the Bleed (Critical)

Uncontrolled bleeding is the #1 preventable cause of death in trauma. This gear should be in every kit:

• Tourniquet: CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet) Gen 7 or SOFTT-W. Accept no substitutes. Practice applying it one-handed to your own arm.
• Pressure bandage: Israeli Emergency Bandage (6"). Applies direct pressure to wounds.
• Wound packing gauze: QuikClot Combat Gauze (hemostatic — helps blood clot faster) or plain compressed gauze.
• Chest seals: HyFin Vent chest seals (2-pack, vented). For penetrating chest wounds.
• Trauma shears: Cut away clothing to access wounds fast.

Take a Stop the Bleed class. They're free, take 2 hours, and teach you to use all of the above. Find one at stopthebleed.org.

Tier 2: Wound Care

For injuries that aren't immediately life-threatening but need proper treatment:

• Assorted adhesive bandages
• Butterfly closures / Steri-Strips
• 4x4 gauze pads (sterile)
• Medical tape (cloth and waterproof)
• Elastic wrap bandages (ACE type)
• Antibiotic ointment (triple antibiotic or Neosporin)
• Antiseptic wipes (BZK or chlorhexidine)
• Irrigation syringe (for cleaning wounds)
• Burn gel and non-stick burn dressings
• SAM splint (moldable, for fractures/sprains)
• Nitrile gloves (multiple pairs)

Tier 3: Medications

Stock both OTC and (where possible) prescription backups:

Over-the-Counter

• Ibuprofen (pain, inflammation, fever)
• Acetaminophen (pain, fever — can alternate with ibuprofen)
• Diphenhydramine / Benadryl (allergic reactions, sleep aid)
• Loperamide / Imodium (diarrhea — dehydration is deadly)
• Oral rehydration salts (ORS packets)
• Antacids
• Activated charcoal (for certain poisonings — consult poison control)
• Hydrocortisone cream (rashes, bites)

Prescription (talk to your doctor)

• Antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Metronidazole — for bacterial infections when medical care isn't available
• EpiPen (if anyone in your group has severe allergies)
• Personal medications: Maintain a 90-day rotating supply

Tier 4: Tools & Diagnostics

• Pulse oximeter: $20, monitors blood oxygen levels
• Blood pressure cuff: Manual sphygmomanometer ($20-30)
• Thermometer: Digital, with extra batteries
• Stethoscope: Basic Littmann ($40) — useful for blood pressure and lung sounds
• Headlamp: You'll be working in the dark
• Sharpie: Write treatment times on the patient's skin (tourniquet time, med doses)

Training > Gear

The most important thing in your medical kit is knowledge. Invest in training:

• Stop the Bleed — Free, 2 hours, teaches hemorrhage control
• CPR/AED certification — Red Cross or AHA, ~$50, 4 hours
• Wilderness First Aid (WFA) — 16-hour course, covers austere/remote medicine
• Wilderness First Responder (WFR) — 80-hour course, the gold standard for non-professionals
• TCCC/TECC — Tactical Combat Casualty Care, excellent trauma training

A $25 tourniquet with training is worth more than a $500 med kit without it.

Kit Organization

Organize by urgency, not by item type:

• Red pouch: Hemorrhage control (tourniquet, chest seal, wound packing)
• Blue pouch: Wound care and bandaging
• Green pouch: Medications
• Clear pouch: Tools and diagnostics

When adrenaline is pumping, you need to find gear by instinct, not by reading labels.