Medic!
It would be most advisable for you to learn some first aid skills. Then you can be of value to yourself, your family, your friends and others if the need arises. Injuries and other first aid issues are common during an emergency situation. Check your state and local Good Samaritan laws to see what you are allowed to do in your area.
The first thing I would do is order A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, by Eric A. Weiss, M.D.. This is my all-time favorite, and I carry my copy with me in my gear. I have, of course, read it... many times. This should get you started in the right direction.
There are also courses you can take from your local Red Cross and other certifying organizations. Some are of more value than others. Many of these course are now offered online at American Red Cross Online Training. Check to see if the courses give you any kind of certification in your state.
Of course you will want a first aid kit. Every preparedness list I've ever looked at has 'first aid kit' near the top of what is recommended to have on hand for an emergency. See the section First Aid Kits on this page.
Basic Skills
Here is a short discussion of basic first aid skills some people consider to be among the most useful to know.
Know Your ABC's:
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
ABC. This is the order of things that need to be checked first.
Airway. Is the person's airway open? Can they breathe through it? A person can live only a few minutes without breathing. This is of prime importance. Basic ways of how to keep the airway open is usually covered in Red Cross CPR training. There are also additional ways, and you need additional training for them. You might want to see if those courses are available and appropriate for you.
Breathing. Is the person breathing? If not, they need help to breathe. Again, this is covered in Red Cross CPR training.
Circulation. Is their heart beating? If not, there are ways you can help. Learn them in Red Cross CPR training. Is blood flowing? Is there life-threatening bleeding? One of the common mistakes people make is to focus on wounds that have a lot of blood, but ignore more vital concerns. Yet again I have to encourage taking some emergency medicine classes that cover CPR, first-responder, EMT, or wilderness medicine.
Bleeding. Applying direct pressure to the wound should be effective in many cases.
In a perfect world, a person would have a roll or two of Kerlex® gauze, sterilized in the package. They would put on a pair of gloves and eye/face protection, because all bodily fluids, including blood, must be considered dangerous since they may contain HIV or other pathogens that can be transmitted to other people. They would take every precaution not to get the other person's blood on them in any way.
They would pack the wound with the gauze, and apply direct pressure with their gloved hands over the gauze for possibly 3 to 5 minutes. Longer if necessary. Then they would wrap the wound with a pressure bandage and take them quickly to the nearest trauma center.
In an emergency, a person may consider the circumstances and make a decision to use whatever is at hand. They might ask themselves if a possible serious infection later is worth the risk of using less than sterile materials, like a shirt or a jacket or a blanket, and if the bleeding is severe and life-threatening enough to warrant taking that risk. They may ask themselves if they are ready to take the risk of contact with the other person's blood, considering that there is sometimes less transmission of pathogens on skin, if they have no open wounds or sores or any other kind of break in the skin themselves.
Would I? Very probably yes. But the decisions I make are not necessarily appropriate for you. You must make up your own mind.
QuikClot®. What if direct pressure does not stop the bleeding? That was an almost impossible question to answer before the advent of a product called QuikClot®. It was developed to take care of severe bleeding like that shown in the movie Blackhawk Down, where a wounded soldier dies of bleeding from a severe wound to his inner thigh, a very difficult injury to treat. This marvelous product is currently used by our military in the field. I do not know the countless number of lives it has saved. It is now available to the general public for first aid use, and can be ordered easily and with no hassle at this Amazon.com link. Some QuikClot® contains silver. Silver is added as an antibacterial agent.
I have several QuikClot® sponges in my home first aid kid, as well as in my gear. I also carry some in my car. I have actually given QuikClot® as presents to family, friends and even business associates. That shows what I think of it. I would hate to be in a situation where I just can't stop the bleeding.
If you do get some QuikClot®, it would be very wise to learn how to use it. There are good instructions right on the package. I read those instructions as soon as I received my QuikClot®. There is additional information about why it works, how it works, a bunch of good FAQs, and training videos at Z-Medica, the manufacturer. To be able to view the videos, you will be asked to fill in an online form, which I did.
Btw, there is also a clotting product called Celox® that may come up on the same page at Amazon.com when you go to order QuikClot®. It is not the same thing, does not contain the same materials, etc. That is not a product I use. But some people like it.
Tourniquets. Applying a tourniquet at the right time can be a lifesaver. Applying it at the wrong time, or in the wrong way, can cause the loss of a limb or death. Learn the right way. Get training.
Loosing Too Much Water
Loosing too much water can be dangerous. It is a primary cause of death in disaster-oriented diseases caused by an unsanitary water supply, which often happens during an extended emergency. A person can also simply not drink enough water to replenish the amount that a body needs to function. And there are other causes.
There are drugs only a doctor can prescribe. Intravenous solutions that only qualified medical personnel can administer. And then there are a couple of simple things that may help. Check with a doctor before you do them.
Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)
This was the recommendation of the World Health Organization for many years:
In 1 liter (a quart is close enough) of Water, add the following and mix well.
1 teaspoon Salt
4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
4 tablespoons Sugar
The amount of ORS a person needs depends on the circumstances. You may want to review material on the subject at Wikipedia.
First Aid Kits
I have to admit it. I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to having first aid supplies on hand. We have a substantial supply at home. I have some in my car trunk, and yes, even my glove compartment. I have a few things in my gym bag. And other places. Although it may seem a bit obsessive, I've used items from all of those locations. So maybe it isn't such a bad idea.
So what kind of first aid kits should you have? For your home, perhaps it would be sensible to have the most complete one you can afford. Get to know how to use the materials in it. My thinking is that if there are some items you do not currently know how to use, you can learn how to use them. And there may be someone during an emergency who does have the training, and might use them to save your or a loved one's life.
Consider having another first aid kit in your car. Then you have it with you wherever you go. The road can be a dangerous place even in normal times. In an emergency, what you have with you may be all you will have, period. But cars get hot, so make sure that whatever you store there can take the heat and not degrade unreasonably.
If there is a place you spend a lot of time, like your workplace, check to see if there is a sufficient first aid kit there already. If not, you could keep a personal kit there. To my thinking, most places have woefully inadequate first aid kits. A couple of bandaids just isn't going to help that much if anything significant happens.
Just be wise and plan ahead. I think a little over-planning is preferable to under-planning. That way the most you risk is some money. The other way, you may be risking a life.
Before listing some links that you may find helpful in your search, let me say that knowledge is more important than materials. Get trained. Know what you're doing.
Links to First Aid Kits
Ready-made first aid kits do not include QuikClot®, but you can add a few packs to any you choose. Click here.
The kind of kit you buy should be appropriate for your area, your circumstances, and your training. Browse and see what you can find. I believe it will be well worth your time.
Nitro-Pak