<p>I remember seeing a First Aid Kit in my mom’s car when she was driving us 20 miles to school every day. It was solid and reassuring but I never found out what was in it.</p>
<p>I am now trying to put together a First Aid Kit for two purposes: for S’14 when he’s away at college, and for me to have at my office in Manhattan.</p>
<p>I am thinking the office version should contain:
bandaids
Neosporin
Purell
face masks
flashlights
water
Advil
Sharpies in case we have to write anything (was it Katrina where residents were told to write their SS# on their arms?)
Big ziplocs to contain cell phones or anything else that would be damaged by water or toxic downpour
Extra pair of shoes in case first ones are not available</p>
<p>And the college version should contain:
bandaids
Neosporin
Purell
Advil
Tylenol</p>
<p>Plus what else? Looking for feedback from others who have put together the same.</p>
<p>I was at a soccer match once and one of the moms showed me her First Aid Kit – a ziploc bag with loose Advil and some bandaids. I realize now a First Aid Kit doesn’t have to come in a white box with the Red Cross symbol on it.</p>
<p>Some offices contract with a service that installs a cabinet of first aid supplies and keeps it topped up.</p>
<p>Of course, an office can just buy a first aid cabinet, but then would need to check up on whether any of its supplies need to be refilled on a reasonable schedule.</p>
<p>thanks ek4 and ucbalumnus. I am kind of realizing too if I knew what kind of emergency I was preparing for, I would have a better idea of what to stockpile. </p>
<p>For the office, I think terrorist attack, but it could be something more like a stroke or heart attack. Or simply, fire, so the flashlights (as long as they’re the kind that firefighters use that can shine a beam through smoke and haze) would be good. </p>
<p>I was also thinking a stack of quarters might come in handy (on 9/11, nobody’s cell phones worked but the old fashioned pay phones did so at least we could call loved ones or set up a phone chain).</p>
<p>emeraldkity4 – thanks for the link – I had no idea there was such a thing as low dose aspirin (for heart attack victims). I will definitely include that. Thanks.</p>
<p>Not sure why you are so concerned about terrorist attacks over all of the usual daily risks that one encounters (medical conditions, all kinds of accidental injuries from falling, tripping, etc., being hit by a car walking down the street, being in a car that crashes, etc.).</p>
<p>If you are including pain relief pills, also include acetaminophen as well as aspirin and ibuprofen, as the latter two may be unsuitable for people who have bleeding conditions or use blood thinning medication.</p>
<p>I don’t know what’s best for preparing for emergencies, but I’d send your son with some sort of cold/flu medicine and something for stomach relief. Those (plus something for headaches, something for allergies, and bandaids) were the most used by myself and students in the dorms. Even if I never needed anything for stomach relief, I did give to friends or roommates. When you feel really sick, you’re certainly not going to want to run to the store to get some medicine.</p>
<p>Also, a flashlight wouldn’t be a bad idea for your son’s kit as well, in case of a blackout. Perhaps, even one that has a hand crank, in case it runs out of batteries. I had a couple of blackouts when I was a student, and I ended up using an old booklight as a light source (for me and my entire apartment, because no one had a working flashlight and phones run out of battery quickly!).</p>
<p>You may want to include supplies needed for first aid of the various conditions listed, as they are presumably common enough to be included in the skills and knowledge required.</p>
<p>A big thing, especially for a car or camping, would be the new blood stopper band aids. They are the commercial version of those used in ER’s. The pad contains a gel that blends with blood to form a seal. They are sold as Bloodstop and by other names like Quikclot and HemCon.</p>
<p>I prepared first aid kits for both of my kids when thy went to college. These came back to our house with almost everything untouched. The only things used were Tylenol and band aids. They never touched the neosporin, triple antibiotic ointment, cold pills, or anything else in those boxes. </p>
<p>I would give my college kid a bottle of Advil and a box of band aids…and that is all.</p>
<p>Our kids took wind up flashlights with them to college, but they were not in the first aid kit. We have them in our cars as well.</p>
<p>I put all the things my son uses at home in his first aid box. Band aids, neosporin, Claritan, tylenol, motrin, ice bag, q tips, alcohol, peroxide…</p>
<p>The reason you put those things in the box thumper1 is so they won’t need them. If you left them out, then they would :)</p>
<p>Steri strips if you can get them, thermometer, ace bandage, small sewing kit(lol), paid calling card, 40.00 Cash, a small list of emergency numbers and contacts, any allergies, medical hx, insurance info.</p>
<p>Seriously…did your kids USE the items listed? A bunch of us with college grads we’re discussing this one night…with lots of laughs. All of us took the time to put a kit together…and at the end of four years, all of us threw away a bunch of unopened, expired items.</p>
<p>I would try for sample/travel sizes of each item. At least that way it won’t cost you a fortune if the kid never uses it!</p>
<p>Were you working in Manhattan during the first WTC bombing in '93? Or when terrorists attacked on 9/11? Did you know and work with people who died that day? Were you walking to the subway when the steam pipe exploded? Do you work in an area where NYPD routinely storms through a building with weapons drawn and bomb sniffing dogs barking? Maybe if you did you would understand my concern. But if you don’t, it doesn’t really matter. Statistically, there probably is a greater chance of being hit by a car or being in a car that crashes. But the event that sticks in my mind is people in offices being hurt or injured (or killed, at which point this is all moot).</p>
<p>S’14 refers to my son who will be graduating high school in 2014. So he hasn’t had the chance to use or not use anything because he isn’t in college yet.</p>