First Aid

Medical preparedness for emergencies big and small

The bare minimum for first aid

Bleeding kills in minutes; ambulances take longer. This is the minimum that handles the injuries most likely to happen at home.

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Real first-aid kit, not a pouch of bandages A proper kit covers burns, sprains, and wounds — check expiration dates yearly. Our pick →
Tourniquet For life-threatening limb bleeding. A genuine CAT beats any improvised belt. Our pick →
Hemostatic gauze Packs into deep wounds where pressure alone won't reach. Worth its weight when seconds count. Our pick →
Vented chest seals, pair For chest wounds — lets air out without letting it back in. Our pick →
First-aid manual Training fades. A field reference turns panic into steps. Our pick →
Ibuprofen and acetaminophen Pain, fever, swelling — the unglamorous 90% of home medical care. Our pick →

Bare minimum, not the full kit — the guides below cover the rest. Prices and availability change; the linked picks show current details.

First Aid 2026-08-21

Emergency Planning for Elderly Parents: A Practical Checklist (2026)

Emergency planning for elderly parents: medication dependencies, oxygen and mobility needs, the communication tree, and what to prepare before the next outage.

First Aid 2026-08-21

How to Build an Emergency Prescription Supply Legally (2026)

Build an emergency prescription supply legally: ask your prescriber and insurer, use approved 90-day fills, store each drug safely, and rotate before expiry.

First Aid 2026-08-20

How to Splint a Broken Bone: First Aid for Fractures and Sprains (2026)

Learn how to splint a broken bone and care for sprains step by step: the technique, improvised splints, red flags that need an ER, and kit picks for 2026.

First Aid 2026-08-19

How to Treat Anaphylaxis: Severe Allergy First Aid for 2026

Severe allergy first aid in 2026: recognize anaphylaxis, inject epinephrine fast, and call 911. Plus how to build an allergy emergency kit that travels.

First Aid 2026-08-19

How to Treat a Burn: First Aid Steps for 2026

Cool a burn under running water for 20 minutes, cover it loosely, then know when to go to the ER. A practical burn-first-aid guide for 2026, step by step.

First Aid 2026-08-19

CPR and Choking First Aid: What to Do When Someone Stops Breathing (2026)

CPR and choking first aid in 2026: steps for adults and infants, compression-only CPR at 100-120 compressions a minute, and the home kit that keeps you ready.

First Aid 2026-08-19

How to Clean and Dress a Wound: Emergency Wound Care for 2026

How to clean and dress a wound in an emergency: flush it, dress it, and catch infection early. Step-by-step wound care for cuts and scrapes, with kit picks.

First Aid 2026-08-19

Heat Exhaustion vs Heat Stroke: First Aid and How to Stay Cool (2026)

Heat exhaustion vs heat stroke: symptoms, first aid steps, and when to call 911. How to stay cool and safe without AC during a 2026 heat wave and power outage.

First Aid 2026-08-18

How to Stop Severe Bleeding: Tourniquets, Wound Packing, and When Seconds Count (2026)

How to stop severe bleeding with a tourniquet, wound packing, and pressure. A practical Stop the Bleed guide for wounds you cannot ignore, with gear picks.

First Aid 2026-08-02

Best First Aid Kit for 2026: 4 Picks for Home, Car, and Trail

Four kits opened and compared, $18 to $330: what is inside, what is missing, and which to buy for home, car, or trail. Plus the cheap restocks that matter most.