How to Use your First Aid Kit & Contents - First Aid Training - St John Ambulance

In an emergency situation, you may need to act quickly

so it's important that you're familiar with your first aid kit to know what to use

for different injuries.

All workplaces, leisure centres, homes and cars should have a first aid kit.

Plasters for small cuts and grazes.

A wound dressing - it's a sterile pad attached to a bandage.

They're for larger cuts to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

They're easy and quick to apply in an emergency.

Roller bandages are long, thin bandages rolled up.

They're used to hold dressings in place, to apply pressure and stop bleeding.

You can also use them to hold ice packs in place to reduce the swelling.

A triangular bandage is a large triangular-shaped piece of cloth.

It can be used as a bandage.

Also it can be used as a dressing if it's sterile to cover a large wound or burn.

Disposable gloves reduce the risk of infection between you and the casualty.

Always wear them, if you have them, when dressing a wound.

Also use them when dealing with any bodily fluid or waste.

Face shields, or pocket masks, can be used to reduce infection when giving rescue breaths.

Alcohol-free cleansing wipes

are used to clean the skin around the wound.

Gauze swabs can be used as dressings

padding or swabs to clean around the wound.

Sticky or adhesive tape is used to hold dressings in place

or to secure the loose ends of bandages.

Scissors are used to cut somebody's clothing so that you can get to the wound.

They can also be used to cut sticky tape to the required length.

Some other common items that might be useful

are cling film or clean plastic bags for dressing burns and scalds.

Use alcohol gel to clean your hands if you don't have any water.

A blanket, survival bag, torch, and whistle are useful for helping people outdoors.

A warning triangle and a high-visibility jacket are useful in the car

for dealing with road accidents.

So remember: make sure you have a first aid kit

and make sure you know how to use it.