First Aid Inventory

   While shopping for groceries with my wife today, we bought some stuff to replenish our first aid kits. So, seeing as I was going to have all the kits out - as well as having to make a new compact kit to throw in my wife's purse for day to day use - I thought I may as well inventory and re-organize everything. If you read my last post you will know how much I love lists, they played a large roll in this project.

Everything knolled and ready to be inventoried

   After pulling all the supplies from my first aid kits, I knolled everything out on my kitchen island to begin a full inventory. If you don't know what knolling is, it's a fantastic way of doing a quick inventory of things. Grouping similar items and arranging them neatly at 90º angles to each other, it gives you a very organized and complete image of what you have to work with. Having your gear knolled for a project like this is beneficial in not only making inventory quick and painless, but also that moving items to several different kits simultaneously is much easier.

   As I was taking inventory I was also taking note of what supplies I needed to buy, any time I came across something that was getting low, I would mark an asterisk beside it. I can now add these items to my grocery lists in the future for replenishment, and add my updated inventory to my master spreadsheet and, my Prepper app, for easy reference. It's easy to forget what your supply levels are in something like a first aid kit, but doing a regular inventory is a great way to keep it fresh in your mind, and allows you to see what needs to be replaced. It also shows you what items are more often used in each kit, allowing you to make par stock adjustments if needed.

This is halfway through two and a half pages of inventory

   I always have at least a basic first aid kit on me, with more advanced or specialized kits in different packs. My EDC kit (the one I carry at the bottom of my day pack) is a pretty standard base kit; antiseptic swabs, different size gauze pads, roll of gauze bandage, medical tape, adhesive bandages of various sizes, cotton swabs, latex gloves, tweezers, small medical scissors, nail clippers, super glue, and a medication pack (Gravol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, etc.) I keep this kit in with my toiletries pack, so it's enhanced with the normal items you would find in there. This is kind of my template for building first aid kits - the one I carry daily is so basic because I'm never far from better first aid suppplies (home) or hospitals, so I don't need to rely on it as heavily. Using this starter template allows me to build more thorough kits, or much smaller ones.

All the kits are stocked and inventoried

   The kit I built my wife is specialized in that it's meant to treat toddlers and school kids on a daily basis. It's filed with a lot of large and medium sized adhesive bandages, small alcohol swabs, tweezers, nail clippers, a small amount of gauze (roll), and a small amount of tape. It's a great thing to have with active children who are always on the go, and prone to falling down. The kit has lots of antiseptic wipes and adhesive bandages, great for treating scraped knees on the playground. But also small amounts of gauze and tape, in case something more serious happens a bit farther from home. All of this is packed into a small container, unobtrusive enough to carry in a purse.
   My home first aid kit is kind of like the depot, where I draw supplies from for other kits, always being replenished with bulk supplies. Stocked with large amounts of your main items; adhesive bandages, gauze pads and rolls, medical tape, triangular bandages, antiseptics, gloves, and burn packs. Also regularly stocked in this kit are items like cold packs and mouth to mouth masks, as well as medications like Benadryl, anti-inflamitory tabs, Gravol, and  cold and sinus pills. Because there is always so much traffic through our house we have a large amount minor injury items, things to treat cuts, burns, and bangs.

My first aid kits, freshly stocked and organized.

   My "trauma" kit, as in the kit with the more specialized tools, is the MOLLE kit (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, pronounced "Molly"). Since the bags I carry with me have molle webbing, I used a molle pouch to pack all of the items that would be needed in specific situations. Not only do I keep minor injury supplies, a decent amount of light wound dressings, but also items that I would need for more serious problems. It's used to compliment the home kit while stored, but also easily carried to take when farther away from home and emergency care. This kit allows me to have a more robust home first aid kit, without the unnecessary clutter in our high traffic kit. As well, it allows me to take emergency supplies with me very easily, which is great if I plan on going camping or hunting.
    Aside from these main first aid kits, I also pack a small amount of first aid supplies in a toiletries kit I keep in my outdoors bag. Not very notable, but convenient for minor injuries while on trips without having to access the trauma pack. I should note that I also keep other bulkier supplies (bottles of alcohol and peroxide, polysporin, aloe vera, etc.), not in my first aid kit, but close by as frontline supplies.

The kits freshly inventoried and ready to go where they belong

   I hope this post illustrated the benefits of occasional first aid inventory, as well as one of the many uses of lists. This should also give you an idea of the benefits to building specialized kits, and how easy it all is to do. I will be purchasing a new molle pouch for my trauma pack in the near future, when I get it there will be a more in-depth look at that kit. As always, thanks for reading, and until next time. Be Prepared. Be Safe. Have Fun.