Safety is a 24/7 challenge for farmers, ranchers and farm families. On the farm, you must be prepared to handle an injury until emergency help arrives.

Keep a fully stocked First Aid Kit nearby

First aid kits are our business. Since 1993 we've been focused on providing "quality, comprehensive first aid kits at a fair price"

As experts we thought we'd pass along a few tips we've learned along the way on what you should look for when buying a first aid kit regardless of brand.

Look for variety of components
Many first aid kits attempt to sell a kit comprised of a box of adhesive bandages and a few tablets. How many different type of injuries will this kit treat? Not very many! Don't be fooled by quantity of components, look for variety of components! The idea is to include components for real life emergencies, not what might let the kit sell for a few dollars less.

Make sure all basic categories are covered
Any first aid kit should contain at least something from the following groups: Antiseptics (something to kill germs to prevent infection), Injury treatment (items to deal with injuries such as butterlfy closures and cold compresses), Bandages (a variety of bandages to dress and cover a variety of wounds), Instruments (tweezers, barrier gloves), and Medicines (analgesics at a minimum).

Kit organization
First aid kits are only used in a time of need. If you, or someone you are near, are injured and need assistance a first aid kit won't do any good if you can't find what you need. Look for a kit that has its contents nicely organized so you can locate supplies readily.

Quality components
Adhesive bandages that don't stick, poorly shaped bandages, component packaging that falls apart, a case that doesn't stand up... a poor quality kit is the last thing you need in dealing with an emergency.

Information
A first aid kit does no good if you don't know what to do with it. Frankly, most first aid kits include some kind of guide, but their usefulness can vary widely. Make sure the first aid guide in your kit is from a credible source, contains the latest medical advice, and make sure it its laid out in a way that can be understood when under stress.

We encourage you to make sure that your family is fully prepared for emergencies. Evaluate your household, keep a first aid kit everywhere there is likely to be an emergency... around the house, in each car, in backpacks, and in your RV or boat. We have developed the broadest array of First Aid kits available to help you be prepared — something for every application or use, and all developed for real life emergencies.

SOL took the acclaimed Pocket Survival Pak™, added key survival items and created the Pocket Survival Pak™ PLUS. Designed by Doug Ritter, this kit includes everything in the best-selling Pocket Survival Pak… PLUS a CRKT RSK-MK5 knife, an SOL LED micro-light, Katadyn Micropur MP1 water purification tablets, and a 1-liter collapsible water bag - all packed in a waterproof welded-fabric pouch that fits in your pocket. This collection of survival tools is for when you find yourself abandoned, stranded, or lost in the outdoors. Keep it in your pocket and on your person because, "If it isn't with you, it can't save you." The Pocket Survival Pak™ PLUS is for backpackers, hunters, pilots, snowmobilers, hikers, or anyone who enjoys the great outdoors! Designed by Doug Ritter, Executive Director of the Equipped to Survive Foundation.

	Pocket Survival Pak PLUS Designed by Doug Ritter, this kit includes everything in the best-selling Pocket Survival Pak… PLUS a CRKT RSK-MK5 knife, an E-Gea.... read more	Retail Price: $80.00 Our Price: $69.99 Quantity Discounts: Call Us!	Qty.
Item#/SKU: 0140-0717

“As Commander-in-Chief, I’ll keep doing everything in my power to make sure we serve you as well as you’ve served us. And that means making sure you get the care and the benefits you need. It means making sure you don’t have to fight for a job when you get home. It means recognizing our military families and giving them the support that they deserve.” – President Obama at an event honoring wounded warriors

The president’s remarks from earlier this year echoed in my head during the recent 2013 Warrior Family Symposium, an event co-sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America and the National Defense Industrial Association. And something that really struck me during the symposium was that caring for our wounded warriors, making sure they have the kind of support the president promised, is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise.

The federal government has funded many initiatives designed to help our wounded warriors either to rejoin their branch of military service or reintegrate into their local community if they separate from military service. For example, the Army and Marine Corps have created Soldier for Life and Marine for Life programs for this purpose. Our sister agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, delivers the health and other benefits to which our veterans are entitled.

Another takeaway from the symposium was how critical employment is to the recovery and well-being of our wounded warriors. Having a satisfying job with a degree of responsibility is good for both physical and mental health. And that’s where the Labor Department plays an important role ? particularly the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the federal government’s lead agency in helping veterans find good jobs in the civilian economy. Here are a few examples of our work:

• Our wounded warriors get priority of service at more than 2,600 American Job Centers across the country. A majority of the centers have an employee dedicated solely to helping them known as a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialist.
• Together with our colleagues in the Employment and Training Administration, we created an online tool, My Next Move for Veterans, where veterans can enter their military occupation codes and discover civilian occupations for which they are qualified.
• Working with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, we completely overhauled the Transition Assistance Program (known as TAP), which helps exiting service members prepare for civilian life, including job searching.
• This year, we launched an initiative to address the unique challenges facing women veterans. To aid service providers who work with women veterans experiencing homelessness, the department’s Women’s Bureau has developed a guide on trauma-informed care.
• Resources to help employers and workforce development specialists address the employment challenges of veterans living with a traumatic brain injury and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are available through the department’s America’s Heroes at Work website.
• The department also announced a new regulation this year requiring companies that do business with the federal government to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote and retain veterans.

Another key takeaway from the symposium is that, while these programs and resources are critical, wounded warriors rely most on the help of family and friends. Their caregivers have to earn a living, so it’s important that we support, too. This is why Congress amended the Family and Medical Leave Act to provide employment protection for caregivers of service members and veterans, for which the Labor Department recently issued new rules. Thanks to the FMLA, caregivers for wounded warriors face one less potential challenge.

For our wounded warriors, coming home doesn’t mean that the fight is over. In some ways, it’s just begun. We are proud to work with our colleagues in the Labor Department and throughout the federal government to support them and their families.

Keith Kelly is the assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ employment and training.

First Responders rely on Go bags that are ready to grab and respond quickly, with the emergency medical supplies they may need for quick casualty assistance

Resolve to be #Prepared2014!

Roughly half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions. In 2014, FEMA and the Ad Council are encouraging them to Resolve to be Ready for potential emergencies by committing to make preparedness a year-round family activity.

We’ve enlisted the platform Thunderclap to reach as many people as possible with the #Prepared2014 message. Please help us by adding your support and promoting #Prepared2014 to your social media communities.
Here’s how:

• Join our Thunderclap message and share a New Year's resolution of preparedness with your followers. How does Thunderclap work? Once you sign up, Thunderclap will sync your social media accounts to release an automatic Facebook post, Tweet or both on January, 1, 2014 at 12:30 PM reminding your friends and followers to make a family emergency plan.
• Use #Prepared2014 in your social media messaging throughout 2014 to remind friends and followers to be prepared for emergencies all year long.
• Share preparedness messaging from the Ready Facebook and Twitter feeds.
• All the info you need to participate can be found at http://www.ready.gov/prepared2014.

Are you ready to Bug Out?

Whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, Atheist, Non-Denom, or any other belief or non-belief... We hope you have the day off work (as we do!) and we wish you the Safest and Happiest Day off to enjoy however you like to enjoy a day!

This entry was posted in Info News and tagged #feliz navidad, #feliznavidad, #merrychristmas. #merry christmas, Agnostic, Atheist, boa natale, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Non-Denom on December 25, 2013 by First Aid Mart Team.

The holiday season is filled with parties, family gatherings, and lots of food. While everyone wants to keep food-safe, it is especially important for pregnant women to do so. Pregnant women are at increased risk of food poisoning. In fact, pregnant women are about ten times more likely than the general population to get sick from listeriosis, a rare but deadly foodborne infection caused by the bacteria, Listeria. And, one in seven Listeria infections occurs during pregnancy.

Why are pregnant women more likely to get food poisoning?

• You and your growing fetus are more vulnerable to some foodborne illnesses because during pregnancy your immune system is weakened, which makes it harder for your body to fight off harmful foodborne germs.

• Food Safety Experts Hold Holiday Food Safety Twitter Chat

  • Twitter chat engaged consumers with easy-to-remember tips.
  • For full story see CDC Shares Food Safety Tips Via Twitter
  • Follow @CDCgov on Twitter and use hashtag#CDCchat to follow this and other chats
  • CDC Facebook event
• Your unborn baby's immune system is not developed enough to fight off harmful foodborne germs.
• For both mother and baby, foodborne illness can cause serious health problems—or even death.

So how can you keep you and your unborn child safe from harmful food germs like Listeria and free of complications during pregnancy and delivery—especially during the holidays?

Here are some quick tips to help you make smarter food--and beverage--decisions 

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially when
   1. Touching raw meat, raw eggs or unwashed vegetables
   2. Preparing food
   3. Before eating or drinking

• Have you got Child and Infant First Aid Products Handy?

  Don’t share forks, cups, or food with young children. Wash your hands often when around children. Their saliva and urine might contain a virus that could be harmful for you and your unborn baby.

• Cook your meat and poultry until it’s well-done: Well-cooked is well eaten. Meat and poultry can carry harmful germs like E. coli and Toxoplasma. Always cook hamburger, chicken, and other meat items until they are well-done to ensure bacteria and parasites are killed in the cooking process. And, heat cold cuts until they are steaming to avoid possible contamination.
• Avoid raw or unpasteurized dairy: Raw or unpasteurized dairy may contain harmful bacteria. Avoid soft cheeses such as queso fresco, Brie, Camembert, feta, goat cheese, or Roquefort if they are raw or unpasteurized. Just say no to other unpasteurized or raw products, like milk or juice as well.
• Be aware of holiday beverages. Watch out for alcohol-containing holiday punches and eggnogs. Avoid eggnog entirely unless you know it was made with pasteurized eggs and contains no alcohol.
• Make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked [PDF - 84KB] before eating: Sneaky Salmonella lurks inside eggs. Lots of foods are made with raw or undercooked eggs: Caesar dressing, homemade ice cream, cookie dough, mayonnaise, and eggnog, to name a few. To avoid contamination and possible food poisoning, always use pasteurized eggs and avoid runny yolks by cooking thoroughly.
• To learn more about food safety and/or infections during pregnancy contact CDC-INFO at cdcinfo@cdc.gov or 1-800-CDC-INFO. Or, you may visit CDC's Pregnancy Information gateway, the FoodSafety.gov portal for pregnant women.
  

  More Information

  • CDC: CDC. Foodborne Illness
  • USDA: Food Safety Education
  • FDA: CDC. Food Safety
  • The International Food Information Council Foundation: IFIC Foundation
  • Vital Signs: Recipe for Food Safety
  • MediaPlanet: Food Safety: When Food Bites Back
  • ABC Food Safety Twitter Chat : Pass the Potato Salad

Many of us are entering the coldest time of the year. Cold temperatures make your body lose heat faster than it can be produced. This condition results in abnormally low body temperature, also known as hypothermia.

Hypothermia affects the brain, leaving the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This inability makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it’s happening. Victims of hypothermia are often:

• Seniors with inadequate heating, food or clothing;
• Babies sleeping in cold rooms; and
• People who remain outdoors for long periods like the homeless, hikers or hunters.

In extreme cold, make outside trips as brief as possible to protect your health and safety. However, if you must be outside take a few special precautions:

• Dress warmly and in layers.  A waterproof jacket will help you stay warm and dry if it starts to snow;
• Have hand and body warmers
• Work slowly if you have to do heavy outdoor chores; and
• Notify friends and family where you will be before you go hiking, camping or skiing.

Do not ignore shivering. It is an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Learn the other signs of hypothermia and how to care for someone who may be suffering from it before your next outdoor winter excursion.