Be prepared
Be prepared
The best time to prepare for an emergency is an ordinary, calm day. This article goes step by step through what is worth doing in advance: taking an in-person course, putting together a simple kit without medicines, saving emergency numbers, agreeing on a plan with your family and finding out where the nearest defibrillator is. None of this takes long, and in a difficult moment it saves a lot of confusion.
Being prepared is not fear of disaster but care for the people you love. A few things done today will help you keep your head when there is no time to think.
Before you start
- A phone where you are ready to save numbers and important notes
- A free evening to find an in-person course and sign up
- A box or bag for the kit that is easy to find in the dark
- A short conversation with your family about who does what in an emergency
- Willingness to admit honestly that videos and articles do not replace practice
Take an in-person first-aid course
The most important thing you can do is practise with your hands under an instructor's supervision. In class you practise compressions on a manikin, rolling a person onto their side, applying a dressing and using a training defibrillator.
Hypothetical example: two colleagues agree to go to a class together so they can practise on each other afterwards.
Save the emergency numbers
In Russia the single emergency number is 112 and the ambulance from a mobile is 103. Emergency numbers differ by country: 112 works across the EU, and 999 in the UK and 911 in the US also work. Save your local number under a clear name and tell children and older family members about it.
Hypothetical example: a sheet on the fridge lists the numbers, the home address and nearby landmarks for the call handler.
Put together a first-aid kit
First aid needs simple things: sterile bandages and gauze pads, disposable gloves, adhesive tape, scissors, a mask or face shield for rescue breaths, and a foil blanket. Medicines are a separate matter and are chosen with a doctor.
Hypothetical example: the kit is kept in the hallway rather than on a high shelf that is hard to reach.
Check the kit from time to time
Packaging tears, gloves go missing, bandages get used on small cuts. It helps to tie the check to a regular event, such as a change of season or a big clean.
Hypothetical example: when the clocks change, the family also opens the kit and tops up whatever is missing.
Find out where the nearest defibrillator is
Automated external defibrillators are increasingly found in public places. If you know where one hangs in your office, shopping centre or gym, you will save precious time when it matters.
Hypothetical example: an employee notices the green defibrillator sign by the entrance and tells colleagues about it.
Agree on a plan with your family
Discuss who makes the call, who meets the crew at the entrance, and where documents and a list of any regular medicines are kept. Such arrangements are easy to make while everything is calm.
Hypothetical example: a teenager knows their job is to open the building door and lead the paramedics to the flat.
Prepare information about yourself and your family
The call handler and the crew will find information about long-term conditions and allergies useful. It is best to ask your own doctor what exactly is worth writing down.
Hypothetical example: a phone has a note called “For paramedics” that is easy to show if the person cannot speak.
Keep your skills fresh
Skills fade without practice, and guidelines are updated over time. A refresher course helps you recall the rhythm of compressions and feel confident again.
Hypothetical example: someone marks the course date in their calendar with a reminder to sign up again.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a video is enough and skipping an in-person class
- Keeping only medicines in the kit and forgetting bandages and gloves
- Storing the kit where nobody but one person can find it
- Not knowing the address or landmarks of where you are
- Never discussing with your family who does what in an emergency
- Hoping that “there is bound to be a doctor nearby”
If that is not possible
- If you cannot go to a course right now, at least save the numbers and learn the general order of actions
- If travelling far is difficult, ask at work whether a class could be arranged for staff
- If you feel shy training with strangers, invite a friend or relative to go with you
- If you are afraid you will not cope, remember that calling an ambulance and staying close is already help
Check how prepared you are
- My local emergency number is saved in my phone and in my family's phones
- I have signed up for or already completed an in-person first-aid course
- There is a kit at home with bandages, gauze pads, gloves and a breathing mask
- Everyone at home knows where the kit is
- I know where the nearest defibrillator is at work or near home
- My family and I have agreed who calls and who meets the crew
What to keep at hand
| Item | Why | Where to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Disposable gloves | Protect you and the injured person from contact with blood | On top in the kit, a few pairs in a bag or the car |
| Sterile bandages and gauze pads | To press on a wound and apply a dressing | In the kit, in unopened packs |
| Adhesive tape and scissors | To secure a dressing, cut clothing or a bandage | In the kit, next to the bandages |
| Breathing mask or face shield | A barrier for rescue breaths, if you are trained | In the kit and in the car |
| Foil blanket | To shield the person from cold or wind until the crew arrives | In the kit and in a travel bag |
| A sheet with numbers and the address | So you do not have to recall the number and landmarks under stress | Somewhere visible at home and in your phone |
Related sections
- Topics
A map of situations: assessing the scene, unresponsiveness, injuries, burns, heat and cold. The article catalogue is here too.
- Questions
What to ask a course instructor and what to discuss with a doctor if children or older relatives live with you.
- Methods
Adult CPR, the recovery position, dressings and cooling a burn, in general terms and never as a replacement for a course.
Sources
- Federal Law No. 323-FZ (art. 31), Russia
- Order of the Russian Ministry of Health No. 220n of 3 May 2024
Information was checked as of the preparation date. First-aid rules and resuscitation guidelines are revised from time to time, so rely on the documents currently in force where you live and on what your in-person course instructor taught you.