Welcome to Part III of our Emergency Preparedness topic. We have given you an Introduction to Emergency Preparedness and we looked at Food and Water. Now we are covering medical and hygiene preparations.

In the previous article, we gave you an introduction to Emergency Preparedness. Now we will look in more detail at two essential, life-saving preps; food and water.

We’ve created this article to get you started. When you start on your path in emergency preparation, it can seem overwhelming and can be more than a bit of stress and anxiety-ridden.

Immersing yourself in cold water is increasingly popular and is touted to provide many health benefits, but sudden immersion in water less than 15ºC can be very dangerous. ‘Seasoned’ cold water swimmers enjoy repeated visits and as a result, their body acclimatises to cold more readily.

The first thing we need to remember is that there is no perfect first aid kit. The environment, the terrain, the climate, the skill set of companions, the number of days, the number of people, and the remoteness of our expedition need to be taken into consideration.

Blisters are a common problem and neglecting foot-care can turn a great hike into a painful experience. We have probably all suffered from blisters at some point, and even if these are small, they have the potential to ruin a day out on the hill.

Wilderness medicine is a rapidly growing discipline that is becoming increasingly more relevant in this era of globalization, international travel and wilderness exploration.

Every year, millions of people are affected by water-related incidents, regardless of the type of water transportation undertaken (and the weather conditions). There are various degrees of seasickness, ranging from mild queasiness to extreme nausea, dizziness and vomiting.

Decompression sickness (DCS) is one of the most common problems reported to the Divers Alert Network (DAN), and although scuba diving accidents are rare, it’s important to know how to handle suspected cases of DCS.

Flying or travelling to altitude after diving is a consideration for many divers, so it is great that the question is being asked.

The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) First Aid Guidelines 2015 state that when direct pressure cannot control severe bleeding, tourniquets and haemostatic dressings are now advised.

Ensuring your child is safe can feel like a full-time job but with a few essential first-aid skills, it can soon feel more manageable. This article will outline five first-aid emergencies that may affect your child and how to respond as parents.

Parents’ biggest fear, discovered by Weaning Week’s survey, is the risk of choking. 2-4 babies choke to death each year in England and Wales. It is the third most common cause of death for babies.

Teenagers and young people are the most likely to push boundaries and take risks when things go wrong. It is vital that teenagers have the skills and confidence to help each other and themselves.

The emergency services are suffering this winter and are under greater strain than ever before. This means it is vitally important that we only use our emergency services when we need them so that they are available to help with life-threatening medical emergencies.

Christmas and New Year are busy times of the year. The festive season sees a dramatic increase in the number of accidents and illnesses, with more people rushing around and families pooling their germs!

In most EU countries people learn first aid as part of their driving test. In the UK, even basic first aid knowledge is not obligatory which means many drivers involved in accidents are totally powerless and unable to help.

Being on holiday with children provides a whole new opportunity for various bumps, cuts and scrapes to occur. When bringing the whole family abroad it is a good idea to have a fully stocked first aid kit with you that will allow you to tackle most situations.

AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED is a device which delivers an electrical shock to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (where the heart has stopped beating). So how does an AED work?

First aid refers to the initial medical attention given immediately after an injury or an accident. It’s a short-term treatment that doesn’t require special training or technology to administer.