September 12th is world first aid day, and obviously, that's a big deal for us here at MyMedic™.  

As a family, we came together with one objective: to save lives. MyMedic is committed and driven to help ensure others never experience what we did, an unnecessary loss of a loved one. It is now our mission to help people be as prepared as they can be by arming them with the best First Aid Kits on the planet. So, of course, we think World First Aid Day is essential. 

What do you know about World First Aid Day?

Introduced by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) in 2000, World First Aid Day is observed on the second Saturday in September. The intention is to raise public awareness of how First Aid can save lives every day and help out in emergencies and disasters. 

What is First Aid?

The definition is "help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available".

First Aid is an important way to preserve life, prevent a condition from worsening, or promote recovery. The main objective of First Aid is to minimize injury, future disability, and to prevent death. 

Sometimes First Aid can be as simple as putting a Band-Aid on a cut or ice on a burn. It can also be as serious as providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or using a heart attack defibrillator. Then there are the severe instances that First Aid is the necessary means of keeping someone alive, like applying a tourniquet to stop massive bleeding. 

How Was First Aid Started? 

From research, we have found that the First International Geneva Convention was held, and the Red Cross was created to provide "aid to sick and wounded soldiers in the field" during the mid-19th century. 

Soldiers were trained to treat their fellow soldiers before the medics arrived, though it makes sense that humans assisted other humans in times of crisis to preserve life before this. 

A decade later, an army surgeon proposed training civilians in what he termed "pre-medical treatment." The term "first aid" first appeared in 1878 as a combination of "first treatment" and "National Aid." 

What Can You Do To Be Prepared? 

Always carry a First Aid Kit with you. The thing about a First Aid emergency is, you never know when it's going to happen. Having life-saving supplies on hand will give you an advantage, and even if you aren't trained to use specific life-saving tools, chances are someone with training will be in the area before medical help can arrive. 

Speaking of training, it's never a bad idea to invest a little time to learn some simple life-saving skills. The better informed and trained we all are, the better prepared we can be to deal with an unexpected illness or injury.