You never know when, or where, things will go wrong. A life-threatening emergency can happen to anyone, whether it’s you, a friend, or a stranger, and acknowledging this fact can be the difference between life and death someday. There are several things people say to justify not being prepared, but that can be a potentially fatal mistake in the future.

Help is Only 10 Minutes Away

Ten minutes may not sound terribly long under normal circumstances, but every second counts during an emergency! And, unfortunately, there are a lot of different life-threatening situations where people can die or suffer serious complications in under ten minutes. For example:

• A person can bleed out in under five minutes 

• Your heart can be irreversibly damaged from a heart attack

• Cardiac arrest patients who need CPR will die in minutes 

• Severe burns can cause cardiac arrest

It’s Okay; We called 911

Your local emergency services will do their best to help you, but the best possible care isn’t always guaranteed. For example, sometimes the police will reach you first. Law enforcement often have first aid training, but it’s usually basic and may not be what you need. At other times, the fire department is on the scene before anyone else. Most firefighters are trained in basic emergency medicine, but it isn’t their primary job, and they still may not have the skills needed to stabilize you. 

What if an ambulance is the first to arrive? You already have better chances, but it could be an ambulance with a base-level EMT. While emergency medicine is their primary job, base-level EMTs haven’t been trained in advanced first aid as of yet. 

What if Help isn’t Only 10 Minutes Away

Imagine you’re out enjoying nature in your favorite way. It could be hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, hunting, or whatever other activity you participate in. The scenery is gorgeous, the air is clear, and you’re having a great time. That’s when tragedy strikes. Suddenly, you’re bleeding heavily from your leg, and you don’t know what to do. When you call 911, they tell you you’re in such a rural area that the ambulance will take 45 minutes to reach you. 

To make matters worse, this situation is not exclusive to somewhere rural. Even when you’re in the city, response time can vary drastically depending on where you’re located, the state of traffic, and more. For example, a report by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal in September of 2024 shows that EMS’s life-threatening response time was 12.4 minutes in New York City. 

Why This is Important for You

Life is unpredictable, and your safety is never 100% guaranteed. While you should always hope for the best, it’s critical to also be prepared in case the worst does happen. Having a trauma kit nearby at all times can save a life, whether it’s your own, a loved one’s, or a stranger’s. There are many emergencies where prompt action can prolong a person’s life or situation until they can receive professional treatment.

• Immediately treating an arterial wound can save a life

• Giving aspirin to a heart attack patient quickly can save their life and prevent excessive damage to the heart

• Keeping a patient who’s suffered a traumatic injury warm can prevent hypothermia 

• Cooling a patient early on will drastically reduce the severity of a heat injury such as heat stroke

• Starting CPR immediately can massively increase a patient’s chance of survival

The first three sections highlight three of the major concerns we consider when creating a kit here at My Medic. We recognize the need for a comprehensive first aid kit that covers basic to traumatic injuries, easy accessibility to all items in your FAK, and the fact that YOU are the first responder in an emergency. 

No matter what situation you may find yourself in, we have a kit for you.

11 comments