You have been tasked with designing the official Little Miami Scenic Trail First Aid Kit. It should be compact, able to be carried in a bike saddle bag or fanny pack. The kit should address the most common minor injuries or medical conditions that trail users may experience or encounter among others. What items would you include? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Band aids of various sizes
2. Gauze
3. Medical tape
4. Antiseptic ointment
5. Disposable gloves
6. Instant cold pack
7. Bug bite pen
8. Pain relief pills
In thanks for your design work, you receive the very first official First Aid Kit. Knowing that members of your family have specific, known conditions, you decide to customize your kit. You add an epi pen to treat your son’s life-threatening allergies, an inhaler to treat your wife’s severe asthma, and sugar-based hard candy to treat your mother’s hypoglycemia.
You are eager to try out your first aid kit, and Mother’s Day offers the perfect opportunity. As you load everyone into the car, you realize that you should bring two other items to complement your first aid kit. The first is your fully charged cell phone, so you can call 911 to summon help for more serious situations. The second is bottles of cold water, to prevent or treat dehydration and to treat heat-related illnesses.
Your family enjoys a beautiful hike. The temperature is perfect. You encountered no incidents today, but if you do, with your first aid kit, phone, and water in tow, you will be prepared to respond.
by Erich Wikum
May 2023
