Every home should have a first aid kit on hand. Your first aid kit should contain bandages, gauze, antiseptic, the number for poison control, antihistamine medication, ibuprofen, antiseptic ointment or wash, CPR facemask and refresher instructions, and medical tape for securing gauze. It is a good idea to have a first aid kit in both your home and car. This way you are always prepared for an emergency! Every family should know some basic first aid so they know what to do if there is a medical emergency in their home. When most people think of first aid, they automatically think of CPR. CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is the process of administering chest compressions and emergency breaths for a person who has stopped breathing and has no pulse. CPR should only be performed by someone trained in the procedure or someone who has the help of a 911 operator over the phone. While CPR is an important first aid skill, there are many more first aid tricks you can use in an emergency. The most common kind of household emergency is a poisoning. Children are inherently curious, and unfortunately many household cleaning products look like tasty drinks. When someone ingests a chemical, the first aid protocol is to call the poison control center. The number for the poison control center in your area should be displayed in a prominent place in your home, such as on the refrigerator or by your phone. That way in an emergency situation you can quickly find the number and make the call. You should also keep this number in your first aid kit. Bleeding is another common household first aid concern. If someone in your home is bleeding, you need to try to stop the bleeding. Minor cuts are easily tended to with a plastic bandage from your first aid kit. Be sure to clean the cut with peroxide before bandaging it to prevent infection. Larger cuts with profuse bleeding require pressure on the wound to help stop the bleeding. Apply pressure until the bleeding slows, then bandage the wound and take the injured person to the doctor to have the wound cleaned and dressed properly. Sometimes insect bites become a situation that requires first aid treatment. If the insect bite doesn’t swell or become inflamed, and over-the-counter insect bite medication is all that is needed to take the sting and itch away. You should always keep this in your first aid kit. However, sometimes people are bit by poisonous insects or insects they are allergic to. Because of this, it is important to watch insect bites for several hours to look for an allergic reaction. Whether there is a mild reaction or a severe reaction, check the bite for a stinger. If there is a stinger present, use a straight edge to scrape it out. Do not pull on the stinger with your hands or tweezers, because this causes the stinger to release more venom into the skin. If you notice swelling, apply ice. You can also administer an antihistamine to help with any itching from insect bites. However, if the bites cause a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling to two inches or more, and causing reactions such as difficulty breathing, hives, or swelling of the lips or throat, call 911 immediately. Then, check to see if the person has an epinephrine shot available. If so, administer the dosage. The person should then sit on his back with his feet elevated higher than his head. Loosen any clothing, but avoid giving the person food or water. Once the reaction is under control, you should make sure that the person’s doctor gives him a personal epinephrine shot in case of more insect bites that cause the same reaction.