If you are a boat owner, you must always stay aware of your safety responsibilities towards any guests on your boat, as well as for your own safety. Any good boat owner will have a properly packed first aid kit on hand for emergencies. At Compass Insurance, serving Centennial, CO, and the surrounding areas, we hope you never experience an emergency on your boat. Still, a properly put together first aid kit will be crucial if you do. Keep reading to learn about the items you need. 

What Type of Kit Do You Need?

You should understand that different types of boats and excursions require various emergency supplies. Boats that will only go out for day excursions with a small group of people may not need extensive first-aid supplies. However, if you are taking groups on extensive excursions, you will need more supplies. If you want to be prepared for any emergency, you will need a fully stocked first aid kit. 

 First Aid Kit Essentials

Basic first aid kits often come with what you need for minimal injuries. When you are out on a boat, especially if you are fishing as well, injuries could get a little more involved. Here are some first-aid essentials that are good to have on your boat.

• Variety of bandages– Different types of injuries will need different types of bandages for proper coverage.
• Gauze– Gauze will be needed to hold smaller bandages tightly in place for injuries that are a bit more serious.
• Scissors– Scissors are needed to cut bandages, tape, or even clothing from a wound.
• Tweezers– Tweezers are needed to remove splinters and metal shards of metal.
• Syringe– Syringes are helpful to flush dirt from wounds or flush eyes.
• Saline solution– Thisforsflushing to flush wounds.
• Tape
• Cold packs– This is needed to help swelling.
• Foil blankets– This can be a valuable tool if someone falls into cold water. This item can help to prevent shock or hypothermia.
• Gloves– These are necessary to reduce the chances of spreading germs or diseases when treating an injury.
• Burn cream– A boat has several hot surfaces that could result in burns on board.
• OTC medications– You should have a supply of OTC meds such as aspirin, Advil, allergy, motion sickness, and more.
• Alcohol wipes– These are needed for disinfecting.
• Antiseptic ointment or spray– This will be needed to clean wounds.
• Eyewash

If you want to learn about boat insurance, please get in touch with us at Compass Insurance serving Centennial, CO, and the surrounding areas.