FUNCTIONS OF FIRST AID TOOLS Gauze pads and gauze sponges are used in a number of different applications and are great for general cleaning, dressings, prepping, packing and debriding wounds. It can also be used as a temporary absorbent dressing over wounds. Instant cold packs provide a convenient… 1. **Gauze pads and gauze sponges** are used in a number of different applications and are great for general cleaning, dressings, prepping, packing and debriding wounds. It can also be used as a temporary absorbent dressing over wounds. 2. **Instant cold packs** provide a convenient cold therapy that can be used to reduce swelling and relieve discomfort from insect bites to sport injuries. These cold packs are commonly used in the allergist’s office to alleviate discomfort from allergy injections. 3. **Elastic bandage**gives firm pressure to an injured body part. It helps limit swelling and ease pain. The bandage gives some support to the injured area, but you may need to wear a splint or brace to give more support and protection during sports or other activities. 4. **Medical adhesive tape, or surgical tape**, is used to attach bandages, gauze, and other dressings to the skin around wounds. Most adhesive tapes are pressure-sensitive tape; i.e., tape that sticks and stays in place with firm pressure. There’s no need for heat activation or a solvent 5. **Thermometer –** Temperature is one of your body’s vital signs, and a significant change in your temperature may indicate illness, or signal that you require immediate medical attention. The most accurate way of checking your temperature 6. **Emergency blanket –** Breaking this down into simplified terms, emergency blankets prevent body heat loss and then use that same body heat to keep a person warm, which in some scenarios can be a life-saving method to ward off hypothermia 7. **Safety Pins Assorted** are useful for securing bandages and slings. Safety Pins Assorted are strong and durable temporary measures for holding together fabric to protect wounds or repair damaged clothing. In the absence of forceps, Safety Pins Assorted can be used to remove foreign objects, once properly disinfected. 8. **Antiseptic wipes** – They allow you to quickly and easily sanitize any cuts, grazes, scrapes or other open wounds. You can also use the wipes to clean and remove bacteria from worktops or other surfaces. 9. **Disposable gloves**offer an added barrier against infection in a first aid situation. It is important that first aiders carry disposable, latex free gloves at all times. The first aider should wear them whenever there is a likelihood of contact with bodily fluids 10. **The Tweezers** are an important tool to have in any first aid kit. You can use tweezers to remove debris such as glass, dirt, or splinters from a wound. We have a range of tweezers available to suit any first aid kit. 11. **Triangular bandage** is used as an arm sling or as a pad to control bleeding. It may also be used to support or immobilize an injury to a bone or joint or as improvised padding over a painful injury. A tubular gauze bandage is used to retain a dressing on a finger or toe. 12. **Scissors** are an essential for all first aid kits. You can use them to cut bandages, dressings and tape to size, to cut through injured people’s clothes to access a wound, or to help remove dressings so bandages can be changed.