Consider this: an earthquake hits while you are cooking dinner. The tremors cause the pot of boiling water to fly off the stove, scalding your body. The emergency rooms will likely be swamped with injured people, meaning you’d have to treat the burn yourself.
When treating a burn victim, your hands must be clean. You can’t always wash your hands properly (such as after an earthquake when the water is off). For these situations, it is better to have nitrile gloves.
The cool compress will draw heat out of the burn so it heals faster. You could also fill a clean basin with cool water and soak the burn. The basin works great for burns on the feet.
For superficial 1st-degree burns, especially when the blisters haven’t broken, apply a moisturizing gel such as aloe vera. According to AAFP.org, the lipid component of the gel prevents the burn from drying out and accelerates healing.
If the blisters on the burn have broken, the damaged skin could easily get infected. Thus, you must apply an antibacterial ointment to the burn.
You’ll need cotton swabs to clean debris from the burn wound and apply the antibacterial ointment. Do NOT use cotton balls. They can cause pieces of cotton to get stuck inside the wound.
The bandage (also called a dressing or a nonstick pad) should be individually packed so it is sterile. Remember, you’ll have to change the bandage fairly frequently, so you can’t have too many of these in your first aid kit.