Sometimes, accidents and unfortunate incidents happen even when you’re careful. Man overboard, intoxication, injuries, extreme weather conditions, allergy reactions, and sudden illness can occur whenever you’re out in on your boat.  And these events happen when you least expect them. So, it’s important to be always ready whenever they occur. The best way to prepare yourself is to these events is to equip your boat with the necessary safety equipment and boating accessories you will need to assist you while waiting for help to come. Having these items in your boat can literally save your life.

First Aid Essentials You Should Pack:

• Waterproof container: To store all your first aid items and medication. Make sure they are sturdy enough and wide enough to store everything.

•  Scissors: For cutting bandages, tapes, and clothing from a wound.

•  Safety pins: To hold bandages or slings in place.

•  Tweezers: To remove splinters or minuscule foreign bodies embedded in the wound.

•  Syringe: To fill with saline to wash a wound or use as emergency eye drops. Make sure the needle is removed.

•  Saline solution or hydrogen peroxide: To clean wounds before applying the bandage.

•  Bandages: To cover injuries. Triangular bandage to support an injured arm or shoulders. Adhesive pads and gauze to cover cuts.

•  Cold packs: To give relief to burns, sprains, and swelling.

•  Blanket: To retain body heat. You can use a space blanket to effectively prevent hypothermia.

•  Surgical gloves: To wear when in contact with bodily fluids.

•  Burn cream: To treat burns or sunburns.

•  Medication: For heartburns, seasickness, diarrhea, headache, toothache, and other body pains.

•  Alcohol wipes: To sterilize wounds and first aid tools to use to treat a wound.

•  Cotton swabs: To wipe wounds and other delicate areas before applying the bandage.

•  Antiseptic ointment: To prevent infection in wounds, scrapes, cuts, and abrasions.

•  First-Aid guide: To use for first-aid reference.

You can purchase the first aid kit in pharmacies or grocery stores.

Other Essential Tools and Equipment for Emergencies

• All boats, whatever shape or size, must always contain life jackets and personal floatation devices that are enough for the number of passengers in the boat.Make sure your horn works properly. It’s best to supply an additional horn or whistle.

• Fire extinguishers should be stored in case of fires.

• VHF radio and emergency location devices should always be present in your boat. Don’t rely on your smartphones solely since cellular signals can be choppy and unreliable when you’re out in the ocean. VHF radios are equipped with a service in which you can make a call to anyone within your range. It is also equipped with GPS so the person receiving your call can pinpoint your location. Most modern VHF radios are equipped with updated marine weather reports and alerts in the event of sudden extreme weather.

• Include visual distress signals in your must-haves. You can use a smoke flare, emergency flags, or electronic SOS signal lights. Store these SOS signals in waterproof containers.

• Visual distress signals are another must-have item, particularly if you’re venturing far from shore. Vessels to 65 feet require a minimum of three day-use and three night-use pyrotechnic devices (flares). An orange flag can be substituted for one day-use device; an electronic SOS signal light can be substituted for one night-use. Like your first aid items, store flares in a waterproof container. You can buy all the items listed above in your local marine shops or through online stores.

• Last, but definitely not least is to provide a float plan. A float plan is where you list down your boat trip details: the destination you’re heading to, how long will your trip last, information about the passengers on board, the safety equipment you have stored in your boat, and a description of your boat. Provide a copy to a friend or the local marina to inform them about your trip. Instruct them on what to do if they don’t return right away from your trip right away.