Be the ready person: first aid & preparedness
This curriculum moves from core life-saving skills to whole-household preparedness and finally to advanced survival and community resilience. Each stage builds on the last: you first learn what to do in the first critical minutes of an emergency, then how to stock and plan your home for longer disruptions, and finally how to think and act when professional help is unavailable for days or weeks.
Foundations: Core First Aid Skills
New to itUnderstand and perform essential first aid responses — bleeding control, CPR, choking, burns, fractures — with enough confidence to act in the first critical minutes of an emergency.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 8–10 weeks total. Book 1 ("First Aid/CPR/AED Participant's Manual"): 4–5 weeks, ~15–20 pages/day — read each module alongside its skill sheets and review check-points before moving on. Book 2 ("The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook"): 4–5 weeks, ~20–25 pages/day — use it as a reinforc
- The Emergency Action Steps (Check–Call–Care) as the universal first-responder framework, introduced in the Red Cross Participant's Manual and reinforced throughout Handal's handbook
- Recognizing life-threatening emergencies vs. non-life-threatening ones, and when to activate EMS (call 9-1-1) before providing care
- Hands-only and full CPR cycles (30 compressions : 2 breaths) for adults, children, and infants, including rate, depth, and recoil as detailed in the Participant's Manual skill sheets
- AED operation: powering on, pad placement, shock delivery, and immediately resuming CPR — a core skill sequence in the Participant's Manual
- Bleeding control hierarchy: direct pressure, wound packing, pressure bandaging, and tourniquet application as a last resort, covered in both books
- Choking management: back blows and abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) for conscious victims and CPR-based airway checks for unconscious victims, per the Participant's Manual protocols
- Burn classification (superficial, partial-thickness, full-thickness) and the cool-cover-call protocol outlined in Handal's handbook
- Fracture and musculoskeletal injury management: RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), splinting principles, and when to suspect spinal injury, as covered in Handal's handbook
- Using the Check–Call–Care framework from the Participant's Manual, walk through exactly what you would do in the first 60 seconds upon finding an unresponsive adult — what do you check, when do you call, and what care do you begin?
- What are the correct hand placement, compression depth, compression rate, and breath delivery technique for adult CPR as specified in the Red Cross Participant's Manual, and how do these parameters change for an infant?
- According to both books, what is the step-by-step sequence for controlling severe external bleeding, and at what point is tourniquet use appropriate?
- How do you recognize and respond to a conscious adult who is choking versus one who becomes unconscious mid-rescue, following the protocols in the Participant's Manual?
- Using Handal's handbook as your reference, how do you differentiate a superficial burn from a partial-thickness burn, and what immediate care steps apply to each?
- What are the signs that a limb injury may involve a fracture rather than a sprain, and how does Handal's handbook instruct you to immobilize the injury before EMS arrives?
- Skill-sheet dry runs: After each module in the Participant's Manual, read the corresponding skill sheet aloud, then physically walk through every step in sequence — even without a manikin, rehearsing hand placement and body positioning builds procedural memory.
- CPR timing drill: Set a metronome or phone timer to 100–120 BPM and practice 30-compression cycles on a firm pillow or rolled blanket, counting aloud; cross-reference your depth and recoil technique against the Participant's Manual skill sheet.
- Bleeding control simulation: Using a folded cloth as a 'wound,' practice applying firm direct pressure for a full 5 minutes without peeking, then layer a pressure bandage on top — replicate the exact sequence described in both books.
- Choking scenario role-play: Ask a family member or friend to act as a conscious choking victim; verbally narrate each step (5 back blows, 5 abdominal thrusts, repeat) from the Participant's Manual before physically demonstrating the motions on them gently.
- Burn & fracture triage cards: Create a set of index cards — one side describes a scenario (e.g., 'palm-sized blister on forearm'), the other lists the correct Handal-protocol response; quiz yourself until you can answer each card in under 30 seconds.
- Integrated scenario walkthrough: Write a 1-page fictional emergency scenario that combines at least three skills (e.g., unresponsive victim + bleeding wound + bystander choking), then write out your full Check–Call–Care response citing specific steps from both books — this mirrors the capstone thinking required in real emergencies.
Next up: Mastering these core life-saving responses gives the reader a reliable action framework and physical confidence that makes the next stage — expanding into situational and environmental emergencies (heat stroke, poisoning, allergic reactions, disaster preparedness) — feel like a natural extension rather than an entirely new subject.
The definitive, widely-used reference for everyday first aid, produced by the most trusted name in emergency response. Reading this first establishes the core vocabulary, step-by-step protocols, and visual reference that every later book assumes you know.
A narrative-friendly companion to the Red Cross manual that explains the 'why' behind each procedure, making the protocols easier to remember and apply under stress. Read second to reinforce and internalize what the manual introduced.
Building the Prepared Household
New to itCreate a practical, room-by-room emergency plan for your home — including 72-hour kits, water and food storage, communication plans, and disaster-specific checklists for events like earthquakes, fires, and power outages.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 3–4 weeks, ~20–25 pages/day — Bradley's handbook is dense with checklists and practical tables, so read slowly and actively: highlight supply lists, annotate room-by-room sections, and pause at the end of each chapter to take inventory notes before moving on.
- The 72-hour kit: what it is, why 72 hours is the baseline, and exactly what goes into one for individuals, families, and pets
- Water storage and purification: the one-gallon-per-person-per-day rule, container types, rotation schedules, and field purification methods Bradley outlines
- Food storage principles: caloric needs per person, shelf-stable food selection, rotation (FIFO), and avoiding common stockpiling mistakes
- Room-by-room and structure-by-structure hazard mitigation: securing furniture, locating shut-off valves, and reducing injury risk before a disaster strikes
- Disaster-specific action plans: Bradley's distinct checklists for earthquakes, house fires, power outages, floods, and severe storms — and how each differs
- Family communication plan: out-of-area contact, rally points, ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts, and how to account for family members who are away from home
- Financial and document preparedness: copies of vital records, cash reserves, and insurance documentation as part of a complete household plan
- Special-needs considerations: adapting every element of the plan for infants, elderly family members, people with disabilities, and pets
- According to Bradley, what are the non-negotiable contents of a 72-hour kit, and how should the kit differ for a family with a toddler versus a family with an elderly member?
- What is Bradley's recommended water storage quantity for a family of four over 72 hours, and what purification methods does he describe for when stored water runs out?
- Walk through Bradley's room-by-room mitigation checklist: what are the top hazards in the kitchen, bedroom, and garage, and what specific actions does he recommend to address each?
- How does Bradley's earthquake action plan differ from his house-fire action plan in terms of immediate response, shelter-in-place vs. evacuation decisions, and post-event steps?
- What are the key components of a family communication plan as described in the handbook, and why does Bradley stress designating an out-of-area contact rather than a local one?
- What financial and documentation steps does Bradley include in a complete household preparedness plan, and where does he recommend storing these materials?
- Build your actual 72-hour kit using Bradley's master supply list as a checklist — lay every item out on a table, photograph it, and note gaps to fill within one week
- Conduct a room-by-room walk-through of your home with Bradley's hazard mitigation section open: identify at least three actionable fixes per room (e.g., strap the water heater, move heavy objects off high shelves) and schedule them on a calendar
- Calculate your household's water and food needs for 72 hours and then for two weeks using Bradley's formulas, then physically inventory what you currently have and create a prioritized shopping list for the shortfall
- Write out a one-page family communication plan — including two rally points, one out-of-area contact, and ICE information for every family member's phone — and share it with every person in your household
- Run a tabletop drill for one disaster scenario from the book (e.g., a nighttime earthquake): talk through every step from initial response to 72-hour survival using Bradley's checklist, and identify at least two weak points in your current plan
- Gather, photocopy or scan, and store in a waterproof bag (and a cloud backup) all vital documents Bradley recommends — IDs, insurance policies, medical records, financial account info — and confirm every adult in the household knows where the physical copies are
Next up: Mastering the household-level plan in Bradley's handbook gives you a stable, practiced foundation at home — the natural next step is expanding that competence outward to first-aid skills and medical response, so you can handle the human injuries that disasters inevitably produce.
Written by a NASA engineer, this book applies systematic thinking to home preparedness — covering natural disasters, power grid failure, and civil unrest — and pairs perfectly with Edwards' action-oriented approach by adding analytical depth.
When Help Is Hours Away: Wilderness & Remote Medicine
Some backgroundManage medical emergencies when professional help is delayed or unavailable — including improvised splinting, wound care, hypothermia, and patient assessment — skills that apply equally to backcountry situations and urban disasters.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 4–5 weeks, ~20–25 pages/day; Forgey's book is dense with protocols, so budget extra time to re-read decision trees and treatment tables before moving on to each new body system or condition
- Systematic patient assessment: the SOAP note framework and primary/secondary survey adapted for remote settings
- Wound management without clinical resources: irrigation, debridement, closure decisions, infection recognition, and improvised dressings
- Improvised splinting and fracture/dislocation management: traction splints, SAM-splint principles, and evacuation criteria
- Environmental emergencies: recognition and field treatment of hypothermia (mild/moderate/severe), frostbite, heat illness, and altitude sickness (AMS/HACE/HAPE)
- Evacuation decision-making: when to self-evacuate, when to wait for rescue, and how to package and move a patient safely
- Wilderness pharmacology: indications, dosing, and limitations of a backcountry medical kit — including OTC and prescription options Forgey covers
- Anaphylaxis and envenomation management: epinephrine use, sting/bite protocols, and improvised interventions
- Fluid and nutrition management in prolonged care: hydration assessment, oral rehydration, and caloric considerations when evacuation is delayed
- Using Forgey's patient assessment framework, what are the sequential steps you would take when you first reach an unresponsive backcountry patient, and what life threats must be ruled out before moving to secondary survey?
- According to Forgey, what factors determine whether a wound should be closed in the field versus left open, and what are the signs that a wound has become critically infected requiring urgent evacuation?
- Describe Forgey's staged treatment protocol for moderate hypothermia: what rewarming methods are appropriate, which are contraindicated, and at what point does the patient require evacuation regardless of apparent improvement?
- What distinguishes AMS from HACE and HAPE in Forgey's framework, and what is the correct field treatment priority order for each condition when descent is not immediately possible?
- How does Forgey recommend improvising a traction splint for a mid-shaft femur fracture, and what neurovascular checks must be performed before and after application?
- What criteria does Forgey provide for deciding to evacuate versus continue managing a patient in place, and how do factors like weather, distance, and patient stability interact in that decision?
- Patient assessment drill: Using a willing partner, practice a full head-to-toe primary and secondary survey out loud, narrating every finding as if radioing a physician — time yourself to under 10 minutes
- Wound care simulation: Using a raw chicken breast or pork skin, practice high-pressure irrigation (improvised syringe from a plastic bag), wound closure with steri-strips or improvised butterfly bandages, and dressing application; repeat until technique is consistent
- Splinting lab: With only items found in a typical backpack (sleeping pad, trekking poles, clothing, tape), improvise splints for a forearm fracture, an ankle sprain, and a suspected femur fracture; have a partner check for padding, immobilization above and below the joint, and neurovascular access
- Hypothermia scenario: Role-play a scenario where a hiking partner is found cold, confused, and shivering — work through Forgey's protocol step by step: assessment, insulation, rewarming method selection, fluid decisions, and evacuation call
- Build and audit a backcountry medical kit: Using Forgey's recommended kit contents as a checklist, assemble or audit an existing kit, justify every item's inclusion with a specific scenario from the book, and identify any gaps
- Evacuation decision tree: Write out a one-page personal reference card summarizing Forgey's evacuation criteria for the five most common wilderness emergencies (fracture, wound infection, hypothermia, altitude illness, anaphylaxis) — then quiz yourself by reading random scenarios aloud and calling the decision within 30 seconds
Next up: Forgey's remote-setting protocols build a strong foundation in resource-limited clinical reasoning, which directly prepares the reader to tackle more advanced or specialized emergency medicine topics — such as tactical medicine, disaster triage at scale, or advanced trauma life support — where the same improvisational mindset meets higher patient volumes and greater systemic complexity.
A deeper, more comprehensive wilderness medicine reference covering a wide range of conditions from envenomation to altitude sickness. Reading it after Tilton gives you the clinical detail to handle complex or prolonged emergencies confidently.
Advanced Preparedness: Long-Term Resilience
Going deepThink and plan beyond the 72-hour kit — understanding long-term food and water security, grid-down medical care, community coordination, and the psychological dimensions of surviving extended disruptions.
▸ Study plan for this stage
Pace: 8–10 weeks total. Weeks 1–4: "Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide" (~20–25 pages/day, covering food/water storage, energy, security, and community planning chapters). Weeks 5–9: "Where There Is No Doctor" (~15–20 pages/day — read methodically; use the index and appendices actively as reference materi
- Long-term food and water security: caloric planning, crop rotation, water harvesting, and purification systems that go beyond short-term stockpiling (Cobb)
- Energy independence and grid-down living: alternative power sources, fuel storage, and reducing dependency on modern infrastructure (Cobb)
- Security and community resilience: neighborhood mutual-aid networks, division of labor, and the social dynamics of group survival over months or years (Cobb)
- Psychological resilience: managing stress, grief, conflict, and morale during extended disruptions — recognizing that mental health is a survival skill (Cobb)
- Diagnosis and treatment without professional medical infrastructure: using symptom-based assessment, the 'look, listen, feel' method, and the decision trees in Werner's handbook
- Preventive medicine and sanitation in austere environments: hygiene, waste disposal, nutrition-related illness, and disease prevention as the first line of care (Werner)
- Managing chronic and acute conditions without a hospital: wound care, infections, childbirth, dehydration, and when/how to improvise or substitute medications (Werner)
- Community health education: Werner's core philosophy that empowering ordinary people with medical knowledge saves more lives than waiting for experts — applying this to your own preparedness group
- After reading Cobb, can you design a 6-month food and water plan for a household of four, accounting for caloric needs, dietary variety, storage rotation, and water sourcing if municipal supply fails?
- What are the primary security vulnerabilities Cobb identifies for long-term survival scenarios, and what community-based strategies does he recommend to address them?
- Using Werner's diagnostic framework, how would you assess and initially treat a person presenting with severe dehydration, an infected wound, or a high fever in a setting with no access to a clinic?
- What does Werner identify as the most common and preventable causes of death in communities without reliable medical access, and how does his handbook prioritize interventions accordingly?
- How do Cobb and Werner together inform a plan for managing a medical emergency — such as a serious injury or a disease outbreak — during a multi-week grid-down scenario?
- What psychological and social challenges does Cobb warn are most likely to fracture a survival group, and what proactive measures can a community leader take to prevent them?
- Build a 6-month pantry audit: inventory your current food supply, calculate actual caloric density and shelf life, identify gaps against Cobb's recommendations, and write a phased acquisition plan to close them.
- Conduct a 72-hour 'grid-down simulation' at home — turn off the main breaker, use only stored water, and cook only from your long-term stores. Document every friction point and revise your plan accordingly.
- Using Werner's handbook, practice the key physical assessment skills on a willing partner: checking for dehydration signs (skin turgor, sunken eyes, dry mouth), assessing a wound for infection, and taking a pulse and respiratory rate. Record your findings as if writing a field note.
- Draft a one-page 'Community Resilience Map' for your neighborhood or preparedness group: identify who has medical training, mechanical skills, food production capacity, and security experience — modeled on the mutual-aid principles in Cobb.
- Prepare a grid-down medical kit based on Werner's medication and supply appendices: research each item, note its use case, dosage guidance, and realistic sourcing. Annotate your kit list with page references from Werner so you can find guidance fast under stress.
- Write a 2-page 'Long-Term Disruption Playbook' that integrates both books — covering the first 30 days, days 31–90, and beyond 90 days — addressing food/water, medical response, community roles, and psychological check-ins.
Next up: Mastering long-term physical and community resilience through Cobb and Werner equips the reader with the self-sufficient, systems-level thinking needed to tackle the next stage — whether that involves specialized wilderness medicine, advanced trauma care, or leadership in organized emergency response — where the focus shifts from surviving disruption to actively coordinating and leading recovery e
Moves the conversation from short-term emergency kits to genuine long-term self-sufficiency, covering food production, water purification, security, and barter — the logical next step once your household basics are solid.
The gold-standard reference for providing medical care when professional help is simply not available, used by aid workers worldwide. It caps the curriculum by giving you the knowledge to handle serious illness and injury in a true grid-down or resource-scarce scenario.