By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
In the event of a medical emergency in the home or office, many people instinctively reach for two things: the telephone and their first aid kit. Now, a new first aid tool combines the audio guidance of a telephone call with the treatment products found in a traditional kit for an all-in-one safety accessory.
The Talking Kit from Intelligent First Aid was designed by medical and educational experts to provide the most comprehensive treatment instructions for the most common injuries, including choking, frostbite, heatstroke and asthma.
Created by DLH, Inc., in Red Bank, New Jersey, Intelligent First Aid kits were developed by founder Dave Hammond, who trained as a Navy Hospital Corpsman during the Vietnam War era, and his wife Linda, a design and marketing expert.
“I was a Navy member sent by the military to help when we were putting together the Emergency Medical Services system (EMS) in this country,” Hammond explained. “Most of what we know about trauma, we know from military experience.”
Hammond participated in the EMS creation process and was inspired by what he saw to take his knowledge one step further.
“What drove me was that the biggest piece that was missing was the first line of first aid—what the military calls ‘all-hands’ first aid—the other people who would provide some level of care before I got there,” Hammond said.
In 1997, Hammond took years of experience with the Department of Defense, his years as a hospital corpsman and his master’s degree in education and founded DLH with the goal of filling that missing piece in the first aid market.
“My goal was to put forth a product that was not only state-of-the-art, but one that was educational as well,” he said.
That product was Intelligent First Aid, which is available in personal kits, workplace kits and, the most innovative, talking kits.
“The kit is organized like any first aid or CPR class would be, in hierarchical order of concern: breathing, bleeding, shock, head and spine, bone, eye, burns, bites and stings, with a re-sealable pack that contains common items, like bandages and gloves,” he explained. “Each pack is created with visual reference points and is color-coded so in an emergency you can recognize it quickly and get to the pack that represents your concern.”
Each pack in the talking kit includes written and picture instructions, as well as audio instructions that are activated by an on/off switch. Each pack of treatment supplies can be reordered after use.
Due to its innovative audio component and its ability to incorporate any language, the Intelligent First Aid talking kit has received international attention from consumers and corporations, including the United States Postal Service, which designated the product as its first aid kit of choice, as well as the recognition of the American Federation for the Blind, which represents the 10 million Americans who are blind or visually impaired. It has also received widespread media attention, including that from media outlets who road tested the kit with success in hospital emergency rooms across the country.
“We have had very a very positive response from emergency rooms because the kit is consistent with current practices and standards,” Hammond said.
“One thing they were looking for was whether the materials in the kit were acceptable and that there was nothing that could be considered invasive,” he continued. “Another key aspect they saw was the value of the audio component, which is able to guide people through the first, panicked minutes of en emergency. We focus on helping you get through the some of the most stressful events that could possibly occur.”
Reviewed by external and internal medical personnel, Intelligent First Aid kits are compliant with first aid standards from the American National Standards Institute and provide treatment instructions for the injuries identified as most common by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information, visit the Web site of Intelligent First Aid. (www.intelligentfirstaid.com)
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