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Survival - Part 2
SignalYou have put to use all the techniques for building a shelter, building a fire, and you've made it for just about 17 hours. This is a fine place to visit but you don't want to live here. Now you must think about signaling. You may consider signaling your third priorlty of life. There are two goals here; first to let someone know where you are; and second, to let someone know you need help. The main rule to keep in mind regarding signaling is that a good signal is anything that makes you bigger than you are and attracts attention to your situation. Signaling, like everything else in survival, is not a spur-of-the moment thing. You must prepare for it so that it is ready when you need it. You never know when help may come within sight or hearing. You must be prepared for two types of signaling - ground-to-air and ground-to-ground. One of the early decisions to make is to locate in a clearing where signaling efforts can be seen. If you are not in that clearing when you become lost, you must move to a clearing, then stay put until a highly-qualified search and rescue team finds you. Your signaling process is dictated, to some extent, by geography and the time of year. If you are in the mountains it is more than likely that any signaling you do at night is going to be a waste of time. Because of hazardous flying conditions, most search flights end at sundown, and treacherous terrain may rule out ground searches as well. In the desert or on the plains, however, searches often go on around the clock. SymbolsThere is a new set of international symbols that has been developed by a committee on international civil aviation. Keep in mind, though, that if the symbols are being used to attract attention, they need to be from 30 to 50 feet in length and 3 to 4 feet wide. If they are being used in response to a question asked by a pilot in the air via a PA system, they need only be large enough to convey your message. These symbols should be constructed out of any kind of ground litter or debris or tramped in snows or sand or whatever is avaiLable. The first symbol is a "V." This means Require Assistance. The second symbol is an "X." This means Require Medical Assistance. "N" means NO. "Y" means YES. An arrow pointing in a direction means Proceeding in Thls Direction. These do not replace any of the military symbols - this is strictly for civil aviation. Signal FiresFire is a powerful signaling tool and one that takes advance preparation. Three fire bases should be prepared in a triangle 30 to 50 feet apart. This creates a V which means "Require Assistance". The fire at the apex of your V should be your camp fire which will be burning at all times. The fire bases on the points of the V will be prepared but not burning. When a search aircraft (a single engine aircraft or a helicopter) enters your area, touch off your other two fire bases. This will give you a triangle of fire which will distinguish your plea for help from other fires that may be in the vicinity that you know nothing about. The same applies to smoking fires. Build your firebases, on the points, with extremely dry tinder on the bottom. On top of that put lots of dry kindling, and on top of that pile green vegetation. When a search aircraft enters your area pile green material on top of your existing fire, and torch off your other two fire bases. This will give you the triangle of smoke. Signal MirrorThe very best type of ground-to-air signal during sunlit hours is the glass G.I. type slgnal mirror. This type of mirror will generate 5 to 7 million candlepower of light in bright sunshine and can be seen for 20 to 25 miles. This type of power will never be generated by the nearly useless metal mirror. This mirror is available at most surplus stores. Read the directions on the back of the mirror and practice. SoundGround-to-ground signaling takes various forms. We have found that a vinyl police or coach type whistle makes the finest ground signals. It can be heard for quite a distance, except in heavy timber/brush. Rain, fog and snow will also dampen the sound. Rember three blasts of a whistle repeated over and over is a distress signal. Signal FlaresThe use of aerial flares is not only geographical, but is also determined by law. Many states prohibit them in forested areas. Most aerial flares are designed for marine use and are intended to extinguish in the water. This means that most flares are still burning when they hit the ground. You cannot outrun a forest fire! We have now covered The Big Three: Shelter, Fire and Signal and it is time to think about some things that are almost as vital as The Big Three. WaterMany years ago finding safe drinking water was one of the easiest of survival techniques. Water was readily available from lakes, ponds, streams, springs or snow banks. Today all these sources must be considered suspect, and the collecting of drinking water much more of a problem. Keeping oneself hydrated can be quite a problem at any time of year. In a survival situation (except in a desert) a person needs about three quarts of water a day to metabolize our own body's energy reserves and to carry away the waste. Your body will not demand this much water, so you must measure your daily intake so that you get a minimum of three quarts a day. Another thing to remember; warm up water when in a cold environment. Drinking three quarts of ice cold water could lower your body's core temperature and put you in hypothermia. Water can be gathered in lots of ways and places, it can even be squeezed out of damp moss. The beneficial effects of water can be cancelled out if that water contains one or more disease causing organisms. Giardia lamblia is a surface water born intestinal parasite. It produces a disease called Giardiases and is now found thoughout the United States. Man carried it into the back country and the animals are spreading it around. Do Not Drink Raw [untreated] Water Anywhere In the Back County. For short trips take your own water supply with you. For longer trips be prepared to purify your drinking water. The most common method of drinking water purification is by boiling. You must not start counting boiling time until you have a rolling boil, start with five minutes at sea level; add one more minute for every 1,000 feet of altitude you think you are at, then add a couple more minutes more because you probably don't know where the heck you are anyway. Water Purification TabletsWhen you follow the directions on the bottle carefully, they will take care of most water borne diseases. Check the label to determine what disease organisms it is effective against. Chlorine bleach and 2 percent tincture of iodine is also effective. Use 10 drops of either in one quart of water. All three methods of water purification require a minimum of 30 minutes of contact time. Do not cut the time short. If your water is very cold or cloudy, give additional contact time. Solar StillIf you are low or out of water in a semi-arid region you may wish to construct a solar still. This takes some specialized equipment so it is only for the well prepared. A solar still consists of a bowl- shaped hole in the ground about 3 feet in diameter and 18 inches deep. A one quart, squat, plastic container is placed in the bottom of the hole. A 4-5 foot section of surgical tubing is secured to the bottom of the water collection container with a piece of duct tape. A sheet of clear plastic, 6 foot by 6 foot 3 mil in thickness, covers the hole. The drinking tube extends to the outside, under the plastic. A 4 inch square of duct tape is placed in the center of the plastic to support a small rock placed there in the center to cause the plastic to form a cone shape. Water condenses on the underside of the plastic sheet, runs down and drips into the container. The tubing lets you sip collected water without dismantling the still. Vegetation put into the hole during construction will increase water output. One solar still might give you one to three quarts of water per 24 hour period. This is not enough to keep you alive so you must build three or four stills. Remember, soils in many semi-arid areas are baked hard by the sun. If you waste more body water digging through the ground than you are going to get out of it, you are quickly in the area of diminishing returns. FoodFood really is not important in short term survival situations. You can live up to three or four weeks without food. No one should starve to death in the continental United States. You will, however, be efficient and alert, and have more confidence if you are able to satisfy your hunger. Don't get hung up on wild green edibles as they contain cellulose and you cannot digest cellulose. There are probably many sources of food in your area but it will be necessary to change your way of thinking to recognize them. If you are fortunate enough to get lost in a pinon pine forest, pinon nuts and pine needle tea will keep you alive for a long period of time. Generally speaking anything that walks, crawls, hops, flies, swims or wiggles is edible. But all must be cooked before eating. Your gun or fishing equipment, assuming you have them, should provide the best means for a meal. Don't waste more energy catching an animal than you will get from it. Avoid game or fish that appears to be sick, lazy, or acts strange. Learn how to make and use snares. You must have enough wire to make a dozen or more snares. Set them over a wide area and hope for the best. Divison of Wildlife laws and regulations must be followed unless you are in a true survival situation. There is not enough space in this pamphlet to get into the many ways of acquiring food, but you should remember this. Never eat wild berries or mushrooms. A single mouthful could be enough to kill you. 95 percent of all white and yellow berries are poisonous, 50 percent of all red berries are also poisonous. 85 percent of blue and black berries are edible, but of the remaining 15 percent, about 5 percent will-kill you, and the other 10 percent will make you wish you were dead. Best of all, carry enough food with you to sustain you in an emergency. Minimum Equipment
Shelter Package:
Fire Package:
Signal Package:
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