Car on Railroad Tracks

CAR ON RAILROAD TRACKS If a car breaks down on a railroad crossing, put it into gear and use the starter motor to jerk it clear. This will work with a manual transmission vehicle but not with an automatic. If a train is approaching abandon the car, carry children or infirm persons to safety and stay away – about 50yds (45m) should be far enough – because if a train is traveling at high speed it could throw car wreckage quite a distance. If there is no train visible, or you can see one several miles in the distance, you must try to avoid the collision. If the car can be moved by pushing, push it clear of all tracks – you cannot be sure which one the train will be on. If there is an emergency telephone, call 911. If not, walk up the tracks towards the train. Stand well to one side (high speed trains have quite a slipstream) and wave...

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How to Survive a Plane Crash

How to Survive a Plane Crash People generally believe that no one survives a plane crash. But according to government data, 95.7% of the passengers involved in airplane crashes categorized as accidents actually survive. Then, if you look at the most serious plane crashes, that’s a smaller number; the survival rate in the most serious kinds of accidents is 76.6%. So the point there is, when the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] analyzed all the airplane accidents between 1983 and 2000, 53,000 people were involved in those accidents, and 51,000 survived. That’s an incredibly high survival rate. The Five Row Rule. When a professor in England, Ed Galea, analyzed the seating charts of more than 100 plane crashes and interviewed 1,900 survivors and 155 cabin-crew members, he discovered that survivors usually move an average of five rows before they can get off a burning aircraft. That’s the cutoff. In his view — and he’s done a lot of statistical analysis — the people who...

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Tips for Using Your Cell Phone

Tips for using your cell phone during or after a disaster.

Long distance calls may be easier to place than local calls. Text messages are more likely to go through than calls, but they may have a long delay. Text messaging will still allow a 2-way conversation when service is sporadic. When cell phone towers get overloaded, carriers may stop all data and non-emergency voice calls, but allow text messaging. ...

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Have a Plan to Survive

Have a Plan To Survive By Soni Pitts One of the biggest heartbreaks surrounding the Hurricane Katrina aftermath is the lack of preparation made for such a large-scale evacuation – and the despair of those who have become separated from their loved ones in the midst of the chaos and who have no idea if they are safe, or even alive. Don’t be caught unprepared if a disaster strikes your family. Before you need it, you and your family should have a plan in place for reaching safety and for keeping the others apprised of your situation. Don’t rely on rescue workers and relief organizations to provide for your family’s safety, or to be able to tell you whether or not they are okay. These organizations, if they’re even present, will almost assuredly be overwhelmed and understaffed. They will be dealing with the situation in a triage manner of prioritization and even if they are able to help locate family members, their information may...

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Survival Tin

Survival Tin from SAS Survival Handbook A few key items can make all the difference in the fight for survival. Collect the things listed below. They can all squeeze into a small container, such as a 2oz tobacco or Altoids tin, that will be hardly noticeable when slipped into a pocket. Make a habit of always having it with you. Do not choose something bigger, you may find it inconvenient to carry and leave it out on the one occasion you actually need it. Experience has proven that each item earns its place, though some are more useful in some situations than in others: fish hooks, for instance, may be invaluable in the jungle but less so in the desert. Polish the inside of the lid to make a mirror-like reflecting surface and seal it, to be waterproof, with a strip of adhesive tape which can be easily removed and replaced. Don’t then just forget the tin. Regularly check the contents, changing any which deteriorate,...

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Survival Blades and Tools

Survival Blades and Tools Leatherman Multi-Tool

When you make your own survival kit be sure to include a multi-tool such as a leatherman. A multi-tools small knife blades, pliers, awls, and other tools will come in handy whether you are in a survival situation or not. I recommend you also carry a fixed blade survival knife for larger chores and even personal protection. A fixed blade knife can be used for skinning game, making a spear, shelter creation, and a host of other uses. How to Choose a Survival Knife You need the best survival knife. Choosing the right survival knife is more than an exercise in individuality – your very life may hinge upon its proper selection. Anyone who has ever spent quality time in the outdoors will vouch for the usefulness of a good knife but to the survival expert his knife is one of his best friends and the most closely guarded of his survival gear. Like a good friend, his survival knife should...

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Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones

The mobile phone is one of the great inventions of the twentieth century. In an emergency situation it can be a real life-saver. On expeditions where the radios have failed due to bad weather or the location of the victims, a mobile phone has been used to raise the alarm. A group on Everest got into trouble as they started their descent after summitting. They tried many times to raise base camp but without success. The leader phoned his wife in Hong Kong on a mobile phone and reported their situation. She then alerted Kathmandu, who in turn alerted base camp, Everest and effected a rescue.

Some phones are better than others so it’s worth doing some homework; it’s also essential to check the network coverage with the service provider before going abroad. Keep one in the car, they are priceless when help is required and a cigarette lighter is a convenient charger for the battery, providing you have an adapter....

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Radios

Radios For a long expedition in remote territory a radio is a necessity. They tend to be expensive but are well worth the cost; if you cannot afford the radio, you cannot afford the expedition. Choose a model with the fewest channels available to suit your particular needs. The trouble with multi-channel sets is that people get confused and tend to use the wrong ones. Have a working channel that everyone uses at established schedules. Have a priority channel that you can switch to in an emergency so no one will break into your transmissions. If working with coastguards/forest rangers etc make sure that your radio is compatible and you know the emergency channel (channel 16); knowing the frequency of the World Service is also useful. Keep your radio in a safe place, ideally on a person and not in a pack. Prearrange a signals plan with scheduled calls morning and evening, especially when working in a large party. A signals plan...

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G.P.S.

G.P.S. A G.P.S. (Global Positioning System) is an excellent piece of equipment and has taken a lot of skill away from the navigator. Basically these systems receive radio signals from satellites and can locate your current position, anywhere in the world, and are relatively easy to use. It is also useful to note that they are reported to have 95 per cent accuracy rate. However, in order to work, the satellite transmission must not have any obstructions in its way, such as a tree branch or movement, so to receive a clear signal you need to be standing still and out in the open. However, if we depend solely on technology our basic skills will suffer and we will become unstuck if it becomes unserviceable or is lost. G.P.S. is not effective unless you can identify where you are, so stick to the basics. Map read and navigate normally and use the G.P.S to confirm your navigation or correct it. When looking...

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Stowing Kits

STOWING KIT If you expect to get wet, stow everything in polythene bags. Pack so that you know where everything is and so that the first things you need are not buried at the bottom. The sleeping bag is probably the last thing you need so that goes at the bottom. Your tent should be on the top, so should heavy kit such as radios, which are more easily carried there – though try not to make the pack too high, if you have to cope with strong winds, for a very high pack will be more difficult to balance and you will expend a lot of energy just keeping upright. Pack a stove and brew-kit in a side pocket so that you have easy access when you halt. Make sure that foodstuffs that can be easily crushed or melted are in suitable containers. In a warm climate you can carry food to eat cold and make plenty of hot drinks. In a...

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