Learning and mastering these skills at any time will help make outdoor activities safer and allow themselves to integrate into nature more confidently. In this issue, I will share with you some small ways to ask for help in the wild.
- Do you know what the universal signal for help is?
Take a few minutes before each outdoor activity and think about it: Are you ready to deal with unexpected emergencies and how to call for help? It is very important to know how to make an emergency call, such as 911, and also to know how to contact the local rescue team. Prepare distress ignition equipment, signal transmission equipment, distress whistle and other resources that can assist in self-distress. Participate in rescue courses, learn survival skills, and make various preparations. - Consider Your Signaling Position
When sending a signal for help, the rescuer must try to be in a position that is easy to be found, so that the rescuer can see the signal for help. If fireworks for help are lit in dense forests, rescuers will not be able to find them. It should be that small fireworks will be submerged by the forest. It is a good choice to choose an open area that can be seen from the air, along a stream, on the top of a hill, on the beach or by the lake. - Signal Fires
Fireworks can be used outdoors for different purposes, such as cooking and heating, and can also be used as an emergency signal. It is important to know the basic skills of lighting the distress fireworks in order to get rescue faster. Simply remember the number “3”. The firework signal for general rescue is three triangle bonfires; if there is not enough space to build a triangle, it can be three straight bonfires. Use a bright flame at night, and use some damp branches on the flame during the day to produce smoke. This will make it easier for rescuers in the air, water, and land to discover. At the same time, rescuers should try to be as close as possible to the source of rescue signals. - Signal Mirror & Whistle
You must bring basic rescue equipment for field activities, such as a small whistle and a small mirror, which are convenient to carry with you. The use of mirrors or other objects that can produce reflected light sources, such as metal blades, metal belt buckles, sunglasses, lenses, and watches, can effectively attract the attention of rescuers in the air and on the mountain.
In order to be able to quickly and skillfully use these light-reflecting objects when calling for help in the field, you can usually do some practice. Understand how the reflected light is formed and the direction of reflection, so that the reflected sunlight is directed in the direction that needs to be seen. Use the other hand as the light control to form the internationally recognized “3 short-3 long-3 short” SOS distress signal. Don’t forget to follow the movement of the sun to adjust your position and angle. Take some time to practice bounced light for help, you can save lives in an emergency!
Most of the rescue was on land, and rescuers searched for missing rescuers in the grass and forest on foot. At this time, you can use the distress whistle, the method is: blow 3 times and then stop and then blow 3 times, continue this cycle. If there are search and rescue personnel nearby, the location of the rescuer can be gradually determined. Remember to stop after a few cycles and listen for a response from search and rescue personnel. - Hide and seek, with a ‘twist’
Remember, call for help and search and rescue are like hiding games we play, but hiders want to be found as soon as possible. So be sure to bring the appropriate distress equipment, know how to use it, and how to respond to the search and rescuer’s signal.
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