WHEN S**T HAPPENS

WHEN S**T HAPPENS!

BLUE MOUNTAINS

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one-day walk

STOP-A

When Things Go Pear Shaped

Your brain is your best survival tool.

› STOP-A › Sit

• Calm down: take deep slow breaths › Think

› Observe
› Plans – make several plans

• Should I stay or should I go? › Act

› Stay positive!

RULES OF 3

TBA

Warmth and water are your top priorities. Food is low priority.

3 Minutes Without Air

Drowning, choking, smoke/fumes › Medical emergency

Bring your › Inhaler › Epipen

› any medicine that your doctor prescribed And tell people where they are!

PRIORITY ONE: SIGNALING

Your first priority is making sure you can be found.

MOBILE PHONE

Electronic signals

› Cell Phone

› Radio – unit issued
• Duress button on Motorola handset

› Personal Locator Beacon – unit issued
› Satellite Messenger (Garmin InReach, Spot,…) › Satellite phone – District Office

  • ›  Pyrotechnics (flares)

  • ›  Ground to Air (mirror, strobe)

  • ›  Local signal: whistle, torch

You may have a signal and might be able to dial 000. You will need to provide the emergency services with a location.

Tip: keep your phone on airplane mode to conserve battery. Consider bringing a charger if you use the GPS function of your phone.

Tip: if the network is intermittent, consider sending a short text message to a friend/or family with your location and type of emergency. Text messages have a better chance to go through the network than a call.

Emergency+ App

Available for iphone and android phones. The app uses the GPS functionality of smart phones to enable callers to provide their location to emergency operators.

ATTRACTING ATTENTION

› Visibility (day)
› Smoke (black or white) › Space blanket
› Signaling mirror
› Strobe – unit issued
› Flare

› Visibility (night) › Fire

› Strobe – unit issued › Flare

Location Location Location

› be visible

› use material to form a message that can be seen from the air

› Make a large V or X with clothes, splat mats, turned over earth, charcoal, etc

› Signaling mirror

› Light three signal fires in a triangle pattern

› Light a large fire emitting black smoke (or white smoke)

GROUND TO AIR EMERGENCY SIGNALS

TBA

 

Attracting Attention

In local environments

› Sound
› 3 blasts on a whistle

› Light
› from a torch or the strobe

PRIORITY 02: THERMOREGULATION

Clothing and equipment:
› Shelter
› Fire

HEAT LOSS

Heat Loss

  • ›  Radiation

  • ›  Respiration

  • ›  Evaporation

› Sweat

› Wet clothes
› Conduction: direct contact with cold surface

› Do not sit directly on the ground
› Convection: air or water moving across the skin surface

› Wind chill

Warmth

• Immersion
• Wind chill
• Clothing system
• Shelter
• Fire -> fire lighting

Keeping cool

• Keep out of the sun (shade)

 

CLOTHING

The goal is to create a dead air space to trap warm air around the body.
The body provides the heat.

› remove wet clothing: put on dry clothes

› rain jacket – one or two size larger
› create dead air space by stuffing leaves or twigs.

Still air is a good insulator.
› generate heat by flexing muscles

EMERGENCY SHELTER

Big pile of leaves or debris
› In rain or high wind, large log or rock › Debris hut
› Rain gear
› Tarp and rope
› Overhang or cave

Site Selection

  • ›  Flat and level

  • ›  Avoid deadfalls and widow makers

  • ›  Sun or shady

  • ›  Wind

  • ›  Near your resources (signaling site, water, etc)

› 90 degree to the wind across the opening › Vortex

› Change of direction

FIRE

Light a Fire if Needed

› Some fire starters
› waterproof matches › lighter
› flint and steel

› Accelerant
› pitch/resin
› cotton balls with Vaseline › gauze and hand sanitiser

PRIORITY 03: WATER

WATER

How we lose fluids › Perspiration
› Urination
› Vomiting

› Diarrhoea › Crying

Finding Water

› animals › bees

• location of the water source might be 5-6 km away › column of ants climbing a tree trunk
› finches and wild pigeons
› regular or fresh animal tracks to water

  • ›  plants (require knowledge)

  • ›  gullies – creeks – waterfall

  • ›  cliff/plant seepage

  • ›  dew

WATER PURIFICATION

You Have Found Water

› What is upstream?
› Urban area
› Farming land (pesticides) › Grazing land with cattle
› Mines (heavy metals)

• e.g. Grose and Wollangambe rivers › Camping areas
› Dead animals

Filtration/clarification: pass water through: › charcoal
› cloth

› Purification methods
› Boiling water
› Tablets for chemical purification › Filtering system
› Purifier system
› UV filtering device

› Always have at least a backup method for water purification!

› Combine two purification methods for best results.

Can’t Purify the Water

› Drink it!

› Incubation time for parasites and bacteria › Giardiasis: on average 7-14 days
› Cryptosporidiosis: on average 7 days
› Amoebiasis: on average 2-4 weeks

› Shigellosis: on average 1-7 days › E. coli: on average 3-4 days

COLLECTING WATER

t’s a bad day when you need to: › Collect dew or rain

› Requires rags or a tarp
› Use the condensation technique

› Requires a plastic bag

› Build a solar still
› Requires rags or a tarp

FOOD

Crocodile” Dundee: “…Well, you can live on it, but it tastes like shit”.

How much calories do you have left?

› How many days until rescue?

› Divide your food into thirds.

› Eat the first two-thirds of your calories during the first half of your survival period

› Save the last third for the final days of your stay.

Beef jerky and a muesli/granola/protein or nut bar. This is just in case I have an unplanned overnighter.

HEALTH - HYGIENE

You want to be found if something goes pear-shaped!

TBA

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Rest
› Hygiene
› First Aid
› Mental health

HYGIENE

Keep infection at bay

› Sanitation: have a designated area

› Wash your hands after going to the toilet and before handling food (soap or hand sanitiser)

  • ›  Wash face, underarms, groin, and feet.

  • ›  Keep your teeth and gums clean

› chew the end of a stick to make it fibrous › Foot care: you need those things!

› Take care of hot spots (and blisters) immediately › Cut toenails
› Rotate your socks
› Let your boots breathe

› Change into clean and dry clothing before going to sleep

 
FIRST AID

  • Recognise dehydration early

  • ›  Recognise hypo and hyperthermia early

› cuts, splinters

› burns

› ticks and leeches: check yourself for ticks

› sprains (ligaments and capsule) and strains (muscle and tendons)

› snake and spider bites
Is your tetanus shot current?

FIRST AID

You will have a lot of time
› Stay positive
› Stay focused
› Onestepatatime,onedayatatime

Some books:

“Deep Survival: who lives, who dies and why“ by Laurence Gonzales.

“The Unthinkable” by Amanda Ripley

SELF-RESCUE

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

› Self-rescue
› Reduce the amount of time in which you are lost

but
› You may make your situation worse

› You may have to self-rescue if:
› Rescuers are unlikely to find you in a reasonable

length of time.

  • ›  Nobody knows your whereabouts

  • ›  You cannot stay where you are

› Map and navigation
› Use your GPS (if it still works)
› Orient your map
› Locate yourself on the map and where you should be › Trust your compass

› No map
› Scouting techniques
› Natural navigation techniques

› Depending on the area you are in:

› Follow the water
› Walk downhill
› Climb to high ground
› Check animal trails (water)
› Be Alert For Signs Of Humans

TBA

map

• compass – issued
• GPS + batteries – unit issued • (smartphone + powerpack)

SIX MAPS
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Route planning
› Do you know how to move in the bush?

› Going uphill or downhill › Scrambling up and down › Finding your way out

› Can you pick a path? Are you sure-footed?

Things you should consider:
• handline + 1 carabiner
• hiking pole or stick (pulaskis and rakehoes are great) • gaiters
• insect repellent
• spare socks
• secateurs (coastal areas)

STAYING WARM
BASIC SHELTER

THINK BEFORE YOUR TREK

This a bush safety initiative between the NSW Police and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

DRESSING THE PART

Shoes with good ankle support and a good grip: most tracks are uneven with roots and rocks. In wet area, it will be muddy. Rocks, even dry, can be slippery!

Long sleeve shirt and trousers: basic sun and mozzie protection. Bare legs are tempting to leeches.

Hat and sunglasses: basic sun protection. A hat will keep you warm if you have an unplanned overnighter.

Gaiters (optional): protection against leeches and if you are unlucky, snakes.

Raincoat: it can be as simple as a windbreaker. Temperatures can drop quickly.

Fleece/down jacket:to keep you warm.

Backpack:

 

COLOURS

Do you want to be found if you get lost? Have at least one item of clothing that is high visibility. Colours that can be seen from the air (Polair) or in the bush are bright versions of pink, orange, red, yellow (although not when the wattles are flowering) and blue.

WATER AND FOOD

It all comes down to preparation! You or one of your party may get injured; You may get lost or you may have to spend the night in the bush.

WATER
SIGNALING GEAR

If you want to be found:

• whistle: to attract attention; wear it on your person.
• matches: to light a fire if you are cold or to attract attention.
• torch with spare batteries: if it is getting late. 

STAYING WARM

TBA

BASIC SHELTER

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BASIC FIRST AID KIT

If you are in a group, you can divide the supplies among yourself.

My basic first aid weighs XXX g and contains:
• two pressure immobilisation bandage aka snake bandages
• 3-4 bandaids
• antiseptic cream
• gloves
• sterile non-adhesive pads
• emergency blanket
• note pad
• one triangular bandage
• plastic tweezers
• safety pins

It goes without saying that you should know how to use the contents of your first aid.

01 - TBA

. PlanAheadandPrepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
4. LeaveWhatYouFind
5. Minimise Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Your Hosts and Other Visitors

01 - TBA

TBA

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