Survival + Defense Flashcards
Signs of water
Description: Indicators in nature that suggest the proximity of water sources.
Usage: Following animal tracks, as animals often lead to water. Lush vegetation or a sudden increase in insect activity can also indicate a nearby water
Insects
Description: Small arthropods that can be consumed.
Usage: Many insects are rich in protein and can be eaten. Grubs, crickets, and certain beetles are examples. Cooking them can improve taste and ensure safety.
Safe location:
Description: A spot that minimizes environmental and animal threats.
Details: This involves surveying the terrain for signs of water runoff to avoid flash floods, checking for loose rocks or dead tree limbs overhead that might fall, and observing for signs of animal activity. A raised area is generally preferred to prevent water pooling.
Insulate from the ground:
Description: Creating a barrier to prevent heat loss to the cold ground.
Details: The ground can sap body heat quickly. Using a thick layer of dry leaves, pine needles, or grass can serve as insulation. In snowy environments, snow itself can be used as insulation as it traps air.
Size matters
Description: Optimizing shelter size for heat retention and protection.
Details: A shelter that’s just big enough for the individual conserves heat better than a spacious one. The smaller space means body heat warms it up faster and retains the warmth.
Use natural materials:
Description: Harnessing resources from the immediate environment for shelter construction.
Details: Depending on the location, this could involve bending and interweaving branches to create a frame, using large leaves or bark for roofing, or piling snow to create an igloo or snow trench.
Consider wind direction:
Description: Positioning the shelter to minimize exposure to cold winds.
Details: The entrance should ideally face away from the prevailing wind direction. This helps in retaining warmth inside the shelter and prevents smoke from a fire from blowing inside.
Windbreak:
Description: A structure to deflect or block wind.
Details: This can be a naturally occurring feature like a boulder or a constructed barrier using logs, rocks, or debris. Windbreaks not only protect against cold winds but also reduce the risk of the fire being blown out.
Waterproofing:
Waterproofing:
Description: Techniques to prevent water from entering the shelter.
Details: This can involve layering materials in a shingle fashion so water runs off, using moss or mud to seal gaps, or creating a raised floor to stay above any water runoff.
Ventilation:
Description: Allowing fresh air to circulate within the shelter.
Details: This is essential, especially if a fire is maintained inside, to prevent the buildup of smoke and harmful gases. Small openings or vents, positioned correctly, can promote airflow without letting in cold drafts.
Protection from wildlife:
Description: Measures to deter or prevent wildlife from entering the shelter.
Details: This includes choosing a location away from obvious animal tracks or nests, safely storing and cooking food to minimize odors that attract animals, and possibly creating noise or light deterrents to ward off curious creatures.
Fire triangle:
Fire triangle:
Description: The three essential components required to start and maintain a fire.
Details: These components are heat (ignition source like matches or a spark), fuel (wood, leaves, or other combustibles), and oxygen (from the air). All three must be present in the right balance for a fire to ignite and continue burning.
Dry tinder and kindling:
Description: Essential materials to initiate a fire.
Details: Tinder is fine, dry material that catches fire easily, like dried grass, moss, or fine wood shavings. Kindling consists of slightly larger materials like twigs and small branches that catch fire from the burning tinder.
Fire Safety purpose
Safety:
Description: Ensuring fires are controlled and contained.
Details: This involves picking a safe location away from flammable materials, creating a firebreak or pit to contain the fire, and always having a means to extinguish the fire quickly if needed.
Multiple purposes:
Description: Understanding the diverse uses of fire in a survival situation.
Details: Beyond warmth, fire can be used for cooking food, purifying water, signaling for rescue, providing light, and deterring wildlife.
Fire and Wind
Wind direction:
Description: Being aware of the wind’s direction when starting and maintaining a fire.
Details: Wind can blow away your tinder, make it hard to light, or spread the fire unexpectedly. Positioning your fire setup appropriately and possibly creating a windbreak can help manage these challenges.
Fire maintenance:
Description: Regularly attending to the fire to ensure it continues burning.
Details: This includes adding fuel as needed, repositioning logs or branches for optimal burning, and ensuring good airflow without over-oxidizing the fire.
Wood Types
Wood types:
Description: Recognizing the characteristics of different woods and their burning properties.
Details: Some woods, like pine, ignite easily but burn fast with a lot of sap and smoke. Hardwoods, like oak, burn slower and hotter. Knowledge of local wood types can optimize fire management.
Extinguish fires:
Description: Ensuring fires are completely put out before leaving or sleeping.
Details: This is vital for safety and preventing wildfires. Using water, dirt, or sand to smother the fire, ensuring no smoldering embers remain, is critical.
Fire reflectors:
Description: Structures that reflect heat back towards a specific direction.
Details: Made using logs, rocks, or other materials, these are positioned opposite the fire, directing more heat towards the shelter or sitting area, maximizing warmth.
Rule of Threes:
Description: A universal distress signal.
Details: Whether it’s three whistle blows, three fires in a triangle, or three gunshots, the pattern of three is internationally recognized as a call for help.
Mirrors:
Signals
Loud noises:
Description: Creating audible signals to alert nearby rescuers.
Details: Whistles, gunshots, or banging metal objects can produce loud sounds that carry over long distances, especially in quiet wilderness settings.
Night fires:
Description: Fires specifically designed to be seen at night.
Details: These are typically larger and brighter fires, often enhanced with green foliage to produce more smoke or using certain materials to produce distinctively colored flames.
Mirrors:
Description: Reflective devices to signal distant searchers or aircraft.
Details: By angling a mirror or any reflective surface towards the sun, one can create a bright flash of light. This flash can be seen from a great distance and can be used to signal aircraft or distant searchers.
Navigating
Basic navigation:
Description: Fundamental skills to determine direction and move purposefully.
Details: This includes using the sun’s position (rises in the east, sets in the west), recognizing star patterns like the North Star in the Northern Hemisphere, and understanding basic map and compass skills.
Inform others:
Description: The importance of letting someone know your intended route and return time.
Details: By informing others of your plans, rescuers have a starting point and a general idea of where to look if you don’t return as expected.
Landmarks:
Description: Using natural or man-made features to aid in navigation.
Details: Recognizable features like mountains, rivers, or unique tree formations can be used to orient oneself and prevent walking in circles.
Clouds and Water
Sun and stars:
Description: Celestial bodies as navigation aids.
Details: The sun provides a general east-west axis. At night, certain star patterns, like the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star in the Northern Hemisphere, can provide direction.
Cloud formations:
Description: Observing clouds to predict weather patterns.
Details: Certain cloud formations, like cumulonimbus clouds, might indicate storms, while high, wispy cirrus clouds could indicate a change in the weather.
Follow water:
Description: Using water bodies as navigation guides.
Details: Streams and rivers often flow downhill and can lead to larger water bodies or human settlements. Following water can also ensure a supply of freshwater.
Cloud Type
Cumulonimbus Clouds: These are large, towering clouds that can span high into the atmosphere. They indicate thunderstorms and can be associated with heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and even tornadoes.
Cirrus Clouds: These are high-altitude clouds that appear wispy and thin. They are often seen in fair weather but can indicate that a change in the weather is coming.