Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
STOP S is for Stop If there are many hours left before sunset and you can clearly see your tracks just follow them back to safe ty But if you don't have enough time to get back before sun set or if you have no idea how to get back stop moving The more you move around the longer it will take others to find you Also stop panicking It is normal to be scared and upset but you are the only one who can make things better so stay calm Remember that you know how to make a shelter and take care of yourself Tell yourself that you will be OK until you really believe it even if you have to say it a hundred times You will make it You are a survivor T is for Think After you take a couple of deep breaths start thinking Who knows where you are What's around you that can make your situation better Is there something in your pack or pockets that will help How many hours are left until dark Are you in a good spot to set up a shelter What is the weather like What kind of shelter can you build 0 is for Observe Look around you Is there a meadow with high grass nearby Meadow grass makes soft bedding Is there a lot of snow Maybe you can dig into a snowbank to make a snow cave Listen and look for water you will need it to sur vive Also look for a wide open spot that you can use to signal for help LP is for Plan Decide what to do and in what order What do you need to do first Are you in a safe spot If there is a thunderstorm and you're high up on a mountain or hill you need to get to lower ground as soon as you can Be sure to stay away from big boulders and tall trees that are standing by themselves lightning is most likely to strike there Do you need to build a shelter to help protect yourself from bad weather Do you need to make a fire to stay warm If so these tasks should be at or near the top of your to do list Plan where you will look for shelter building materials and firewood You always need more firewood than you expect so plan to col
lect more than you think you will need Do you have water Finding a supply is also important if you have forgotten to bring extra and the weather is hot However do not wander around looking for water especially if you know someone will be coming to find you What can you do to help people find you Is there an open space where you can signal an airplane or helicopter Can you build a signal fire safely or are you surrounded by flammable grass Are there rocks that you can use to make an X in the snow or in a field HELP IS ON THE WAY If you go missing the first thing your parents or guardians will probably do is notify the police or a park ranger These officials will call in a SAR or search and rescue team These dedicated searchers help to find kids and adults who may be lost injured or caught in bad weather Oftentimes they are trained in wilder ness survival skills such as first aid navigation and knot tying Search and rescue teams may include park rangers deputy sheriffs and volunteers who live in the area Some team mem bers work as ground pounders who travel on foot to find lost people while others serve as ATV all terrain vehicle drivers searching back roads and trails Mounted searchers ride horses that have been specially trained to work with search dogs and to not be spooked by things like ATVs chainsaws tents sirens helicopters or blowing flagging tape And search and rescue pilots may fly helicopters and airplanes in order to search from the sky Essential to search and rescue are K 9 teams made up of
search dogs and their handlers The dogs can smell people from far away and they can follow the scent trails people leave behind as they walk Search dogs are trained to ride in helicopters and ATVs to be obedient and to follow instructions well In addi tion they are usually excellent swimmers A search dog may be any breed but all search dogs have two things in common they are eager to work and they love to find people There are two kinds of search dogs Area search dogs run free and look for any human who's nearby If they find someone they run back to their handlers and tell them by barking or jumping up on their human partners Then they bring them to the lost person Trailing dogs work on long leashes that are held by their handlers Usually the handlers allow the trailing dogs to smell something that has the lost person's scent on it such as a sweater or other piece of clothing Every person on the planet has a different smell Even twins smell different to a search dog Then ignoring hundreds of other smells the trailing dogs follow that unique scent into the wilderness until they reach the source of the smell the lost person CH RESCUE Most dogs that work in search and rescue wear orange vests called shabracks that identify them as working dogs Also most of these dogs wear bells on their harness The bells help the han dlers keep track of the dogs and they help lost people to know that help is nearby If you are lost and you hear bells start yelling or blowing your whistle to help the search teams find you If they are called in to help find you search and rescue people will grab their search packs load up their horses dogs and
ATVs and report to the search headquarters which is called the command post Your parent or guardian will be asked many questions such as what you look like how old you are what you are wearing and whether or not you have any survival train ing They may be asked for a piece of clothing or some other item that has your scent on it so that the dogs on the search and rescue team can learn your smell Pilots might fly planes or heli copters over the area where you went missing That location is called PLS place last seen or point last seen If there are dangerous weather conditions and it is dark the searchers may not be allowed to search until daybreak or until conditions improve That is why it is important for you to be able to take care of yourself for a few hours or a day until they find you Remember people are coming to find you as soon as they can What if you're not lost but someone that you are with like a little brother or sister wanders away from you and goes missing as you are exploring the wilderness together What do you do You can be a big help to search and rescue by marking the spot where you last saw that person Perhaps you could make a big X on the trail with sticks Then go get help from an adult Lots of kids who are lost do something that could prevent them from being rescued they hide from the people who are searching for them either because their parents told them not to speak to strangers or because they think that people will be angry with them for getting lost There have been cases Where for several days searchers were just a few feet away from the lost kids they were looking for but the cold and hungry children stayed hidden in the bushes because they were afraid of what would happen to them when they were found This kind of behavior is danger ous and it isn't very smart Search and rescue people not only risk their own lives to find lost kids but they often put their horses and dogs in danger too Don't be one of those kids who hide from the people who are trying to save them Your parents want you to be found Just ask
