So for today, we have compiled a list of facts that might one day save your life or someone else’s. These are general guidelines that we have gathered from survival books. Use them at your own discretion as this is not authoritative advice.
01. Tornado
If a tornado looks like it isn’t moving, it’s heading right towards you.
2. If you are ever buried in rubble (earthquake, tornado, building collapse, etc), don’t shout. You’ll lose your voice and waste energy. Instead, grab a piece of rubble and knock in patterns of threes. Humans are expert pattern makers and pattern noticers. Rescuers will hear the distinctive pattern sound and go toward it. Once you can hear people, then use your voice.
3. Do not delay getting out of a burning building. The flames are not what will kill you. The smoke will get very thick and toxic very quickly and you will not be able to see a way out.
4. If you get impaled or stabbed, leave the object in and call 911 (or your country’s equivalent). That object is keeping all the blood on the inside of your body.
5. If your car goes into the water, open the door or roll down the windows immediately. If you don’t, the pressure differential will hold them shut and you’ll have to wait until the car fills up with water.
06. Secondary Drowning
If you ever almost drown to the point of throwing up water or passing out, even if you feel 100% fine, get to a hospital. Your lungs can unwittingly self-fill up with fluid over the next few hours.
7. If someone is in trouble and you want to leap in to save them, make sure you have a way to get out yourself.
8. If you smell a fish-like smell in your house (some people also report a urine-like smell) for no reason, 9 times out of 10 it means there’s an Electrical Fire.
9. If you get kidnapped, try to leave as many traces of yourself behind as you can. For example, leave bits of clothing behind or scratch your arms a lot to leave dead skin behind. This way you increase your chances that a search dog could pick up your scent and find you.
10. When having a heart attack, you don’t swallow an aspirin, you chew it.
11. Retreating Ocean
If the ocean is retreating, there is a tsunami incoming, so evacuate the beach immediately.
12. If a stranger gets in your car and forces you to take them somewhere you don’t want to, drive into a lamppost or anything solid. You won’t be useful to them anymore because the car is damaged and you’ve drawn attention to them by crashing the car. You’ll damage your car but you’ll have your life and your bank account.
13. There are no rules if a stranger puts their hands on you. Yell, scream bloody murder, kick, bite, make the biggest scene you possibly can, and run away as fast as you can. Make sure your kids understand that this is the exception, the time they MUST draw as much attention as possible, and do ANYTHING it takes to get away and get help.
14. If you’re being tied up, puff yourself out as much as possible so it’ll be easier to wiggle out of. Tense muscles, inhale deeply, and stretch out your arms and legs to make more space.
15. In an emergency situation, pick 1 person to specifically call 911 by pointing at them. In lots of stressful or emergency situations, there are significant delays in calling 911. Some people assume that others will call 911 while others panic/freeze up and don’t think to call 911.
16. CPR
If you have to perform CPR you can follow the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees or “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen.
17. Never pull out a gun or any weapon unless you are prepared to kill or die. Weapons escalate the situation to another level. If you have a weapon, intend to use it and risk having it used on you.
18. If someone’s grabbing you, it’s usually easy to break their hold by grabbing their thumb. They won’t be able to hold anything well without using their thumb.
19. If you’re visiting an unfamiliar location like a cinema or concert hall, take a few moments to look around for the nearest exit, then pick out a second as a backup in case the first becomes blocked or cut off.
20. If you’re lost in the wilderness and need something sharp to hunt/defend with, make a spear by hardening a soaked branch/stick over a fire. The water prevents the stick from burning, but the heat from the fire forces the branch to condense and harden making them more durable.
21. F.A.S.T.
How to identify if you or someone else is having a stroke? Time is key so you need to act F.A.S.T.
a. Facial drooping: A section of the face, usually only on one side, that is drooping and hard to move. This can be recognized by a crooked smile.
b. Arm weakness: The inability to raise one’s arm fully.
c. Speech difficulties: An inability or difficulty to understand or produce speech.
d. Time: If any of the symptoms above are showing, time is of the essence, so call the emergency services or go to the hospital.
22. If stranded in the wilderness without food, do not eat mushrooms as a food source. 90% of them will kill you or make you violently ill. Some species of poisonous mushrooms imitate or look nearly indistinguishable from edible ones. So unless you are a mycologist, don’t consume them in a survival situation.
23. If someone falls into very cold water you need to heat them up gradually. Putting them next to a fire or such will kill them. Also if the finger/toes are frostbitten or almost frostbitten do not run them under hot water. Warm them up slowly. It’s because of a phenomenon called ‘After Drop’. Your blood flow cannot adapt as fast to the sudden changes and you start losing temperature when coming out of the water. A hot shower or something will make it worse.
24. If you witness an accident, NEVER remove a person’s helmet unless it is essential to protect their airway. Doing so could exacerbate a spinal or brain injury.
25. If a finger or toe is chopped off, hold pressure and tourniquet the limb. Find the “lost” finger/toe, and put it in a ziplock bag. Surround the bag with towels or napkins, and put it inside of another bag of ice. The idea is to ice it to preserve the cells, but keep it from direct contact so it doesn’t become frostbitten. If done in a timely manner, said finger/toe may have a chance to be saved.
