Wilderness Survival Terms

Paul Reilly

Wilderness Survival Terms 

Survival: The act of living through a situation which could be life threatening

BCS: PMA+98.6oF = BCS

Positive mental attitude + proper core body temp = best chance for survival

Will to live: A psychological condition in which a person fights for survival, seen as an important part of conscious and unconscious reasoning. This generally occurs when a person is under severe distress.

Necessities of life or Priorities of Survival:

1.Positive Mental Attitude

2.Oxygen (3 to 6 minutes)

3.Body Shelter (3 to 4 hours, extreme temps)

a.      Dress for Egress

b.      Carry instant body shelter

4.Rest (30 hours)

5.Water (3 days)

6.Food (3 weeks or more)

Major Threats to survival:

Not having a PMA

Core temperature

Mechanical Injury

Illness and/or Infection

Outline the phased approach to managing survival situations:

Phase 1 – Initial Response - The first few hours

·         Make sure those needed medical care are in a stable condition

·         Inventory equipment and resources

·         Make sure everyone is in safe conditions

·         Signal

Phase 2 – Continued Survival

·         PMA

·         Situational Awareness

·         Physiological Requirements

·         Conservation of Resources

·         Find Additional Required Resources

Phase 3 – Rescue                                       

·         Signal Distress

·         Develop Rescue Plan

Define the fundamental law of the mind:

Humans act, feel and perform in accordance to what our perceptions tell us about our surroundings, well-being, and situation. To survive a life threatening situation, maintain a clear mental state, and focus on success. Picture yourself surviving, and never waiver from this though pattern.

List three Traits of a Survivor:

1.Strove to be prepared

2.Adaptable, and made the best of the situation

3.Practiced (beforehand)skills that directly contributed to their survival

List two strategies for controlling your fear:

Recognize your fear for what it is, and accept it is normal

Don’t be afraid of faith, try hard, pray hard.

List two strategies for controlling fear in others:

Cultivate mutual support

Comfort others without encouraging them to feel sorry for themselves

Conduction [body heat loss]: Heat loss that occurs when skin is subjected to cold air or water. This is especially dangerous in water, in which the body loses heat ~25X faster than in air of the same temperature.

Evaporation [body heat loss]: When your clothing or skin gets wet from sweat or any other liquid, the change from liquid to vapor promotes heat loss, and the result is a cooling effect.

Radiation [body heat loss]: When the heat generated by the body is given off to the surrounding environment

Wind Chill Factor [body heat loss]: Wind chill increases the rate of heat loss from other processes, and can reduce temperature quickly. The air “feels” cooled than it is due to the chilling effect on the skin, and can promote adverse environmental effects.

Platform and Brace fire: A method of fire building that emphasizes two major components, a brace and platform. The platform can be any material that protects the fuel from the ground (e.g. non-porous rock, bark, broken sticks, etc.). The brace is placed on the platform and is vital to allow oxygen to allow proper ignition of the fuel. The tinder is burned next to the brace, and larger fuel is placed above the tinder.

Dehydration: The loss or use of more fluid than your body takes in. If fluids aren’t replaced, a host of negative side effects, ultimately ending in death, can occur. 

Frostbite: An injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissue. In general this occurs on the extremities first (fingers, toes, nose, etc.), and can be exacerbated when the body stops circulating as much blood to the extremities due to the necessity of keeping core temperature at an appropriate level.

Hypothermia: When your body loses heat faster than it can produce it. This generally occurs as your body passes below 95F.  Numerous mild systems occur first (shivering, dizziness, nausea, etc.) and as core temperature continues dropping, symptoms worsen, and eventually organs shut down, causing death.

Heat cramps: Involuntary muscle spasms that generally occur during heavy exertion in hot environments. Cramps can be extremely painful and prolonged, inadequate fluid intake can exacerbate the condition. Most often in the calves, arms, abdominals, and back, but may involve and muscle group involved in exercise.

Heat exhaustion: A condition which may include heavy sweating and rapid pulse as a result of your body overheating. The condition is generally due to exposure to high temperatures, and strenuous physical activity. The condition can lead to heat stroke if not treated.

Heat stroke: The most serious form of heat injury caused from the body overheating. If your body temperature reaches 104F or higher, the condition can damage your brain, heart, kidneys, and muscles. If not treated immediately, the condition can cause serious implications and death. Like the previous two conditions, it is generally caused by heavy exertion in high temperatures. 

Explain C.O.L.D.E.R. – An acronym that is useful in preventing hypothermia using clothing is COLDER. Defined below, utilizing these methods will give you the best chance of survival (and comfort).

C – Keep clothing CLEAN

O – Avoid OVERHEATING

L – Wear clothing LOSE and in LAYERS

D – Keep clothing DRY

E – EXAMINE clothing for defects or wear

R – Keep clothing REPAIRED

Explain the S.T.O.P. method to control panic:

STOP when you realize you are being hijacked by your emotion

TAKE a deep breath

OBSERVE what is going on in your body

PROCEED after you have done the previous steps

Immediate Action shelter: Shelters that protect the survivor from the environment that can be erected quickly and with minimal effort.  Environmental shelters such as caves, stranded vehicles, abandoned cabins etc. are examples of immediate action shelters, but furthermore, sheltering the individual by using a tarp, trash bags, survival suits, or other methods are suitable to keep the core body temperature at acceptable levels. Using these methods in conjunction with debris can offer additional insulation.

Shelter for a specific environment: When building a shelter, the type or environment you are surviving in is of paramount importance. Survival shelters will differ remarkably due to the overall risk you are trying to mitigate. For example, cold weather shelters are trying to maximize heat retention, whereas in a desertic environment, you are trying to keep the body as cool as possible. Each type of environment has its own special circumstances, such as the need to dry out in tropics and avoid biting insects. Before building any shelter, identify the requirements you have, and adapt your shelter accordingly.

Water Transpiration Bag: A method of obtaining potable water by using rooted vegetation and a plastic bag. The branches of vegetation are placed inside of bag, and tied off.  As the green plant loses water through the stomatal openings due to evapotranspiration, the vapor condenses on the inside if the plastic and can be collected. The species of plant used will make a huge difference in overall water production. Speaking from experience, this method is difficult at best to procure large amounts of water, but in some scenarios is the only option, and can be utilized to collect some water, providing a physiological benefit, and often large morale boost.

Size and Ratio of a Ground-to- Air Signal: Your signal should be a minimum of 18 feet long (30 feet is better). 6:1 is the standard length to width ratio. Thus a 30 foot long signal would be 5 feet wide.

Describe two (2) ways to purity water in a survival situation:

Boiling - Use any number of improvised containers, add water, and bring to a boil over a heat source. This method kills all the biological components in the water.

Chemical Treatment - use iodine, bleach, potable aqua, or any other number of chemical treatments and follow manufacturer instructions. Cold water takes twice the treatment time to be safe to drink.