Shelter and Signals

Gimee Shelter..

The third step of the 7 steps is ‘Shelter’. Let’s face it. If you are reading this, you are a semi-hairless bipedal mammal. You need to maintain a core temperature that hovers near 98.6˚F and aside from our fairly modest nature, we use clothing to make up for our inability to regulate our body temperature beyond a degree or two either side of that core temperature. So, I’ll ask you; what is your primary shelter? The textbook answer is, ‘whatever you are wearing. If that is so, what is your secondary shelter? Well, that would be anything else you can use to separate yourself from the elements that would rob you of your body heat, or overheat you, threatening your fragile body core temperature.

O.K., now let’s exercise the dynamic aspect of the 7 steps. Here’s my scenario; in my particular emergency, As evening approaches I recognize that I have become “disoriented” during a leisurely afternoon hike, and I need to extricate myself from an area now exposed to high winds and rain that weren’t  in the afternoon forecast. Because of my exposure, I’m wet and cold, and beginning to shiver.  I inventory my condition and I know I need shelter beyond what I’m wearing. I find some thick evergreen trees with low branches, forming a natural protected area, so far, so good.  I’m out of most of the rain and wind, so I run through the first steps again, Recognition. How has my situation changed?  Is it better or worse? Inventory. What’s working for me, what’s working against me? I’m out of the rain and wind, good. But I’m still cold, this is bad. I need a fire, because I don’t have any dry clothing. Do I have something to start a fire? Yes, a lighter, check. Now, what to burn? Small fallen tree limbs seem fairly abundant under these evergreen trees, and appear to be dry, even in this rain. Now I’m getting somewhere.

With a small fire started I’m warming up, slowly getting dried off. My attitude even seems to be improving. O.K., back to the first step, recognition. My situation has improved and upon further examination, I remember that I did tell my family where I was going to be hiking, and when I expected to get back. So depending on how my family feels about me, someone should be looking for me soon. So, what’s the next step?

Give me a sign..

Well, if someone is looking for me, I want to be sure they can find me. After all, I am pretty well concealed under these thick tree limbs, trying to stay warm and dry. And if I hear any searchers in the woods, I want to be able to let them know where I am. I need to develop some type of signals.  Our fourth step is Signals, or more clearly Emergency Signals.

 Emergency signals need to do two things well. Attract attention, and convey a message. And emergency signals come in many varieties. Aural, or sound producing, electronic signals, such as VHF/FRS radio’s, EPIRB’s, PLB’s, ELT’s, even cellular phones. And finally, visual signals.

Any type of emergency signal needs to contrast with its surroundings to attract attention. And once we have someone’s attention, we need to send a message of HELP! A bonfire on the beach is usually just a bonfire on the beach, but three fires lined up evenly on the beach are an emergency signal. A single gunshot in the woods can be a successful hunter, but three evenly spaced shots, repeated two or three times is an emergency signal, perhaps from that same hunter.

So something as simple as a small whistle on your jacket zipper, or a small LED flashlight on your belt or in your fanny pack, can be the difference between being found, and being passed by in the woods at night by a search team. You may be surprised at what you carry on your person daily that can be used as a signal. The screen on your cell phone or PDA can be used as a signal mirror during the day. I once used the small screen on my Garmin Etrex GPS receiver as a signal mirror to signal another instructor across Lake Powell, near the Stateline Boat Ramp.

Even when your disposable lighter runs out of fuel, the striker can still be used to throw sparks into a tinder bundle, or signal in the dark. When a key chain is shaken, it makes a noise that is not normally heard in the woods. Other items in your environment can be used to create signals. Logs and debris may be laid out on the beach to indicate your position or spell out S.O.S. Remember, contrast is the key to creating an effective emergency signal, and you are only limited by your imagination.