Survival Research

What is the S.T.O.P acronym for survival?

When becoming separated with someone in the bush it is important to remember the following information in case this might happen.

Stop as soon as you realize you're lost.

Think about the situation and what is happening.

Observe your surroundings.

Plan what you are going to do.

Finding fresh water.

 Flowing water (rivers, creeks, and streams of snowmelt) are safer drinking options than puddles and lakes (stagnant water) because of lingering bacteria. 

You should also bring a filter for when you need to filter dirty water if you are lost.

Don't drink straight from still water such as puddles and lakes because there is a high chance you can consume bacteria if you have a filter you should filter it.

Shelter.

When building a shelter it is important to remember the following advice.

Build away from creeks or rivers because you can get washed away or wet.

Build your shelter on a dry and flat surface out of the wind.

Your shelter needs to protect you from wind and rain otherwise it's not a very good survival shelter and you won't get protected.

Starting a fire.

When you get lost in the bush and it's freezing it’s very important to keep yourself warm because you will most likely not survive from body temperature rather than an animal attack.

When getting kindling and firewood, make sure that your wood is dry so it burns easily.

Start your fire off with small and dry bits of wood so you can really get your fire going rather than chucking a log on and hoping it will burn when you just started.

You don't just have to use wood you can use dry leaves just as well as wood.

Basic First Aid.

The most basic wilderness first aid skill is to properly prepare. Putting together a well-stocked travel first aid kit means that you’ll have all of the resources you’ll need when you are hiking and need assistance. Common items in a wilderness first aid kit include disinfectant, bandages, bite or sting ointment, a pair of tweezers, and Bandages.

You should always expect the unexpected because you never know when someone will get hurt.

Don't panic when you are hurt or someone else is hurt it is important to be calm in this situation.

Signalling for help.

Something that will always get rescuers attention is fire you should always have a really powerful fire at night with lots of flames because at night it pops out more.

At day time you should always have a smokey fire because it is dark and more visible than just flames so the rescuers can see you easily.

If you're going to light a signalling fire you should always keep checking on it and stay close to the fire so there's more of a chance of the rescuers seeing you.