As a safety and security expert, I love to speak on the topic of survival. There are all sorts of circumstances that can threaten your survival, but common threads run through them all. Here are survival tips you can apply to any kind of threatening situation.
Survival Tips Regardless of Situation
SURVIVAL is an acronym of the U.S. Military: Size up the situation; Use your senses; Remember where you are; Vanquish panic; Improve/improvise; Value life; Act like those around you; Live by your wits.
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Size up the situation means assess what's about you and could be around you: Injured? Bleeding? Snakes? Edible plants? Water? Storm clouds in the distance and increasing cold and wind? Take inventory of what's on your person: Cellphone? Flashlight? Lighter? Pocket knife? Mirror (to reflect the sun)?
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Use your senses means just that. Don't focus on only what one sense detects. In addition to seeing, also do some sniffing, hearing and feeling.
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Remember where you are means hopefully you have a map and compass and know how to use them. Either way, evaluate areas that might offer shelter or other aid.
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Vanquish fear. Panic is useless. It's anger combined with a steely kind of calm that gets people out of a crisis. You can't get through the flames on fear, but you sure can on anger. You can't plan and calculate on panic, but you can on calm.
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Improvise, and improve. Pretend you're a caveman; he had to improvise and improve all the time. Look around. What would make a good tool or weapon? What can be used to make a shelter or fire? Have a plastic bag and a nearby tree? You can "make" water (how to is another article).
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Value life. Make the reward (rescue and reunion with family) bigger than the effort.
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Act like those around you. Blend in with ambient people when you're far from home; don't stand out.
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Live by your wits means to follow logic, not emotions (though anger is the exception; you need anger to lift the boulder off your companion's leg). Trust your gut.
Knowing these survival tips will greatly increase your odds of surviving, rather than succumbing to, a crisis.
Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussingburglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.
