survival kit

Stroke Survival

2008-05-22T10:10:00.003+08:00

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ing rid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ing rid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ing rid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ing rid would be with us today. Some don't d! ie. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for! the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently) ( i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this info and sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

How to Determine If Your Date Is an Axe Murderer

2007-07-07T11:23:00.000+08:00

1. Watch for the following:

1. A Caucasian male in his twenties or thirties

2.Obsession with fire or matches

3.Cruelty to animals

4.History of bed-wetting

5.Sexually abused as a child

6.Middle-class background combined with loner behavior

7.Difficulty maintaining relationships

An individual who exhibits more than three of these traits may be dangerous.

2. Trust your intuition. Your instinct is a powerful weapon. If something feels wrong, it probably is.

3. Check him out officially. Obtain his social security number and investigate him. Call the Federal Prison Locator Service to determine if he was ever incarcerated. Many online companies can aid in financial reports or tracking down previous addresses. You may also want to enlist the services of a private detective.

4. If you discover grounds for suspicion, break off the relationship immediately. Be clear and definitive about your decision. Return all of his belongings and gifts. Do not make promises to keep in touch. Be straightforward and kind, and talk only about yourself and why the relationship no longer works for you. Do not blame him. Try not to make him angry.

5. Take steps to maintain your safety.

Carry a cell phone.
Install a home security system.
Change your phone numbers.
Stay near populated, well-lit areas.
Apprise a friend or relative of your concerns.
Document any strange or unusual happenings.
Take a personal safety/self-defense class.

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL

2007-05-19T01:13:00.000+08:00

1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

How to survive a heart attack when alone

2007-04-08T18:42:00.000+08:00

The Scenario

Let's say it's 6.15pm and you're driving home ( alone of course ) after an unusually hard day on the job, you're really tired and frustrated.

You're really stressed and upset with your boss...suddenly you start experience severe pain in your chest that's tarts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw.You are only five miles from the hospital nearest your home.Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able that
make it that far.

WHAT TO DO?

You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

How to survive a heart attack when alone

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attacked, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 second left before losing conscious.

WHAT TO DO?

Do not panic, but start coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.

A deep breath should be taken before each cough, the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated, about every two second let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths gets oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.The squeezing pressure on the heart also help it regain normal rhythm, in this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital

CPR for Adults

2007-03-31T23:18:00.000+08:00

CPR IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS

1. CALLCheck the victim for unresponsiveness. If there is no response, Call 911 and return to the victim. In most locations the emergency dispatcher can assist you with CPR instructions.

2. BLOW

Tilt the head back and listen for breathing. If not breathing normally, pinch nose and cover the mouth with yours and blow until you see the chest rise. Give 2 breaths. Each breath should take 1 second.

3. PUMP

If the victim is still not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Push down on the chest 11/2 to 2 inches 30 times right between the nipples. Pump at the rate of 100/minute, faster than once per second.

CONTINUE WITH 2 BREATHS AND 30 PUMPS UNTIL HELP ARRIVES
NOTE: This ratio is the same for one-person & two-person CPR. In two-person CPR the person pumping the chest stops while the other gives mouth-to-mouth breathing.

Complications of CPR

Vomiting is the most frequently encountered complication of CPR. If the victim starts to vomit, turn the head to the side and try to sweep out or wipe off the vomit. Continue with CPR.

The spread of infection from the victim to the rescuer is exceedingly rare. Most cardiac arrests occur in people's homes - relatives or friends will be the ones needing to do CPR. Even CPR performed on strangers has an exceedingly rare risk of infection. There is NO documentation of HIV or AIDS ever being transmitted via CPR.

Checking The Pulse

The pulse check is no longer taught or expected of laypersons. Instead, if there is no response after two mouth-to-mouth breaths, begin to pump on the chest. Please note that the pulse check is still expected of health care providers.

CPR for Children ( Ages 1-8 )

2007-03-31T23:12:00.000+08:00

CPR for children is similar CPR for adults. The compression to ventilation ratio is 30:2. There are, however, 3 differences.

1) If you are alone with the child give two minutes of CPR before calling 911

2) Use the heel of one hand as for adults for chest compressions

3) Press the sternum approximately one-third the depth of the chest

CPR for Infants ( Age <1)

2007-03-31T23:03:00.000+08:00

1. Shout and Tap

Shout and gently tap the child on the shoulder. If there is no response, position the infant on his or her back

2. Open The Airway

Open the airway using a head tilt lifting of chin. Do not tilt the head too far back

3. Give 2 Gentle Breaths

If the baby is NOT breathing give 2 small gentle breaths. Cover the baby's mouth and nose with your mouth. Each breath should be 1 second long. You should see the baby's chest rise with each breath.

4. Give 30 Compressions

Give 30 gentle chest compressions at the rate of 100 per minute. Use two or three fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipples. Press down approximately one-third the depth of the chest.

5. Repeat

Repeat with 2 breath and 30 compressions. After two minutes of repeated cycles call 911 and continue giving breaths and compressions.

How to Cross a Piranha-Infested River

2007-03-25T21:18:00.000+08:00

1. Do not cross if you have an open wound. Piranhas are attracted to blood.

2. Avoid areas with netted fish, docks where fish are cleaned, and areas around bird rookeries. Piranhas may become habituated to feeding in these areas and may be more aggressive there.

3. Stay out of the water when piranhas are feeding. When large numbers of piranhas are attacking prey—a true feeding frenzy—they may snap and bite at anything around them. If you see them feeding, stay away, or well upriver.

4. Cross the river at night. Virtually every species of piranha rests at night, and when awakened, will swim away rather than attack. Piranhas are most active at dawn, though some large adults may hunt in the evening.

5. Swim or walk across quickly and quietly. Try not to create a large disturbance in the water that might awaken piranhas.

Be Aware

Piranhas are freshwater, tropical fish. In the wild, they exist only in South America, in slow moving rivers, backwaters, or floodplain lakes. Piranhas generally do not live in either mountain lakes or streams; the water is too cold and flows too fast.

Piranhas generally do not attack humans or large animals unless they are already dead or injured. During the dry season, however, when food is scarce, piranhas can be more aggressive. When driving cattle across a river suspected of containing piranhas, farmers will sometimes sacrifice a sick or injured animal downstream before letting the herd enter the water.

How to Survive a Trip over a Waterfall

2007-03-25T21:03:00.001+08:00

1. Take a deep breath just before going over the edge. You probably will not have much control while you are in the air, and the water may be deep.

2. Go over the falls feet first. The biggest danger in going over a falls is hitting your head on something underwater and being knocked unconscious. Even feet first there is a risk of broken limbs. Squeeze your feet together and remain vertical.

3. Jump out and away from the edge of the falls just before you go over. You want to avoid hitting rocks directly at the bottom of the falls.

4. Put your arms around your head to protect it.

5. Start swimming immediately upon hitting the water, even before you surface. Swimming will slow your descent.

6. Swim downstream, away from the falls. It is essential that you avoid being trapped behind the waterfall or on the rocks underneath.

How to Escape from the Trunk of a Car

2007-03-25T20:52:00.000+08:00

1. If you are trapped in a trunk for any reason ,the important thing's don't panic.The trunk that has no wall separating the backseats and the trunk, try to get the seats down. Although the release for most seats is inside the passenger compartment, you may be able to fold or force them down from the trunk side. (If not, continue to step 2.)

2. Check for a trunk cable underneath the carpet or upholstery. Many new cars have a trunk release lever on the floor below the driver’s seat. These cars should have a cable that runs from the release lever to the trunk. Look for the cable beneath carpeting or upholstery, or behind a panel of sheet metal. If you locate the cable, pull on it to release the trunk latch. (If not, continue to step 3.)

3. Look for a tool in the trunk. Many cars have emergency kits inside the trunk, underneath or with the spare tire. These kits may contain a screwdriver, flashlight, or pry bar. Use a screwdriver or pry bar to pry the latch open. You can also pry the corner of the trunk lid up and wave and yell to signal passersby. (If there is no tool, continue to step 4.)

4. Dismantle the car’s brake lights by yanking wires and pushing or kicking the lights out. Then wave and yell to signal passersby or other cars. This method is also recommended if the car is moving and you need to signal cars behind you.

Be Aware

No car trunk is airtight, so the danger of suffocation in a car trunk is low. Breathe regularly and do not panic—panic increases the danger of your hyperventilating and passing out. Keep in mind, however, that on a hot day the interior temperature of a car trunk can reach 140 degrees. Work quickly but calmly.

How to Jump from a Moving Train

2007-03-24T19:57:00.000+08:00

1. Move to the end of the last car. If this is not an option, you can jump from the space between cars, or from the door if you can get it open.

2. If you have time, wait for the train to slow as it rounds a bend in the tracks. If you jump and land correctly you will probably survive even at high speeds (70 mph or more), but you increase your chances of survival if the train is moving slowly.

3. Stuff blankets, clothing, or seat cushions underneath your clothes. Wear a thick or rugged jacket if possible. Use a belt to secure some padding around your head, but make certain you can see clearly. Pad your knees, elbows, and hips.

4. Pick your landing spot before you jump. The ideal spot will be relatively soft and free of obstructions. Avoid trees, bushes, and, of course, rocks.

5. Get as low to the floor as possible, bending your knees so you can leap away from the train car.

6. Jump perpendicular to the train, leaping as far away from the train as you can. Even if you jump from the last car, leap at right angles to the direction of the train. This way, your momentum will not carry you toward the wheels and tracks.

7. Cover and protect your head with your hands and arms, and roll like a log when you land. Do not try to land on your feet. Keep your body straight and try to land so all parts of your body hit the ground at the same time—you will absorb the impact over a wider area. If you land on your feet, you will most likely break your ankles or legs. Do NOT roll head over heels as if doing a forward somersault.

How to Make Fire Without Matches

2007-03-20T19:59:00.000+08:00

What you will need:

Knife.

Kindling. Several pieces, varying in size from small to large.

Wood to keep the fire going. Select deadwood from the tree, not off the ground. Good wood should indent with pressure from a fingernail, but not break easily.

Bow. A curved stick about two feet long.

String. A shoelace, parachute cord, or leather thong. Primitive cordage can be made from yucca, milkweed, or another tough, stringy plant.

Socket. A horn, bone, piece of hard wood, rock, or seashell that fits in the palm of the hand and will be placed over a stick.

Lube. You can use ear wax, skin oil, a ball of green grass, lip balm, or anything else oily.

Spindle. A dry, straight, ¾- to 1-inch-diameter stick approximately 12 to 18 inches long. Round one end and carve the other end to a point.

Fire board. Select and shape a second piece of wood into a board approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick, 2 to 3 inches wide, and 10 to 12 inches long. Carve a shallow dish in the center of the flat side approximately ½ inch from the edge. Into the edge of this dish, cut a V-shaped knot.

Tray. A piece of bark or leaf inserted under the V-shaped notch to catch the ember. The tray should not be made of deadwood.

Nest. Dry bark, grass, leaves, cattail fuzz, or some other combustible material, formed into a bird-nest shape.

How to Start the Fire

1. Tie the string tightly to the bow, one end to each end of the stick.
2. Kneel on your right knee, with the ball of your left foot on the fire board, holding it firmly to the ground.

3. Take the bow in your hands.

4. Loop the string in the center of the bow.5. Insert the spindle in the loop of the bowstring so that the spindle is on the outside of the bow, pointed end up. The bowstring should now be tight—if not, loop the string around the spindle a few more times.

6. Take the hand socket in your left hand, notch side down. Lubricate the notch.

7. Place the rounded end of the spindle into the dish of the fire board and the pointed end of the spindle into the hand socket.

8. Pressing down lightly on the socket, draw the bow back and forth, rotating the spindle slowly.
9. Add pressure to the socket and speed to your bowing until you begin to produce smoke and ash. When there is a lot of smoke, you have created a fire ember.
10. Immediately stop your bowing motion and tap the spindle on the fire board to knock the ember into the tray.

11.Remove the tray and transfer the ember into your “nest.”

12. Hold the nest tightly and blow steadily onto the ember. Eventually the nest will catch fire.

13. Add kindling onto the nest. When the kindling catches, gradually add larger pieces of fuel.

Be Aware

You should not be dependent on any primitive fire method to maintain life in a wilderness survival emergency. Making fire in this manner can be quite difficult under harsh conditions (rain, snow, cold). You should practice this method at home before you attempt it in the wilderness to familiarize yourself with the quirks of the process.

How to Avoid Being Struck by Lightning

2007-03-19T20:16:00.000+08:00

Lightning causes more casualties annually in the U.S. than any other storm-related phenomenon except floods. No place is completely safe from lightning. However, some places are more dangerous than others.
1. Loud or frequent thunder indicates that lightning activity is approaching. If you can see lightning and/or hear thunder, you are at risk. High winds, rainfall, and cloud cover often act as precursors to actual cloud-to-ground strikes. Thunderstorms generally move west to east and occur late in the day or in early evening when humidity is highest.

2. When you see lightning, count the seconds until thunder is heard and then divide by five. This will indicate how far the storm is from you in miles. (Sound travels at 1,100 feet per second.)

3. If the time delay between seeing the flash (lightning) and hearing the boom (thunder) is fewer than 30 seconds, seek a safer location immediately.

Avoid high places, open fields, and ridges above the timberline. If in an open area, do not lie flat—kneel with your hands on the ground and your head low. If you are on a technical climb, sit on a rock or on nonmetallic equipment. Tie a rope around your ankle; this will anchor you if a strike occurs and you are knocked off balance.

Avoid isolated trees, unprotected gazebos, and rain or picnic shelters, as well as shallow depressions in the earth—current traveling through the ground may use you to bridge the depression.

Avoid baseball dugouts, communications towers, flagpoles, light poles, metal and wood bleachers, and metal fences. If you are camping, avoid your tent if it is in an open area or under a large tree.

Avoid golf carts and convertibles.

Avoid bodies of water: oceans, lakes, swimming pools, and rivers.

4. Wait for the storm to pass. The lightning threat generally diminishes with time after the last sound of thunder, but may persist for more than 30 minutes. When thunderstorms are in the area but not overhead, the lightning threat can exist even when it is sunny, not raining, or when clear sky is visible.

Be Aware

Large enclosed buildings tend to be much safer than small or open structures. The risk for lightning injury depends on whether the structure incorporates lightning protection, the construction materials used, and the size of the structure.

Fully enclosed metal vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses, vans, and fully enclosed farm vehicles with the windows rolled up provide good shelter from lightning. Avoid contact with metal or conducting surfaces outside or inside the vehicle.

When inside, avoid contact with conductive surfaces with exposure to the outside, including the shower, sink, plumbing fixtures, and metal door and window frames.

Avoid outlets, electrical cords, and wired electrical devices, including telephones, computers, and televisions (particularly cable TVs).

How to Treat Someone Struck by Lightning

1. Call 911 to report the strike and give directions to emergency personnel. With immediate medical treatment, victims can survive an encounter with lightning. If multiple people have been struck, treat the apparently “dead” first. People who are unconscious but still breathing will probably recover on their own.

2. Move to a safer location and avoid getting struck yourself. It is unusual for victims who survive a lightning strike to have major fractures that would cause paralysis or major bleeding complications unless they have suffered a fall or been thrown a distance. Do not be afraid to move the victim rapidly if necessary; individuals who have been struck by lightning do not carry a charge and it is safe to touch them to give medical treatment.

3. In cold and wet environments, put a protective layer between the victim and the ground to decrease the chance of hypothermia, which can further complicate resuscitation. Check for burns, especially around jewelry and watches.

4. If the victim is not breathing, start mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Give one breath every five seconds. If moving the victim, give a few quick breaths prior to moving.

5. Determine if the victim has a pulse. Check the pulse at the carotid artery (side of the neck) or femoral artery (groin) for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

6. If no pulse is detected, start cardiac compressions.

7. If the pulse returns, continue ventilation with rescue breathing as needed for as long as practical in a wilderness situation.

8. If a pulse does not return after 20 to 30 minutes of good effort, stop resuscitation efforts. In wilderness areas far from medical care, prolonged basic CPR is of little use—the victim is unlikely to recover if there is no response within the first few minutes.

How to Jump from Rooftop to Rooftop

2007-03-19T20:09:00.000+08:00

1. Look for any obstructions if you have time. You may have to clear short walls, gutters, or other obstacles as well as the space between buildings.

2. Check your target building. Make certain that you have enough space to land and roll. If the target building is lower than your building, assess how much lower it is. You risk broken ankles or legs if there is more than a one-story differential in the buildings. If there are two stories or more, you risk a broken back.

3. Check the distance between the buildings. Most people cannot jump farther than 10 feet, even at a full run. If the buildings are farther apart than this distance, you risk catastrophic injury or death. You must clear the distance and land on the other roof, or be able to grab on to a ledge on the other side. If the target building is lower, your forward momentum will continue to carry you even as you fall, so you may be able to leap a greater distance—though probably not more than about 12 feet. You could successfully leap a span across an alley, but not a two-lane road.

4. Pick a spot for take off and a spot for landing.

5. Run at full speed toward the edge. You must be running as fast as possible to attempt a leap of a distance of more than a few feet. You will need 40 to 60 feet of running room to develop enough speed to clear about 10 feet.

6. Leap. Make sure your center of gravity is over the edge of your target building in case your whole body doesn’t clear the span and you have to grab hold. Jump with your arms and hands extended and ready to grab the ledge.

7. Try to land on your feet, then immediately tuck your head and tumble sideways onto your shoulders, not forward onto your head. Because you will not be moving fast, it is safe to roll head over heels, unlike jumping from a moving vehicle.

How to Remove a Leech

2007-03-18T20:04:00.000+08:00

1. Do not attempt to remove a leech by pulling up on its middle section or by using salt, heat, or insect repellent. Dislodging by squeezing, salting, burning, or otherwise annoying the leech while it is feeding will cause it to regurgitate, most likely spreading the bacteria from its digestive system into your open wound, causing infection.

2. Identify the anterior (oral) sucker. Look for the small end of the leech. A common mistake is to go immediately to the large sucker.

3. Place a fingernail on your skin (not on the leech itself), directly adjacent to the oral sucker.

4. Gently but firmly slide your finger toward where the leech is feeding and push the sucker away sideways. When the seal made by the oral sucker is broken, the leech will stop feeding. After the oral sucker has been dislodged, the leech’s head will seek to reattach, and it may quickly attach to the finger that displaced the head. Even if the oral sucker attaches again, the leech does not begin to feed immediately.

5. Displace the posterior (hind) sucker. While continuing to flick occasionally at the small end, push at or pick under the large end (hind sucker) with a fingernail to cause it to lose its suction.

6. Dispose of the leech. At this point, the leech may have securely attached itself to the finger you used to remove it. Flick it off—it should detach easily. Once the leech is detached, you can put salt or insect repellent directly on it to keep it from attaching to anything else.

7. Treat the wound. After the leech’s anticoagulants lose their effect, the wound should heal quickly. Keep the area clean, and cover it with a small bandage if necessary. Avoid scratching the wound. If itching becomes severe, take an antihistamine.

If a Leech Invades an Air Passage

Hirudiniasis is a potentially serious condition in which one or more leeches invade a body orifice. In particular, Dinobdella ferox (literally, “the terrifying ferocious leech” or “nasal leech”) has a predilection for airways, where it may cause a blockage or asphyxiation, especially if leeches invade the passage in large numbers. If there is a leech invading your airway and you can breath, do not attempt to remove it—seek medical attention immediately. If you cannot breathe, take the following steps:

1. Gargle with diluted 80-proof alcohol. Most distilled liquors—vodka, gin, bourbon, scotch—have the requisite alcohol content. Use a mixture of 50 percent alcohol, 50 percent water. Be careful not to aspirate (inhaling the leech and the alcohol).

2. Spit out the leech.

ALTERNATIVE

If gargling does not work and the leech is visible, remove it by grasping firmly at the hind sucker and yanking.

Be Aware

There is virtually no risk of substantial blood loss from leech bites. The wound will continue to bleed for some time after a leech has finished feeding, but this level of blood loss is not dangerous.

Leeches are generally not known to transmit blood parasites to humans.

Leeches are more likely to be encountered in still water than in rivers or streams. They are more often found near the edges of clean, clear water than in or near swamps.

Leeches need a solid surface to hold on to even when they are not feeding. Avoid leeches by staying in the open: Swim in deep, open water, avoid boat docks, and do not wade through areas with submerged branches or rocks. In jungles, remain on trails and be aware of leeches on overhanging branches and vines.

Both aquatic and terrestrial leeches have incredible senses of perception. They are attracted by vibrations and by body heat, and they have 10 pairs of eyes to detect movement. Keep moving, and check yourself and your traveling companions regularly.

How to Break Down a Door

2007-03-18T19:54:00.000+08:00

Interior Doors

1. Give the door a well-placed kick or two to the lock area to break it down.
Running at the door and slamming against it with your shoulder or body is not usually as effective as kicking with your foot. Your foot exerts more force than your shoulder, and you will be able to direct the force toward the area of the locking mechanism more succinctly with your foot.

Alternate Method (if you have a screwdriver)
* Look on the front of the doorknob for a small hole or keyhole.
Most interior doors have what are called privacy sets. These locks are usually installed on bedrooms and bathrooms and can be locked from the inside when the door is shut, but have an emergency access hole in the center of the door handle which allows access to the locking mechanism inside. Insert the screwdriver or probe into the handle and push the locking mechanism, or turn the mechanism to open the lock.

Exterior Doors

If you are trying to break down an exterior door, you will need more force. Exterior doors are of sturdier construction and are designed with security in mind, for obvious reasons. In general, you can expect to see two kinds of latches on outside doors: a passage- or entry-lock set for latching and a dead-bolt lock for security. The passage set is used for keeping the door from swinging open and does not lock. The entry-lock set utilizes a dead latch and can be locked before closing the door.

1. Give the door several well-placed kicks at the point where the lock is mounted.
An exterior door usually takes several tries to break down this way, so keep at it.

Alternate Method (if you have a sturdy piece of steel)

* Wrench or pry the lock off the door by inserting the tool between the lock and the door and prying back and forth.

Alternate Method (if you have a screwdriver, hammer, and awl)

* Remove the pins from the hinges (if the door opens toward you) and then force the door open from the hinge side.
Place the awl or screwdriver underneath the hinge, with the pointy end touching the end of the bolt or screw. Using the hammer, strike the other end of the awl or screwdriver until the hinge comes out.
Assessing Amount of Force Required.

Interior doors in general are of a lighter construction than exterior doors and usually are thinner—1 3/8" thick-1 5/8" thick—than exterior doors, which generally are 1¾ thick. In general, older homes will me more likely to have solid wood doors, while newer ones will have the cheaper, hollow core models. Knowing what type of door you are dealing with will help you determine how to break it down. You can usually determine the construction and solidity of a door by tapping on it.

* Hollow core. This type is generally used for interior doors, since it provides no insulation or security, and it requires minimal force. These doors can often be opened with a screwdriver.

* Solid wood. This is usually oak or some other hardwood, and it requires an average amount of force and a crowbar or other similar tool.

* Solid core. This has a softwood inner frame with a laminate on each side and a chipped or shaved wood core, and it requires an average amount of force and a screwdriver.

* Metal clad. This is usually softwood with a thin metal covering, and it requires average or above average force and a crowbar.

* Hollow metal. This is of a heavier gauge metal that usually has a reinforcing channel around the edges and the lock mounting area, and is sometimes filled with some type of insulating material. This type requires maximum force and a crowbar.

How to Survive a High-Rise Hotel Fire

2007-03-16T19:39:00.000+08:00

Always treat a hotel fire alarm seriously, and exit following hotel procedure. If the fire is nearby, use the following procedure.

1. Feel your hotel room doorknob with the back of your hand.
If the doorknob is hot to the touch, go to step 2 and then skip to step 5. If it is not hot, follow the steps in order.

2. Partially fill the bathtub with cold water.
Soak towels, washcloths, bedsheets, and blankets in the water. If the water is off, use water from the toilet tank. Put a wet washcloth over your mouth and nose and a wet sheet or towel over your head.

3. Open the door.

4. If the hallway is smoke-filled, get as low as possible—one to two feet above the floor.
Make your way to an emergency exit. Never use the elevator.

5. If the door or doorknob is hot, do not open the door.
Wedge wet towels in the crack under the door to keep smoke out.

6. Try calling the front desk or rooms on other floors to check on conditions in other areas.

7. Turn off fans and air conditioners that could draw smoke into the room, and open the window slightly. If the fire is on a floor below you, smoke may enter the room through the window, so keep the opening narrow. If the fire is not below you, open the window a third or halfway.

8. Make a tent of wet towels and sheets at the window.
Do not build the tent if smoke is billowing into the room. Hold or attach one side of the towel or sheet to the window and allow the other side to fall behind you, so you are protected from smoke and are breathing outside air. The towels should help to cool the air and make it easier to breathe.

9. Signal rescue personnel with a white towel or a flashlight. Wait for rescue.

10. If the air in the room is getting worse, breathing becomes difficult, and no rescue is forthcoming, try to kick through the wall into the adjacent room. Closets are the best locations to try to break through. Sit on the floor of the closet, and knock on the wall until you hear a hollow sound. (Wall studs are normally spaced 16 inches apart.) Use both feet to kick through both surfaces of drywall. You may survive by using this as a breathing hole, or you may need to continue breaching the wall until you can escape into the next room.

11. If you cannot breach the wall, go to a window and look at the outside of the building.
If the rooms have balconies that are close together, consider climbing to another balcony on the same floor. If there are no neighboring balconies, you can tie bedsheets together and climb to a balcony directly beneath yours. Use square knots (the first step in tying your shoes, done twice) and lower yourself one floor only. Consider this option only as a last resort, and only do it if you are attempting to escape an immediate danger or to reach rescue personnel.

Be Aware

Ladders on fire trucks usually reach only to the seventh floor of a high-rise building. Consider booking a room below this level.

Poolside or courtyard rooms are likely to be inaccessible to ladder trucks, even if they are below the seventh floor. Consider staying in a streetside room.

Upon check-in, make sure the hotel has smoke detectors and fire sprinklers.

Count the doors between your room and the nearest fire exit. This will help you get out safely if smoke reduces visibility.

Keep your room key where it can be found in the dark.

Never jump from a height of more than two floors or you risk death.

How to Find Your Way Without a Compass

2007-03-15T18:30:00.000+08:00

Stick and Shadow Method

Be aware that the closer you are to the equator, the less accurate this method is.

What You Need:

An analog watch

A six-inch stick

Northern Hemisphere

1. Place a small stick vertically in the ground so that it casts a shadow.

2. Place your watch on the ground so that the hour hand is parallel to the shadow of the stick.

3. Find the point on the watch midway between the hour hand and 12:00. If the watch is on Daylight Savings Time—which is during most of the summer—use the midway point between the hour hand and 1:00.

4. Draw an imaginary line from that point through the center of the watch. This imaginary line is a north-south line. The sun will be located toward the south.

Southern Hemisphere

Place your watch on the ground so that 12:00 is parallel to the shadow. Then find the midway point between the hour hand and 12:00. Draw an imaginary line from the point through the center of the watch. This is the north-south line. The sun will be located toward the north.

Star Method

Northern Hemisphere

Locate the North Star, Polaris. The North Star is the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Walking toward it means you are walking north. You can use the Big Dipper to find the North Star. A straight imaginary line drawn between the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper's bowl will point to the North Star. The distance to the North Star is about five times the distance between the two “pointer” stars.

Southern Hemisphere

Find the Southern Cross.

The Southern Cross is a group of four bright stars in the shape of a cross and tilted to one side. Imagine the long axis extends in a line five times its actual length. The point where this line ends is south. If you can view the horizon, draw an imaginary line straight down to the ground to create a southern landmark.

Cloud Method

Look at the clouds to determine which direction they are moving. Generally, weather moves west to east. While this may not always be true in mountain regions, it is a good rule of thumb and may help orient you.

Moss Method

Locate moss. Mosses grow in places with lots of shade and water: areas that are cool and moist. On tree trunks, the north sides tend to be more shady and moist than the south sides, and, therefore, moss usually grows on the north sides of trees. However, this method is not infallible—in many forests, both sides of a tree can be shady and moist.

How to Jump from a Building into a Dumpster

2007-03-15T17:43:00.000+08:00

How to Jump

1. Jump straight down.
If you leap off and away from the building at an angle, your trajectory will make you miss the Dumpster. Resist your natural tendency to push off.

2. Tuck your head and bring your legs around.
To do this during the fall, execute a three-quarter revolution—basically, a not-quite-full somersault. This is the only method that will allow a proper landing, with your back facing down.

3. Aim for the center of the Dumpster.

4. Land flat on your back so that when your body folds, your feet and hands meet.
When your body hits any surface from a significant height, the body folds into a V. This means landing on your stomach can result in a broken back.

Be Aware

If the building has fire escapes or other protrusions, your leap will have to be far enough out so you miss them on your way down. The landing target needs to be far enough from the building for you to hit it.

The Dumpster may be filled with bricks or other unfriendly materials. It is entirely possible to survive a high fall (five stories or more) into a Dumpster, provided it is filled with the right type of trash (cardboard boxes are best) and you land correctly.

How to Escape from a Sinking Car

2007-03-15T17:29:00.000+08:00

1. As soon as you hit the water, open your window.
This is your best chance of escape, because opening the door will be very difficult given the outside water pressure. (To be safe, you should drive with the windows and doors slightly open whenever you are near water or driving on ice.) Opening the window allows water to come in and equalize the pressure. Once the water pressure inside and outside the car is equal, you’ll be able to open the door.

2. If your power windows won’t work or you cannot roll your windows down all the way, attempt to break the glass with your foot, shoulder, or a heavy object such as an antitheft steering wheel lock.

3. Get out.
Do not worry about leaving anything behind unless it is another person. Vehicles with engines in front will sink at a steep angle. If the water is fifteen feet or deeper, the vehicle may end up on its roof, upside down. For this reason, you must get out as soon as possible, while the car is still afloat. Depending on the vehicle, floating time will range from a few seconds to a few minutes. The more airtight the car, the longer it floats. Air in the car will be quickly forced out through the trunk and cab. An air bubble is unlikely to remain once the car hits bottom. Get out as early as possible.

4. If you are unable to open the window or break it, you have one final option.
Remain calm and do not panic. Wait until the car begins filling with water. When the water reaches your head, take a deep breath and hold it. Now the pressure should be equalized inside and outside, and you should be able to open the door and swim to the surface.

How to build an outdoor survival shelter

2007-03-14T22:46:00.000+08:00

The debris hut is an example of a good outdoor survival shelter. The debris hut is composed of materials that are procured from the wilderness and is easy to construct.

To describe it short a debris hut is just a pile of dead leaves, branches and whatever else is around, fixed under a hut so the wind can't blow them all away. If done correctly there is enough space under it for you to lay under the pile comfortably - and still breathe. It should take about 1-2 hour to build a hut so don't wait until it gets dark to start building.

To make a debris hut:

- Find yourself a long sturdy pole. Length about 1.5-2 times your height. This will be the main beam of your hut. Another option is to find a fallen tree that will fit to build this hut.

- First look for something to hold the main beam of the hut off the ground. A rock, stump, tree with a forked branch anything strong enough can be used for this support. Height - a little taller than you are sitting.

outdoor survival shelter - Lean smaller poles against both sides of your main beam at about a 45 degree angle to make a framework. Place them close together and fill in around them with smaller branches.

- Cover this framework with materials at hand. Dead leaves, dry fern, evergreen branches, grass, use whatever you can find. Once you have sufficient debris in place, at least 1 m (3 feet) thick, you will need to place a layer of small, light branches over the outside of the hut to keep all your insulation from blowing away.

Depending upon how thick your insulating layer is, a debris hut can keep people dry and warm in frigid temperatures. In the winter, pile snow on top of the hut to increase the insulation factor.

debris hut - Place a 30-centimeter layer of debris inside the survival shelter. Try to choose stuff that you would like to sleep on. Your body heat can be lost very quickly lying on the bare ground.

- At the entrance, pile insulating material that you can drag to you once inside the shelter to close the entrance. Or build a door.

You can make a door by gathering finger size dead wood and lashing it into a grid pattern. Make two grids and place debris between the two grids. Lash the grids together and you have an insulated door. You should have sited the door away from the prevailing wind.

Efficient outdoor survival shelter

This simple outdoor survival shelter can make the difference in a wilderness survival situation.

Fend Off a Shark

2007-03-03T21:39:00.000+08:00

Be Aware

Most shark attacks occur in near shore waters,typically inshore of a sandbar or between sandbars where sharks feed and can become trapped at low tide. Areas with steep drop-offs are also likely attack sites. Sharks congregates in these areas, because their natural prey congregates there. Almost any large shark, roughly six feet or longer in total length, is a potential threat to humans. But three species in particular have repeatedly attacked man, the white shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark. All are cosmopolitan in distribution. reach large sizes, and consume large prey such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish as normal elements of their diets.

Three Kinds of Shark Attacks

Hit and Run
Attacks are by far the most common. These typically occur in the surf zone, where swimmers and surfers are the targets. The victim seldom sees its attacker, and the shark does not return after inflicting a single bite or slash wound.

Bump and Bite
Attacks are characterized by the shark initially circling and often bumping the victim prior to the actual attack. These types of attacks usually involve divers or swimmers in deeper waters, but also occur in in near shore shallows in some areas of the world.

Sneak
Attacks differ, the strike can occur without warning. With both 'bump and bite' and 'sneak' attacks, repeat attacks are common and multiple and sustained bites are the norm. Injuries
inccured during this type of attack are usually quite severe, frequently resulting in death.

How to Fend Off a Shark
1. Hit Back
If a shark is coming toward you or attacks you, use anything you have in your possession to hit the sharks's eyes or grills, which are the areas most sensitive to pain.

2. Make quick, sharp, repeated jabs in these areas.
Sharks are predators and will usually only follow through on an attack if they have the advantage , so making the shark unsure of it's advantage in any way possible will increase your chances of survival. Contrary to popular opinion, the shark's nose is not the area to attack, unless you cannot reach the eyes or grills. Hitting the shark simply tells it that you are not defenseless.

How to Avoid an Attack

Always stay in group-shark are more likely to attack an individual.
Do not wander too far from shore. This isolates you and creates the additional danger of being too far from assistances.
Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours, when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.
Do not enter the water if you bleeding from an open wound or if you are menstruating.
Try not to wear shiny jewelry, because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
Avoid waters with know effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fisherman, especially if there are sign of bait fish or feeding activity. Diving seabirds are good indicators of such activity.
Use extra caution when waters are murky and avoid showing any uneven tan lines or wearing brightly colored clothing-sharks see contrast particularly well.
If a shark shows itself to you, it may be curious rather than predatory and will probably swim on and leave you alone. If you are under the surface and luckily enough to see an attacking shark, then you do have a good chance of defending yourself if the shark is not too large.

Wrestle Free From An Alligator

2007-03-03T20:44:00.000+08:00

While deaths in the United States from alligator attacks are rare,
there are thousand of attacks and hundred of fatalities from Nile
crocodile in Africa and Indopacific in Asia and Australia.

How To Wrestle Free From An alligator

1. If you are on land. try to get on the alligator's back and put downward
pressure on it's neck.
This will force it's head and jaws down.

2. Cover the alligator's eyes.
This will usually make it more sedate.

3. If its jaws are closed on something you want to remove ( for example, a limb ),
tap or punch it on the snout.
Alligators often open their mouths when tapped lightly.They may drop whatever
it is they have taken hold of, and back off.

4. If the alligator gets you in its jaws, you must prevent it from shaking you or
from rolling over, these instinctual actions cause severe tissue damage.
Try to keep the mouth clamped shut so the alligator does not begin shaking.

5. Seek medical attention immediately, even for small cut or bruise, to treat infection.
Alligators have a huge number of pathogens in their mouths.

How To Avoid An Attack

Do not swim or wade in areas alligators are known to inhabit ( in Florida, this can be anywhere )
Do not swim or wade alone, and always check out the area before venturing in.
Never feed alligators.
Do not dangle arms and legs from boats, and avoid throwing unused bait or fish from a boat or dock.
Do not harass, try to touch. or capture any alligator.
Leave babies and eggs alone. Any adult alligator will respond to a distress call from any youngster. mother alligators guarding nests and babies will defend them.
In most cases the attacking alligators had been fed by human prior to the attack. This is an important link- feeding alligators seems to cause them to loose their fear of humans and become more aggressive.

Snake Attack

2007-03-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

Because poisonous snakes can be difficult to identify and because some
nonpoisonous snake have marking very similar to venomous ones, the
best way to avoid getting bitten is to leave all snakes alone. Assume that
a snake is venomous unless you know for certain that it is not.
How To Treat A Bite

1. Wash the bite with soap and water as soon as you can.

2. Immobilize the bitten area an keep it lower than the heart.
This will slow the flow of the venom.

3. Get medical help as soon as possible.
A doctor should treat all snakes bite unless you are willing to bet your life
that the offending snakes is nonpoisonous. Of about eight thousand venomous
bites a year in the U.S., nine to fifteen victims are killed. A bite from any type
of poisonous snake should always be considered a medical emergency. Even
bites from nonpoisonous snakes should be treated professionally, as severe
allergic reaction can occur. Some Mojave rattlesnakes carry a neurotoxic
venom that can effect the brain or spinal cord,causing paralysis.

4. Immediately wrap a bandage tightly two or four inches above the bite to help slow the venom if you are unable to reach medical care within 30 minutes.
The bandage should not cut off blood flow from a vein or artery. Make the bandage loose enough for a finger to slip underneath.

5. If you are a first aid equipped with a suction device, follow the instruction for helping to draw venom out of the wound without making an incision.
Generally , you will need to place the rubber suction cup over the wound and attempt to draw the venom out from the bites.

What Not To Do

Do not place any ice or cooling element on the bites, this will make removing the venom with suction more difficult.
Do not tie bandage or a tourniquet too tightly.If used incorrectly, a tourniquet can cut blood flow completely and damage the limb.
Do not make any incision on or around the wound in an attempt to remove the venom,there is danger of infection.
Do not attempt to suck out the venom. You do not want it in your mouth,where it might enter your bloodstream.

How To Avoid An Attack

Do not try get closer look, prod the snake to make it move. or try kill it.
If you come across a snake. back away slowly and give it a wide berth, snakes can easily strike half their body length in an instant,and some species are six feet or longer.
When hiking in an area with poisonous snakes,always wear thick leather boots and long pants.
Keep to marked trails.
Snakes are clod blooded and need the sun to help regulate their body temperature.They are often found lying on warm rocks or in other sunny places.

Quicksand

2007-02-28T19:03:00.001+08:00

How To Escape From Quicksand

1. When walking in quicksand country,carry a stout pole-it will help you get
out should you need to.
2. As soon as you start to sink,lay the pole on the surface quicksand.
3. Flop onto your back on top of the pole.
After a minute or two, equilibrium in the quicksand will be achieved, and you will no
longer sink.
4. Work teh pole to a new position: under your hips and at right angles to your spine.
The pole will keep your hips from sinking, as you ( slowly ) pull out first one leg and
then the other.
5. Take the shortest route to firmer ground, moving slowly.

How To Avoid Sinking

Quicksand is just ordinary sand mixed with upwelling water, which makes it behave liak
a liquid. However, quicksand -unlike water-doest not easily let go, if you try to pull a limb out quicksand , you have to work against the vacuum left behind. Here are a few tips:

The viscosity of quicksand increase with shearing-move slowly so the viscosity ia as low as possible.

Floating on quicksand is relatively easy and is the best way to avoid its clutches. You are more buoyant in quicksand than you are in the water. Humans are less dense than freshwater, and saltwater is slightly more dense. Floating is easier in saltwater than freshwater and much easier in quicksand. Spread your arms and legs far apart and try to float on your back.