Field activities are very challenging activities. The living environment is very harsh, and various dangers will come irregularly. Therefore, it is very important to learn the distress signal in the wild.
When in distress and calling for help, use various means to get in touch with others. The signal should be enough to get people’s attention. At the same time, different distress signals should be issued according to their own situation and the surrounding environmental conditions. Typically, an action repeated three times is a symbol of seeking help.
Firework signal
It is an international distress signal to set off three piles of flames. It is ideal to place the fire piles in a triangle with equal intervals between each pile. , This arrangement is also convenient for lighting. If fuel is scarce or if you are seriously injured, or if you are too weak due to hunger, you can’t make up three piles of fire, then you can simply light a pile of fire.
Remember that sometimes it is not possible to keep all the signal fires burning all day, in which case you should always be ready to keep the fuel dry and ignite as soon as any plane passes by for help.
The fuel for the fire should be easy to burn and quick to burn, because some opportunities are fleeting, and birch bark is an ideal fuel. If possible, you can use gasoline, but do not dump the gasoline on the fire. Use some cloth to make a wick, soak it in gasoline, and then put it on the fuel pile. Move the gasoline tank to a safe place and then light it. The fire will soon go out. When adding gasoline, be sure to add it to fuel that has no sparks or embers, or a detonating flame could injure yourself.
During the day, smoke is a good locator. Adding some green grass, leaves, moss, and ferns to the fire will produce thick smoke. Be noticed. In fact, anything that is wet produces smoke, and wet straw mats and cushions can burn for a long time, and it is difficult for flying insects to approach and hurt people. You can put some dry wood at night to make the fire prosper and raise the fire.
In addition, black smoke is most noticeable in snow or desert, and rubber and gasoline can produce black smoke.
If limited by meteorological conditions, the smoke can only flutter near the surface, which can increase the fire, so that the warm air will rise more violently and carry the smoke to a considerable height.
Body signal
When the search plane is close, the clothes with a large contrast to the surrounding environment will be waved with both hands to express the meaning of distress.
Semaphore signal
A flag or a piece of brightly colored cloth is tied to a wooden stick. Short strokes on the side, increase the range of motion, and do an “8” movement.
If the distance between the two sides is relatively close, there is no need to do the “8” movement. A simple stroke is enough, one long stroke on the left and one short stroke on the right, the former should take slightly longer than the latter.
Sound signal
If the distance is relatively close, you can shout loudly or hit the trunk with a wooden stick, the effect of a life-saving whistle will be more obvious, three short beeps Three long beeps, three short beeps, repeat after 1 minute interval.
Reflective signal
Signal light is emitted using sunlight and a reflector. Any bright material can be used, such as can lids, glass, a piece of platinum metal, and a mirror is ideal. Continued reflection will regularly produce a long line and a dot, a type of Morse code. Even if you don’t know Morse code, casual reflection can be noticeable. In any case, at least master the SOS code.
A reflected light signal can be detected even from a considerable distance, and even if you don’t know where the target you’re trying to contact is, it’s worth a lot of experimentation, and it’s just a small effort. Pay attention to look around the sky, if there is an aircraft approaching, it will quickly reflect the signal light. This light can dazzle rescuers, so stop reflecting light as soon as you’re sure you’ve been spotted.
Ground marker signal
Ground markers can be made on open ground, such as grass, beach, and snow. If the grass is cut into a certain sign pattern, or the distress sign is stepped on the snow, it can also be used to form a sign signal with branches, seaweed, etc., to get in touch with the air. It can also be indicated by the ground-air contact symbols uniformly specified by international civil aviation. Remember these words: SOS (for help), SEND (send), DOCTOR (doctor), HELP (help), INJURY (injured), TRAPPED (launch), LOST (lost), WATER (water).