01/12/2005

Let's face it, we never know when we might find ourselves in a "worst case scenario".  And having little or no experience in these situations, we might not know what to do.  So here I have listed some hints and survival tips found in The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.

 

How to:

1. Break Down a Door
 
Interior Doors 
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 hsoulder 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 this force toward the area of the locking mechanism more succinctly with your foot.

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

If you have a sturdy piece of steel, wrench orpry the lock off teh door by inserting the tool between the lock and the door and prying back and forth.

If you have a screwdriver, hammer, and awl remove the pins from the hinges (if the door opens twoard you) and then force the door open from the hinge side.  Get a screwdriver or an awl and hammer.  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.

2. Perform a Fast 180-degree Turn With Your Car

From Reverse
-Put the car in reverse.
-Select a spot straight ahead.  Keep your eyes on it, and begin backing up.
-Jam on the gas.
-Cut the wheel sharply ninety degrees around (a quarter turn) as you simultaneously drop the transmission into 
  drive.  Make sure you have enough speed to sue the momentum of the car to swing it around, but remember
  that going too fast (greater than forty-five miles per hour) can be dangerous and may flip the car (and strip your
  gears).  Turning the wheel left will swing the rear of the car left; turning it right will swing the car right.
-When the car has completed the turn, step on the gas and head off.

From Drive
-While in drive, or a forward gear, accelerate to a moderate rate of speed (anything faster than forty-five miles
  per hour risks flipping the car).
-Slip the car into neutral to prevent the front wheels from spinning.
-Take your foot off the gas and turn the wheel ninety degrees (a quarter turn) while pulling hard on the
  emergency brake.
-As the rear swings around, return the wheel to its original position and put the car back into drive.
-Step on the gas to start moving in the direction from which you came.

Be Aware
The 180-degree turn while moving forward is more difficult for the following reasons:
-It is easier to swing the front of the car around because it is heavier and it will move faster with momentum.
-It is harder to maintain control of the rear of the car - it is lighter and will slip more easily than the front. 
  Spinning out of control, or flipping the car, are potential dangers.
-Road conditions can play a significant role in the success - and safety - of this maneuver.  Any surface without
  sufficient transaction (dirt, mud, ice, gravel) will make quick turns harder and collisions mroe likely.

3. Escape From a  Sinking Car

As soon as you hit the water, open your window, otherwise the pressure of the water will make it very difficult to escape.  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 are driving on ice.)  Opening the windows 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.

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 or shoulder or a heavy object such as an antitheft steering wheel lock.  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 quickly be forced out through the trunk and cab, and an air bubble is unlikely to remain once the car hits bottom.  Get out as early as possible.

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 out, and you should be able to open the door and swim to the surface.

How to Avoid Breaking Through the Ice
-Cars and light trucks need at least eight inches of clear, solid ice on which to drive safely.
-Driving early or late in the season is not advisable.
-Leaving your car in one place for a long period of time can weaken the ice beneath it, and cars should not be
  parked - or driven - close together.
-Cross any cracks at right angles and drive slowly.
-New ice is generally thicker than old ice.
-Direct freezing of lake or stream water is stronger than refreezing of water bubbling up through cracks.
-If there is a layer of snow on the ice, beware: a layer of snow insulates the ice, slowing the freezing process,
  and the snow's weight can decrease the bearing capacity of the ice.
-Ice near the shore is weaker.
-River ice is generally weaker than lake ice.
-River mouths are dangerous because the ice near them is weaker.
-Carry several large nails in your pocket and a length of rope.  The nails will help you pull yourself out of the ice,
  and the rope can be thrown to someone on more solid ice or can be used to help someone else.

4. Deal With a Downed Power Line

High voltage power lines, which carry power from plants and transformers to customers, can come crashing down during severe storms.  If you are in a car when a pole or line falls, you are much safer remaining inside a grounded vehicle than being on foot.  If the wire falls on the car, do not touch anything - wait for help.

Assume that all power lines, whether sparking or not, are live.

Stay far away from downed lines.
Current can travel through any conductive material, and water on the ground can provide a "channel" from the power line to you.  An electrical shock can also occur when one comes in contact with the charged particles near a high-voltage line; direct contact is not necessary for electrocution to occur.  Never touch a vehicle that has come in contact with a live wire - it may still retain a charge.

Do not assume that a nonsparking wire is safe.  Often, power may be restored by automated equipment, causing a "dead" wire to become dangerous.  Stay away from downed lines even if you now they are not electric lines - the line could have come in contact with an electric line when it fell, causing the downed line to be "hot".

If a person comes into contact with a live wire, use a nonconductive material to separate the person from the electrical source.   Use a wooden broom handle, a wooden chair, or a dry towel or sheet.  Rubber or insulated gloves offer no protection.

Avoid direct contact with the skin of the victim or any conducting material touching it until he or she is disconnected; you may be shocked also.

Check the pulse and begin rescue breathing and CPR if necessary.

5. Survive a Poisonous Snake Attack

Because poisonous snakes can be difficult to identify - and because some nonpoisonous snakes have markings 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
-Wash the bte with soap and water as soon as you can.
-Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart.  This will slow the flow of the venom.
-Get medical help as soon as possible.  A doctor should treat all snakebites unless you are willing to bet your life that the offending snake is nonpoisonous.  Of about eight thousand venomous bites a year in the US, 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 reactions can occur.  Some Mojave rattlesnakes carry a neurotoxic venom that can affect the brain or spinal cord, causing paralysis.
-Immediately wrap a bandage tightly two to four inches above the bite to help slow the venom if you are unable to reach medical care within thirty-five 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.
-If you have a first aid kit equipped wiht a suction device, follow the instructions for helping to draw venom out of the wound wihtout 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 bite marks.

What Not to Do
-Do not place any ice or cooling element on the bite, this will make removing the venom with suction more dificult.
-Do not tie a bandage or 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.
 

6. Fend Off a Shark

Hit back.  If a shark is coming toward you or attacks you, use anything you have in your possession - a camera, probe, harpoon gun, your fist - to ht the shark's eyes or gills, which are the areas most sensitive to pain.

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 its 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 gills.  Hitting the shark simply tells it that you are not defenseless.

How to Avoid an Attack
-Always stay in groups - sharks 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
  assistance.
-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 are bleeding from an open wound or if you are menstruating - a shark is drawn to
  blood and its olfactory ability is acute.
-Try not to wear shiny jewelry because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
-Avoid waters with known effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fishermen,
  especially if there are signs of bait fiish 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 rwearing 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 lucky enough to see an attacking shark, then you do have a good
  chance of defending yourself if the shark is not too large.
-Scuba divers should avoid lying on the surface where they may look like a piece of prey to a shark, and from
  where they cannot see a shark approaching.
-A shark attack is a potential danger for anyone who frequents marine waters, but it should be kept in
  perspective.  Bees, wasps, and snakes are responsible for far more fatalities each year and in the United States
  the annual risk of death from lightning is thirty times greater than from a shark attack.

7. Escape From a Bear

Lie still and quiet.  Documented attacks show that an attack by a mother black bear often ends when the person stops fighting.

Stay where you are and do not climb a tree to escape a bear.  Black bears can climb trees quickly and easily and will come after you.  The odds are that the bear will leave you alone if you stay put.

If you are lying still and the bear attacks, strike back with anything you can. Go for the bear's eyes or its snout.

What to Do if you See a Bear
-Make your presence known by talking loudly, clapping, singing, or occassionally calling out. (Some peoploe
  prefer to wear bells.)  Whatever you do, be heard - it does not pay to surprise a bear.  Remember, bears can
  run much faster than humans.
-Keep children close at hand and within sight.
-There is no guaranteed minimum safe distance from a bear:  the farther, the better.
-If you are in a car, remain in your vehicle.  Do not get out, even for a quick photo.  Keep your windows up. 
  Do not impede the bear from crossing the road.

How to Avoid an Attack
-Reduce or eliminate food odors from yourself, your camp, your clothes, and your vehicle.
-Do not sleep in the same clothes you cook in.
-Stopre food so that bears cannot smell or reach it.
-Do not keep food in your tent - not even a chocolate bar.
-Properly store and bring out all garbage.
-Handle and store pet food with as much care as your own.
-While all bears should be considered dangerous and should be avoided, three types should be regarded as more dangerous than the average bear.  These are:
1. Females defending cubs.
2. Bears habituated to human food.
3. Bears defending a fresh kill.

Be Aware
-Bears can run as fast as horses, uphill or down.
-Bears can climb trees, although black bears are better tree-climbers than grizzly bears.
-Bears have excellent senses of smell and hearing.
-Bears are extremely strong.  They can tear cars apart looking for food.
-Every bear defends a "personal space".  The extent of this space will vary with each bear and each situation; it
  may be a few meters or a few hundred meters.  Intrusion into this space is considered a threat and may
  provoke an attack.
-Bears aggressively defend their food.
-All female bears defend their cubs.  If a female with cubs is surprised at close range or is separated from her
  cubs, she may attack.
-An aggressive reaction to any danger to her cubs is the mother grizzly's natural defense.
-A female black bear's natural defense is to chase her cubs up a tree and defend themf rom the base.
-Stay away from dead animals.  Bears may attack to defend such food.
-It is best not to hike with dogs, as dogs can antagonize bears and cuase an attack.  An unleashed dog may
  even bring a bear back to you.

8. Wrestle Free from an Alligator

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

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

If you are attacked, go for the eyes and nose.  Use any weapon you have, or your fist.

If its jaws are closed on something you want to remove (for example, a limb), tap or punch 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.

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.

Seek medical attention immediately, even for a 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 dnagle 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 humans prior to the attack.  This is an important link -
  feeding the alligators seems to cause them to lose their fear of humans and become more aggressive.

9. Escape from Killer Bees

If bees begin flying around and/or stinging you, do not freeze.  Run away; swatting at the bees only makes them angrier.

Get indoors as fast as you can.

If no shelter is available, run through bushes or high weeds.  This will help give you cover.

If a bee stings you, it will leave its stinger in your skin.  Remove the stinger by raking your fingernail across it in a sideways motion.  Do not pinch orpull the stinger into your body.  Do not let stingers remain in the skin because venom can continue to pump into the body for up to ten mimnutes.

Do not jump into a swimming pool or other body of water - the bees are likely to be waiting for you when you surface.

10. Deal With a Charging Bull

Do not antagonize the bull, and do not move.  Bulls will generally leavehumans alone unless they become angry.

Look around for a safe haven - an escape route, cover, or high ground.  Running away is not likely to help unless you finda n open door, a fence to jum, or another safe haven - bulls can easily outrun  humans.  If you can reach a safe spot, make a run for it.

If a safe haven is not available, remove your shirt, hat, or another article of clothing.  Use this to distract the bull.  It does not matter what color the clothing is.  Despite the colors bullfighters traditionally use, bulls do not naturally head for red - they read to and move toward movement, not color.

If the bull charges, remain still and then throw your shirt or hat away from you.  The bull should head toward the object you've thrown.

11. Jump from a Bridge or Cliff Into a River

When attempting a high fall (over twenty feet) into water in an emergency situation, you will not know much about your surroundings, specifically the depth of the water.  This makes jumping particularly dangerous.  If jumping from a bridge into a river or other body of water with boat traffic, try to land in the channel - the deepwater area where boats go under the bridge.  This area is generally in the center, away from the shoreline.  Stay away from any area with pylons that are supporting the bridge.  Debris can collect in these areas and you can hit it when you enter the water.  Swim to shore immediately after surfacing.

How to Jump
-Jump feet first.
-Keep your body completely verticle.
-Squeeze your feet together.
-Enter the water feet first and clench your buttocks together.  If you do not, water may rush in and cause severe
  internal damage.
-Protect your crotch area by covering it with your hands.
-Immediately after you hit the water, spread your arms and legs wide and move them back and forth to generate
  resistance, which will slow your plunge to the bottom.  Always assume the water is not depe enough to keep
  you from hitting the bottom.

Be Aware
-Hitting the water as described above could save your life, although it may break your legs.
-If your body is not straight, you can break your back upon entry.  Keep yourself vertical until you hit the water.
-Do not even think about going in headfirst unless you are absolutely sure that the water is at least twenty feet
  deep.  If your legs hit the bottom, they will break.  If your head hits, your skull will break.

12. Jump from a Building Into a Dumpster

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.

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 method is the only method that will allow a proper landing, with your back facing down.

Aim for the center of the dumpster or large box of debris.

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 shape.  This means landing on your stomach can result in a broken back.

13. Maneuver on top of a Moving Train and Get Inside

Do not try to stnad up straight (you probably will not be able to anyway).  Stay bent slightly forward, leaning into the wind.  If the train is moving faster than thirty miles per hour, it will be dificult to maintain your balance and resist the wind, so crawling on all fours may be the best method unitl you can get down.

If the train is approaching a turn, lie flat; do not try to keep your footing.  The car may have guide rails along the edge to direct water.  If it does, grab them and nhold on.

If the train is approaching a tunnel entrance, lie flat and do it quickly.  There is actually quite a bit of clearance between the top of the train and the top of the tunnel - about three feet - but not nearly enough room to stand.  Do not assume that you can walk or crawl to the end of the car to get down and inside before you reach the tunnel - you probably won't.

Move your body with the rhythm of the train - from side to side and forward.  Do not proceed in a straight line.  Spread your feet apart about thirty-six inches and wobble from side to side as you move forward.

Find the ladder at the end of the car (between two cars) and climb down.  It is very unlikely that there will be a ladder on the side of the car - they usually appear only in the movies, to make the stunts more exciting.

14. Jump from a Moving Car

Hurling yourself from a moving car should be a last resort, for example if your brakes are defective and your car is about to head off a cliff or into a train.

Apply the emergency brake.  This may not stop the car, but it might slow it down enough to make jumping safer.

Open the car door.

Make sure you jump at an angle that will take you out of the path of the car.  Since your body will be moving at the same velocity as the car, you're going to continue to move in the direction the car is moving.  If the car is going striahgt, try to jump at an angle that will take you away from it.

Tuck in your head and your arms and legs.

Aim for a soft landing site: grass, brush, wood chips, anything but pavement - or a tree.  Stunt people wear pads and land in sandpits.  You won't have this luxury, but anything that gives a bit when the body hits it will minimize injury.

Rolll when you hit the ground.

15. Leap from a Motorcycle to a Car

If you are planning to enter the car through one of its windows, remember that in many newwer cars, only the front windows roll all the way down.  You should attempt to be on the front passenger side.

WEar a high-quality helmet and a leather jacket plus leather pants and boots.

Make sure both vehicles are moving at the same speed.  The slower the speed, teh safer the move.  Anything faster than sixty miles an hour is extremely dangerous.

Wait for a long straight section of the raod.

Get the vehicles as close as possible to each otehr.  You will be on the passenger side of the car, so you will be very close to the edge of the roadway.  Be careful not to swerve.

Stand crouched with both of your feet on either the running board or the seat.

Hold the throttle until the last instant.  Remember, as soon as you release the throttle the bike speed will decrease.

If the car has a handle inside (above the door) grab it with your free hand.  If not, simply time the leap so your torso lands in the car.  If someone can grab you and pull you in, all the better.

Have the driver swerve away from the bike as soon as you are inside.  Once you have released the handlebars, the bike will go out of control and crash.  It may also slip under the rear passenger-side wheel of the car.  If you miss the window, tuck and roll away from the vehicles.

16. Identify a Bomb

Letter andpackage bombs can be very dangerous and destructive.  However, unlike a bomb that goes off suddenly and with no warning, they can be identified.  Observe the following procedures and warning signs.

How to Detect a Letter Bomb
-If a carrier delivers an unexpected bulky letter or parcel, inspect if for lumps, bulges, or protrusions, without
  applying pressure.  Check for unevenly balanced parcels.
-Handwritten addresses or labels from companies are unusual.  Check to see if the company exists and if they
  sent a package or letter.
-Be suspicious of packages wrapped in string - modern packaging materials have eliminated the need for twine
  or string.
-Watch out for excess postage on small packages or letters - this indicates that the object was not weighed by
  the post office.  It is no longer legal to mail stamped parcels weighing more than sixteen ounces at mailboxes in
  the United States - they must be taken to a post office.
-Watch out for leaks, stains (especially oily stains), protruding wires or excessive tape.
-Watch out for articles with no return address or a nonsensical return address.

17. Deliver a Baby in a Taxicab

Before you attempt to deliver a baby, use your best efforts to get to a hospital first.  There really is no way to know exactly when the baby is ready to emerge, so even if you think you may not have time to get to the hospital, you probably do.  Even the "water breaking" is not a sure sign that birth will happen immediately.  The water is actually the amniotic fluid and the memrane that the baby floats in; birth can occur many hours after the mother's water breaks.  However, if you leave too late or get stuck in crosstown traffic and you must deliver the baby on your own, here are the basic concepts.

Time the uterine contractions.  For first-time mothers, when the contractions are about three to five minutes apart and last forty to ninety seconds - and increase in strength and frequency - for at least an hour, the labor ismost likely real and not false (although it can be).  Babies basically deliver themselves, and they will not come out of the womb until they are ready.  Have clean, dry towels, a clean shirt, or something similar on hand.

As teh baby moves out of the womb, its head - the biggest part of its body - will open the cervix so the rest of it can passt hrough.  (If feet are coming out first, see below.) As the baby moves through the birth canal and out of teh mother's body, guide it out by supporting the head and then the body.

When the baby is out of the mother, dry it off and keep it warm.  Do not slap its behind to make it cry; the baby will breathe on its own.  If necessary, clear any fluid out of the baby's mouth with your fingers.

Tie off the umbilical cord.  Take a piece of string - a shoelace works well - and tie off the cord several inches from the baby.

It is not necessary to cut the umbilical cord, unless you are hours away from the hospital.  In that event, you can safely cut the cord by tying it in another place a few inches closer to the mother and cutting it between the knots.  Leave the cord alone until you get to a hospital.  The piece of the cord attached to the baby will fall off by itself.  The placenta will follow the baby in as few as three or as many as thirty minutes.

If the Feet Come First
The most common complication during pregnancy is a breech baby, or one that is positioned so the feet, and not the head will come out of the uterus first.  Since the head is the largest part of the baby, the danger is that, if the feet come out first, the cervix may not be dilated enough to get the head out afterward.  Today, most breech babies are delivered through cesarean sections, a surgical procedure that you will not be able to perform.  If you have absolutely no alternatives (no hospital or doctors or midwives are available) when the baby begins to emerge, you can try to deliver the baby feet first.  A breech birth does not necessarily mean that the head won't be able to get through the cervix; there is simply a higher possibility that this will occur.  deliver the baby as you would in the manner perscribed above.

18. Treat Frostbite

Frostbite is a condition caused by the freezing of water molecules in skin cells and occurs in very cold temperatures.  It is characterized byw hite, waxy skin that feels numb and hard.  More severe cases result in a bluish black skin color, and the most severe cases result in gangrene, which may lead to amputation.  Affected areas are generally fingertips and teos, and the nose, ears, and cheeks.  Frostbite should be treated by a doctor.  However, in an emergency, take the following steps.

Remove wet clothing and dress the area with warm, dry clothing.

Immerse frozen areas in warm water (100-105 F) or apply warm compresses for ten to thirty minutes.

If warm water is not available, wrap gently in warm blankets.

Avoid direct heat, including electric or gas fires, heating pads, and hot water bottels.

Never thaw the area if it is at rsk of refreezing, this can cause severe tissue damage.

Do not rub frostbitten skin or rub snow on it.

Take a pain reliever such as aspirin or ibuprofen during rewarming to lessen the pain.  Rewarming will be accompanied by a severe burning sensation.  There may be skin blistering and soft tissue swelling and the skin may turn red, blue, or purple in color.  When skin is pink and no longer numb, the area is thawed.

Apply sterile dressings to the affected areas.  Place the dressing between the fingers or toes if they have been affected.  Try not to disturb any blisters, wrap rewarmed areas to prevent refreezing, and have the patient keep thawed areas as still as possible.

Get medical treatment as soon as possible.

How to treat Frostnip
Frostnip is the early warning sign of frostbite.  Frostnip is characterized by numbness and a pale coloring of the affected areas.  It can be safely treated at home.
-Remove wet clothing.
-Immerse or soak affected areas in warm water (100-105 F).
-Do not allow patient to control water temperature - numb areas cannot feel heat and can be burned.
-Continue treatment until skin is pink and sensation returns.

19. Treat a Bullet or Knife Wound

Do not immediately pull out any impaled objects.  Bullets, arrows, knives, sticks, and the like cause penetrating injuries.  When these objects lodge in the vital areas of the body (the trunk or near nerves or arteries) removing them may cause more severe bleeding that cannot be controlled.  The object may be pressed against an artery or other vital internal structure and may actually be helping to reduce the bleeding.

Control the bleeding by using a combination of direct pressure, limb elevation, pressure points, and tourniquets (in that order). 

Immobilize the injured area.  Using splints and dressings to immobilize and injured area helps protect from further injury and maintain clots that have begun to form.  Even if an injury to a bone or joint is not suspected, immobilization will promote clotting and help the healing begin.

Dress the wound, and strive to prevent infection. 

20. Land a Plane

21. Survive an Earthquake

22. Survive Adrift at Sea

23. Survive When Lost in the Desert

24. Survive if Your Parachute Fails to Open

25. Survive an Avalanche

26. Survive if You are in the Line of Gunfire

27. Avoid Being Struck by Lightening

There.  Now you're fully prepared to handle any situation that may come your way.  It's time to go out there and face that big bad world... go get'em tiger!

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