Winter Survival in the Bush

thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] foreign [Laughter] would you know what to do if you were stranded outdoors in winter survival knowledge could save your life [Music] foreign would you recognize a survival situation and act while you still have the energy this trucker should have provided himself with fire and shelter immediately a delay may be fatal [Music] [Applause] [Music] should you try to walk out in Winter the odds are against you you're better off close to your vehicle and your gear so travel only a short distance to improve your situation [Applause] my leg push on this one over here my left one in any survival situation priority must be given to First Aid use hand pressure to stop any bleeding cover the wound with a clean cloth or bandage [Applause] don't remove blood soaked dressings just put additional ones on top always treat an accident victim for shock to treat shock lay the victim down on an insulating layer and keep her warm raise the wounded limb to slow blood flow to the wound and immobilize it remember to reassure her constantly above all Beware of the main winter killer hypothermia hypothermia is the cooling of the brain and vital organs first you start shivering then you lose your coordination and feel confused as your brain cools you lose the ability to act sensibly shivering stops as severe hypothermia sets in before long you lapse into unconsciousness [Music] [Music] foreign there is only one way to prevent hypothermia keep warm and dry be on the lookout for frostbite because there's no pain to warn you cover any white patches of skin with your hand and warm them gently with body heat warm up cold fingers under your arm carefully look at your feet every day and treat patches of frostbite before serious damage occurs don't rub or apply snow or you'll increase the tissue damage it's worth taking a good first aid course you could save a life in Winter fire is your most important survival tool first dig down to Solid Ground then gather your fuel for Tinder use fuzz from your clothing or other dry flammable material such as cattails foreign gather dead Evergreen twigs or you can make a feather stick standing Deadwood makes the best firewood of course you'll need matches dry matches so always carry some in a waterproof case light your Tinder from upwind and shield your Flame then add kindling but don't smother your fire it needs oxygen don't waste energy chopping firewood just put the whole Log on the Fire and let it burn through fire is your greatest friend in a winter emergency know how to use it these skiers won't be stranded in the bush for long [Applause] help arrived but only because they told a responsible person to come looking for them if they fail to return on time [Music] [Applause] these snowmobilers have told no one about their travel plans so they now face at least one unplanned night in the bush they'll need a shelter a lean-to is the ideal shelter because it can easily be built by anyone without using an ax or saw choose a flat Place between two trees foreign the steeper the roof angle the better it will shed water and reflect Heat Evergreen bowels go butt end up and overlap like shingles the roof should be at least 15 centimeters thick in Winter Evergreen bowels are brittle and break off easily so you can gather them without using an ax foreign the floor with a layer of bowels to insulate your body from the cold ground in a wooded area a lean-to is the best survival shelter you can make it's the only shelter that allows you to take advantage of a warm fire build your fire the length of the lean-to and about a meter in front if the front of the shelter is parallel to the wind smoke won't be drawn into the lean too now you should make yourself plainly visible from the air so Rescuers can find you you must build a special signal fire so that you can produce a lot of smoke in a hurry first build a raised platform for your fire with two dead trees clear away the snow so that air can feed the fire from Below foreign now make a framework of four green saplings build up a chimney using at least 20 feather sticks and fill it with kindling cover the framework with green bows butt end up finally top it with a cap to shed snow and water to keep the kindling dry smoke from three signal fires like this 30 meters apart is a recognized distress signal now use Evergreen branches to make an X at least 15 meters long on a lake or in another open space branches create maximum contrast signs stamped out in the snow are not sufficiently visible from the air especially on an overcast day a heliograph mirror is responsible for more rescues than any other common signaling device always carry one and learn how to use it [Music] to alert a ground search party use three loud sounds now what about food and water you'll need plenty of fluids or you'll feel tired and Ill but never take alcohol it impairs judgment and you'll need a clear head to survive heat your water eating snow or drinking ice water uses up body heat add a bit of flavoring to make warm water taste better you can survive without food for many days but you'll feel a lot better if you have an emergency supply of candy or some other high calorie snacks ration your food carefully it may have to last a long time don't go hunting you probably won't see or catch a thing but you will use up precious energy and you may get lost brass wire is more useful than a gun use it to make rabbit snares look for a well-used rabbit Trail through thick bushes and shape a loop about 10 centimeters across set it about seven centimeters off the ground channel the rabbit into your snare with dead sticks not green Twigs or rabbits will chew them up if you do catch wild meat cook it well so you don't get sick boiling it will give you soup as well as meat now you have only one enemy left to deal with yourself boredom and loneliness can torment you so keep yourself occupied in any way that doesn't waste energy but remember that cold and lack of food make you clumsy so don't take chances keeping busy will help pass the time until help arrives foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] by now you must be aware that even a small survival kit can make the difference between life and death here's the minimum you should carry a container that can double as a pot put in a small first aid manual a heliograph mirror field dressing candy or a high calorie snack small file [Music] one or two freeze-dried rations a space blanket three meters of good cord parachute cord is ideal a good pocket knife a mini flare for signaling at night a whistle a flint and steel brass wire dry matches pins needles and hooks soup cubes and salt now seal it up and don't use it except in an emergency always take it with you into the bush in any vehicle you should carry snowshoes a sleeping bag a shovel and an ax and always carry extra warm clothes as part of your regular gear learn to use a compass with a map so you don't get lost foreign is the key to Winter survival so always carry an emergency kit and proper Gear with you practice survival techniques so you won't panic when you're caught in a real survival situation [Music] always tell a responsible person where you are going and when you plan to return so that help will arrive if something goes wrong foreign don't think it can't happen to you [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music]