Currently the posts are filtered by: Rescue
Reset this filter to see all posts.
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL
When the ground is rumbling every second counts. There is no time to panic. Refusing to panic can save your life. If you are close enough to feel the tremor, you are close enough to the quake (or explosion) for buildings in your area to be damaged. It is possible that the following suggestions may help you survive.
BASIC SAFETY
Within reach of your bed and your work station, keep sturdy shoes and a working flashlight. A set of clothes you can quickly put on should be at your bedside. If the shaking starts while you are in bed, remain there until it stops. When the tremor ends, quickly put on clothing and shoes. Bare feet are no match for broken glass, and light shoes won’t last long in rough terrain.
DUCK, COVER & HOLD
IF YOU ARE LOCATED INDOORS kneel next to an interior, weight-bearing wall. Get beneath something solid such as a strong table. Use your hands to protect your neck and head. Take a firm hold of the object you are beneath to keep yourself steady.
IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN A HIGH-RISE get beneath something sturdy. Use your arms and hands to shield your head and neck. Grasp the object shielding you to steady yourself. Use the stairs when you exit. Elevators should NEVER be used during a fire or earthquake.
WHEN OUTSIDE
Quickly note the location of large trees and power lines. These could be a threat to your safety if they fell. Avoid overhead hazards such as these. Try to position yourself in an open space in order to avoid falling objects. Move away from high buildings. Two to thirteen feet of broken glass can crash onto streets beneath high-rise buildings.
IF YOU ARE IN AN AUTOMOBILE
Don’t exit the vehicle. Locate yourself beyond the reach of overhead threats. Don’t park under any extensions. Remain in your car even if it is beneath a bridge during an earthquake. The vehicle’s tires act as insulation and will cushion the blow of any heavy debris that lands on your car. On an open road, you will want to pull over to the shoulder without blocking the thoroughfare. Wait for the quaking to end. Use your radio to track reports and get further instructions.
IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH
Realize that aftershocks are likely: prepare to DUCK-COVER-HOLD – again! Examine yourself for injuries. Secure your flashlight. In the event of gas leaks, a flashlight will be MUCH safer to use than a candle. If you are at home, locate everyone in your household. Move everyone to a safe place that you’ve agreed upon beforehand. Once you’ve accounted for everyone, walk around the perimeter of the house, checking for structural damage such as large cracks or obvious leaning.
Wait for instructions from authorities before attempting to shut off natural gas. Tune in by radio to the emergency broadcast network for information on relief efforts.
Locate any pets you own. Soothe and reassure them. To protect them from running away, restrain them or place them on a leash until it is certain they are no longer afraid. This will also help prevent bites that occur due to anxiety.
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
Respect the role that instincts play in survival. Pay attention to what you see small animals and insects doing. In 2008 there was a mass migration of frogs crossing roads in China that began on a Monday (May 5th). A few days later (May 12th) a 7.8 magnitude quake killed nearly 10,000 people in central China.
TAKE HEED
These measures are offered as guidelines. Considering your course of action ahead of time will increase your likelihood of survival if you find yourself in an earthquake. This advice is not meant to take the place of professional emergency aid. All liability is assumed by the person that utilizes these measures.
SODA CAN FIRE STARTER
The value of a can of soda might be more in the packaging than the contents in a survival scenario. The empty can is useful as a fire starter. Should you find yourself in need of a camp fire, a carelessly tossed soda can could be a lifesaver.
The curved bottom of the can lends strength to the container. This surface can be polished in such a way to help make fire. The curve of the can collect’s the sun’s rays and focuses them such that tinder placed on that point will smolder and ignite.
Use materials you have on hand to polish the can to a glossy finish. The finest grade steel wool is 0000 and can be used to achieve the finish with a few minutes of polishing. Other products that could work include a paste made out of baking soda or scouring powder or even toothpaste.
Once this is done, select a material to polish the surface. MANY materials can be used for this application including chocolate, soap, chap stick, crayons, candles, Vaseline or any other wax-like material. Smear the bottom of the can with your ‘polish’ and then rub with a cloth; repeat until there is a mirrored finish. Be careful that no one eats any food used for this purpose as it will have absorbed the toxic aluminum.
Once polished, point the can’s bottom towards the sun. Locate the focal point by moving a bit of paper closer and farther away from the can until a focused dot of light is seen. Make a mental note of this point and hold your flammable material in that spot until it begins to smolder and then catch fire.
The polishing can takes about an hour. The tinder will likely ignite in less time if you have good materials.
This article is offered for information purposes. It is the responsibility of the reader to use sound judgment and common sense when utilizing this information, assuming all risks and liability.
MAKE CHANGE & LEARNING FUN
When learning occurs in a safe environment, you can increase the intensity (fun or excitement) of a lesson, repeat the information and discover new ways to take hold of the student’s attention span over extended periods of time. Effective instructors look for ways to use all of these methods in order to stimulate learning.
Classrooms aren’t always able to incorporate these items. Yet, students of human nature and advertisers are happy to use what works. Recently, a large car company sponsored a contest to find the best invention that would make a task fun and change behavior. Creating a sense of fun rewards the desired behavior and encourages people to repeat that activity. The projects were designed to change encourage positive changes in behavior.
What value does this have to you? It is due to the fact that these things can be used to enhance your learning experiences as you gain new skills. Whether you are trying to become proficient at primitive life skills, herbal medicine or plant identification it is very important to be knowledgeable and prepared. Your education will be difficult if you are full of fear instead of happy adventure. Few are motivated to practice skills that they view with overwhelm and dread.
Make time in your schedule for your family to enjoy some fun adventures together. Develop a family hobby. Together you can discover the beauty and wonder of nature in your area. How can you use the plants growing near you? Plan educational outings. Offer assistance to other that are working on educational projects. Consider starting your own class and inviting friends. Enjoy the social aspect of learning. Choose a specific skill and invite others to a friendly competition or workshop. Your family will be drawn closer by the memories and fun you create while gaining valuable information that may prove useful in times to come. With a creative approach, the joy of learning can be yours.
HERE ARE THREE OF THE EXAMPLES OF THE FUN THEORY PROJECTS:
In this first example, the goal was to increase the use of trash receptacles by members of the public. Watch to see how they found a way to make using a trash can so much fun that a boy is seen looking for more trash to place inside the bin.
Here, the object was to increase bottles placed into the recycling bin. A few flashing lights later, a crowd gathered to cheer on their fellow recyclers.
We all know that taking the stairs is better for us than taking the escalator. In this video watch the time elapsed footage that shows a dramatic shift in use of the stairs when the steps are creatively covered.
SOOTHING PAINFUL INFLAMMATION
If you have experienced inflammatory pain, you know that it hinders activity. Your muscles tighten. It is possible for you to lose several days to bed rest, fighting nausea and popping pain pills. Pain relief isn't always found with medication. I'm not a medical professional, but I suspect that many pain medications only serve to quiet the patient and not to reduce the pain.
There is a more natural treatment that will help with pain and inflammation. The treatment is the alternate application of hot and cold compresses.
By using cold and then hot applications, a pumping action is created. Blood is pushed away from the area by the cold. The area is then flooded with fresh blood with the application of heat. The inflammation in the blood stream is reduced as a result of the increased circulation. Down time is reduced as mobility is increased with the decrease in inflammation and pain.
Hot & Cold treatment can be done two ways.
ONE METHOD -- WHILE SHOWERING.
Direct your shower stream at the painful area. Adjust the water to the coolest setting you can stand and keep it there for 15 seconds. Next adjust the water temperature back to the hottest setting you can tolerate. Yell if you need to, but try to keep this up for around 20 minutes.
ANOTHER METHOD, WITH HELP
Wet two cloth towels and then squeeze the excess liquid from them. Put one of the towels into a paper bag and fold shut. Warm your oven to its lowest temperature, somewhere between 100 and 170 degrees. Making sure to not touch any of the heating elements, set the closed paper bag into the oven. Place the second towel into another paper bag. Place the second bag into the freezer.
START & END WITH COLD
After a quarter of an hour, set a timer for 15 minutes, remove the cool towel from the freezer, place it onto the sore area and let it rest for 15 minutes. When the timer rings, take the oven towel, and replace the cool towel with it. Move the cool cloth back into the freezer and repeat this procedure until there is pain relief. This is a slow, methodical relay of hot for cold towels.
You may need to keep a cloth between the towel and your skin. Insulate the hot/cold towel with another thick dry towel placed on top. If the towels become too dry, wet them again. Your last session should use the cold towel.
By taking naps, I've managed to continue this through the night. One night's loss of sleep was worth it to know I'd be up and about the next day.
If you're roughing it, use a campfire to heat dry rocks which you can then wrap in damp towels. Don't use wet rocks because they will explode when heated on a fire. The warm compress will consist of the heated rocks wrapped in damp towels. The cool compress will be towels moistened in fresh water. Utilize a cooling breeze (or create a fan) across the damp compress. This will cause some of the moisture to evaporate and cause it to be even cooler. Every person is important in a survival situation. It's to your advantage to have someone recover quickly. An inflamed injury can cause someone to lose mobility. Using the hot/cold compress can help you get valuable members of your party back onto their feet.
This article is for the information of the reader. The reader assumes all risk and is encouraged to utilize these suggestions with discretion.
HELPS TO AVOID CHILD ABDUCTION
Last month a mother was surprised to be reunited with her daughter. Two decades before (when the child was eleven) the young woman was abducted. Throughout the world, there are many similar cases. It is more than difficult to accept that these events are not rare. It is in our best interest, however, to prepare for the ‘worst case’ scenarios and develop safe habits.
AN APPEALING UNTRUTH
When you want it to be true, a lie is a very dangerous thing. It’s easy to believe these types of lies because the truth can be horrifying. “I don’t want to hurt you; just do as I say,” is an untruth that rings with the familiar tones of the original liar. No one wants to get hurt, so they cling to the hope that compliance is a way to escape harm. This is very similar to adults that refuse to allow themselves to consider that their children might need to know what to do if they are grabbed. The thought that a child could be taken is a parent’s worst nightmare.
PREPARED, NOT AFRAID
To help your family and children avoid danger, the first step is to accept this world can be a dangerous place, and predators hunt easy targets. Arm your children with the information they need to avoid being targeted and how to react if approached. By giving a child the tools he needs to deal confidently with an emergency and avoid peril, he is less likely to live in fear.
FIND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Discuss with your child the how to identify a stranger. Make a game of it and review what you have learned while going about your normal routine with your child.
* Demonstrate to your child how he can choose a safe stranger to ask for help in an emergency.}
* Play a game to see who can identify a stranger. Discuss the fact that strangers aren’t always scary-looking, creepy, or old. Sometimes, an abductor isn’t even an adult, but a bigger child.}
* Libraries, police stations, restaurants, stores, homes of trusted family members or friends, community centers and other locations should be discussed and shown to the child as safe places he can go for help.
* Sit a while and watch people. Discuss the differences between a person that pretends to be your friend and someone that is simply being polite. Show your child how to determine when someone is just a bit too perfect, too nice, in a creepy sort of way.
KNOWLEDGE YOUR CHILD SHOULD HAVE
* If your child doesn’t know a person, that person is a stranger.
* Don’t even take a short walk with a stranger. NEVER go with someone you don’t know.
* Strangers may attempt to lure a child into a house, building or car using toys or treats. An abductor may even know the child’s name, but a child should be trained to never go willingly even if offered these enticements. The child should run for help and yell “NO!”
* It isn’t wrong to hit (and even injure) and adult if you are attacked. Children need to know that they aren’t being bad or rude when they escape and find help.
An adult that claims to be in trouble should never be helped by a child. A child’s response should be to yell and run away. If an adult needs help, he or she can ask another adult to assist. Something is definitely not right when an adult seeks out a child for aid.
These scenarios (and similar ones) should be avoided:
* A person holding a leash and asking for help finding a lost puppy.
* People asking directions.
* Drivers asking for help with mechanical difficulties.
* A person that tries to get a child to help find something in a house or car.
* A secret word is one tool that can be used to signal a child that his parents have sent an approved individual. A child will know that even if the person knows his name, he shouldn’t go without hearing the secret word. For further safety, change the word regularly.
* Make it your custom to tell your child who and when another adult will be driving them.
* Make it a rule that your child will not accept a gift from someone they don’t know – especially when his parents aren’t present. Gifts offered when parents aren’t there should be refused. A predator can use gifts as bait. A child can be drugged by doped candy or harmed by other items hidden in gifts.
* Teach children to have confidence in their instincts. Running away should be the first response of a child that feels threatened. A child that is afraid should run for help. Escaping quickly to a safe place, a child should then find a trusted adult and ASK THAT PERSON TO HELP.
* The greatest need is to be safe, not polite. It’s better safe than sorry.
* When dealing with a stranger that is threatening, remember the three R’s: Recognize, Respond and Report.
* Take on the role of a stranger and pretend to ask for directions or try to get your child to help you find a lost pet.
* Show your child the safe range to remain beyond the reach of a stranger.
* Practice running away for times when a stranger gets too close or grabs another child. Tell your child the importance of running for help (and not staying to help) if another child is grabbed.
* Practice with your child the art of yelling and screaming to attract attention.
* Practice with your child flailing and kicking to break a stranger’s hold.
* Show your child how to claw an abductors face (eyes, ears, mouths & nose) with their fingers to get away.
MAKING YOUR CHILD LESS OF A TARGET
* Show your children how to look out for each other and stay in a group.
* Remind your child that he should never go with someone that invites them to leave the group.
* Playtime should be with a group or a safe buddy.
* Require your child to check with you before they leave home or some other approved location.
* Plan a neighborhood meeting to share these tips with other parents.
When you make these things part of your daily living, your child should not become fearful. Rather than something extra, a child can learn these things in much the same way as he learns to brush his teeth, wear a seatbelt and check for traffic at an intersection: as a means to insure his well-being.
