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911 WIRELESS PHONE CALLS IN THE WILDERNESS

  

                                       WHO WILL I REACH?

 

You need to know that wireless phone service may not be available in the wilderness. If service is available, your 9-1-1 call for help will be picked up by the nearest cellular tower in the most direct line of sight to your location. It could be picked up at a county 9-1-1 center dispatch or even by the Canadian authorities. Since these call answering centers are all located outside the boundaries of the calling area, they may have no way of knowing from where

you are calling unless you tell them. Be prepared to provide you location.

 

Remember, help may be several hours away or longer. Use 9-1-1 only in a case of an actual emergency.

 

REMEMBER TO:

 

Start out with a fresh, fully charged battery and carry extra charged batteries with you. Keep batteries warm for extra-long use.

 

Be prepared to give complete information about the nature of the

emergency. You may only be able to make one call. Turn off the phone when not in use.

 

Establish a call schedule with the emergency center so there are specific times when you will have your phone turned on to receive calls or to make calls out.

 

BE SURE YOU KNOW:

 

Your location, including the trailhead and nearest city, destination or waypoints.

 

Your wireless phone number, including area code.

 

How your wireless phone works. Instruct everyone in your party on how to use your phone. Your phone may be pre-programmed to dial 9-1-1 with one button. You could accidentally call 9-1-1 and not even know it. Handle your phone carefully to prevent the automatic misdialing of 9-1-1.

 

 

How to increase your signal strength. to include: pointing your antenna up; finding a clearing; gaining elevation; and turning your body - you may be obstructing the signal

 

     WIRELESS PHONES SHOULD NEVER REPLACE PREPAREDNESS

 

 


OUTDOORS TRAVEL TIPS

 

BE PREPARED FOR YOUR CHOSEN RECREATION -- Being fit enough to go the distance takes physical preparation.  Stick to your turnaround time.  Take the proper equipment, have a trip plan, and use reference and guide books.

 

TRAIN YOURSELF TO SURVIVE -- Being fit enough is not enough if you panic and make poor decisions about what needs to be done in a particular situation.  Learn the proper gear to take; know how to make emergency shelters, the right way to build a fire, how to prevent hypothermia, etc.  TAKE A FIRST AID CLASS!  Contact a local SAR group to see if survival classes are available.

 

ALWAYS CARRY THE ESSENTIALS -- Be ready to stay out overnight.  Carry enough food and water for at least one day, and bring some type of shelter material (tent or tarp) in a small pack. 

 

COMPLETE A TRIP PLAN AND LEAVE IT WITH A RESPONSIBLE PERSON -- The trip plan shows your destination, route of travel, who is in the group, and your return time.  Should you not return as planned, the friend can give the form to the police to initiate a search.  If you change your trip plans be sure to let that person know.  Leaving notes in your car is not recommended. 

 

NEVER HIKE ALONE -- Hike with a group and keep together.  Travel at the speed of the slowest person.  Becoming separated by going ahead or falling behind makes it easier for someone to become lost.  Plan your trip as a group and be prepared to turn around and return if conditions call for it. 

 

STAY WHERE YOU ARE -- People who continue on after they become lost usually get further from the trail and further from people who are looking for them.  Don’t go downhill as this may lead to natural drainage that can lead to more hazards.  Stay away from gullies as they typically have very thick bush, expansive cliffs, and water that will make travel and searching more difficult.

 

USE SIGNALLING DEVICES -- Blowing a whistle, lighting a fire, and staying visible will help searchers find you.  Help searchers find you even if you are embarrassed or afraid.  Remember that animals will not be attracted to your signals.  Searchers may also use planes or helicopters.  Learn how to make yourself “big” so you are more visible from the air.

 

BUILD OR SEEK SHELTER -- Protect yourself from the cold, rain, wind, and heat; however, when possible, try to make yourself visible to searchers in helicopters or planes. 

 

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE -- An individual's belief that "it could never happen to me" is no more than ego.  By being prepared, you can enjoy your trip outdoors regardless of what nature throws at you!

 

SHOULD YOU BECOME LOST OR INJURED --  Being prepared for an emergency in the wilderness takes planning, and skill.  But even the most skilled will not survive if they panic.  Once you realize that you are lost, or you cannot make it to your destination before dark, or perhaps an injury or the weather makes further travel too risky, STOP.  Prepare shelter, build a fire, and remain where you are. You stand a better chance of being found alive if you remain calm and take care of yourself.  Be attentive to others in your group.  Keep together and talk to each other. Remember, if you left a trip plan with someone, people will be out looking for you very soon.



 

How To Survive in the Wilderness Using Your Mobile Phone

By Dean Sherwin

At some stage in everyone’s life, a situation will turn dire. A nice hill walk is ruined by high winds and rain. A snapped ankle leaves you stranded in a forest. A broken down car means you can’t make it through an isolated area and it’s getting dark. Thankfully, most of these cases will be short-lived as they tend to sort themselves out.

Someone else will come along, you’ll be spotted or you’ll be able to get yourself out of the situation. However, if it hasn’t been resolved after two or three hours the situation needs to be taken to a new level of seriousness. When Survival experts discuss how to survive in the wilderness, they all agree that keeping calm and thinking straight saves more lives than satellite phones, flares, life rafts and ration packs put together.

The one great thing about getting lost or stranded (as compared to twenty years ago that is) is that we all have a little survival tool nestled in our front pockets – a mobile phone. This can be used in so many different ways to save your life, it’s unreal.

Calling for help

The most obvious. In fact, if you haven’t done it in the first two hours of being lost (normally out of pride) then do it. If you are struggling to get a signal dial ‘112′ – the international number that will connect you to your emergency services. You don’t need to have a signal on your network. All mobile phone masts will allow a phone to connect to their network regardless if it’s registered with another network once the call is to the emergency services.

The myth of not having any signal at all is an internet hoax. You do, just not on your own network’s. Furthermore, the phone’s keypad doesn’t have to be unlocked to facilitate those not familiar with mobile phones and doesn’t even need a sim card.

Pinging

Mobile phones send out a ‘ping’ every few minutes to connect to a mast. This will normally enable authorities to pin-point your location within a few miles. Maybe even half a kilometre if you’re lucky. This is the same triangulation method used by insurgents and kidnappers to locate targets. To conserve battery, turn it on once every half hour or so and allow it to connect to the network. When it has done so that means a ‘ping’ has been sent out.

Text Messaging

By trying to send a text (even if it fails) you could save your own life. Type out an SOS message giving details of your last known whereabouts, your physical condition and direction you’re travelling and send it to everyone in your contact list. If your phone picks up a signal, even for a few seconds without you realising, it will try to send the message out to as many people as possible.

If you have any other software, apps or an alternative contact method on your specific phone (GPS would be one which springs to mind) use it!

But let’s say you’re nowhere near a mast. Caught in the middle of nowhere. Cut off.  Surely your mobile is just another inanimate object weighing you down. Think again.

Light

Most phones now have camera flash which can be turned on torch mode which provides you with a great torch for navigating at night. The really bright light is also very powerful. So powerful that it will enable you to signal ships, aircraft and people from miles away. Sony Erricson’s and other brands also have a pre-programmed SOS signal which can be transmitted using the light. If your phone doesn’t have a flash, you can still use it like the above but the power of the light will be much less. One tip is to have the screen illuminated white by opening the SMS screen.

If you don’t know the universal Morse code distress signal, it’s a good time to learn it.

As a Portable Survival Guide.

Right now, as you sit comfortably knowing there’s a million mile gap between you and danger, might be a good time to prepare for the day when that gap is considerably  smaller. Taking pictures of diagrams of huts, fire-starting techniques, food gathering and hunting instructions, etc. and storing it on your phone will serve you well in the wilderness.

Making small text files or to-do lists is also a good idea for saving basic survival information. Instead of spending six hours trying to create a fire and fail you could have one blazing very quickly indeed by following simple, accurate instructions. This cuts out ‘trial and error’ which could potentially kill you should you have to much of the latter. Refer to this post for a list of websites to help you prepare.

As a Storage Box.

Most phones will have enough room between the battery and the back cover to allow for the storage of some basic items. I suggest stowing a razor blade which could be used for fashioning tools, preparing food and other such activities. Also, a sheet with condensed survival instructions is a good idea (bits of this can also be used when starting a fire). Print on both sides, use small text and fill as much of the sheet as possible.

Putting this in a small zip-lock plastic bag may also be advisable in case you drop your phone in water. Fit as much as possible. Other items you may consider are fishing line, a fishing hook, sowing needle and a picture of family, friends, girlfriend, boyfriend etc… to keep morale up.

As a Signal Mirror

Many phones come with metal casings. You could remove the back cover and make it shiny by scraping it with a rock or blade. This can then be used as a mirror-like surface to attract attention to yourself should you spot a plane or people.

As a Tool Itself

Finally, if all else fails, you could use the phone itself as a tool. If it’s made of metal, sharpening the back cover into a blade is a good idea. You could also smash the screen and use it to tip an arrow. The battery can also be used to start a fire if you happen to have steel wool by touching it off the terminals. It’s all about using your imagination.




                    MISSING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

 

It is estimated that a child goes missing or is abducted in this country every 40 seconds. In 60% of the cases there is more than a two hour delay before Law Enforcement is called.

 

PRESERVING THE SCENE - EVERY ONE WANTS TO HELP

 

When a person goes missing, friends, family, neighbors even communities want to help. This is a powerful force but all to often, this force complicates and helps destroy the "one thing needed most".....the chance to find the missing person or those responsible for their abduction. When people arrive at the possible crime scene, with all the good intentions in mind, they contaminate the scene, cause confusion and possibly destroy evidence. The better preservation of the crime scene may result in a collection of more and better evidence, better working conditions for investigators, time saving and allow the investigation to proceed faster.

 

PEOPLE CAN STILL BE A VALUABLE RESOURCE IF THEY KNOW

WHAT TO DO AND WHEN AND WHERE TO DO IT

 

 

WHEN A PERSON IS MISSING

  

DO'S:

 

1. Contact Law Enforcement IMMEDIATELY.

2. Keep everyone out of the area until the police can secure the scene.

3. Close off the child's or missing persons room - Don't allow any one in.

4. Keep friends and neighbors away from the child's home and the point where the child was last seen.

5. Provide a central location, several hundred feet away from the scene, where friends and family can meet to obtain information.

6. Understand that Scent is Evidence. Learn to preserve it. Do not touch or move anything belonging to the lost subject.

7. Remove all pets and other animals from the area.

8. Turn off all engines near the scene. Engine exhaust can destroy evidence.

 

DONT'S:

 

1. Don't - Contaminate the area with your presence.

2. Don't - Handle anything!

3. Don't - Clean up or pick up the house or area - leave things exactly the way they were. Don't pick up dirty clothes, sheets, etc. or allow anyone to touch them.

4. Don't Go searching by yourself...WAIT for Law enforcement direction.

 

  

Persons 15 -50+ Years old:

 

Time Person has been gone: Distance Traveled in a Straight Line:

1 hour 4 miles

1/2 hour 2 miles

15 minutes 1 mile

7.5 minutes 1/2 mile

3 plus minutes 1/4 mile

 

Persons 5 - 14 years old:

1 hour 2 miles

1/2 hour 1 mile

15 minutes 1/2 mile

7 to 10 minutes 1/4 mile

Persons 2 - 4 Years Old:

 

1 hour 1 mile or less

1/2 hour 1/2 mile or less

15 minutes 1/4 mile or less

7 to 10 minutes 1/8 mile or less

 

 

 

Read Any Trailing or Tracking Dog

Understanding Negative Indications

 

 

 

Kevin Kocher & Robin Monroe

 

 

 

                                        Introduction

Here are basic movements all dogs make while trailing or tracking. When you become familiar with those basic movements you will find an ability to understand or read your K-9. We hope this book will help you accomplish that goal.

                    HOW DOGS WORK A TRAIL

Understanding how dogs work in their natural element is the key to reading a dog on a track or a trail. K-9’s don’t follow a trail such as a ball on a string. While tracking or trailing a dog must actually eliminate directions of travel in order to follow his prey. Since all dogs go through this elimination process when following prey, they show the same basic movements. These movements are called “Negative Indications” and are generally subtle.

Using and understanding the negative indicators will help you “read” your dog and understand the information he is giving you. If you cannot accurately read your dog, you will not be able to help him when he is faced with sorting out a tough problem. Remember, when working a trailing dog, you did not teach him “nose to the ground.” You are working as a team, helping him focus on the scent you want him to follow, but letting him do it naturally.

By learning to read his natural instinctive movements when trailing prey, you will form a tighter bond with your dog and learn to trust the information he gives you while working. A patrol K-9 trained to track will not show the “negative indications” as frequently as a trailing K-9. However, at some point the dog will revert to his natural instincts while sorting out a problem, which is when you will see the movements, mentioned above. The confidence you gain from understanding the information your dog is giving you, will lead to greater success when trailing or tracking.

            PUTTING THE KNOWLEDGE TO WORK

As you become familiar with the negative indications, you will be able to keep a running map in your mind of where your subject is heading, and know with each indication you still have the trail. When you stop seeing any of these indications, while the dog is just moving straight ahead and not giving any movements of purpose. This is a good indication the dog has lost his focus and possibly the trail. The joy is, by remembering the point of your last indications, you will know where you last had the trail. Thereby giving you a point where you should be able to recover the trail.

Another skill you will learn is being able to eliminate directions of travel by reading the negative indications. With each indication comes more information about where the trail is not. The result is narrowing down the direction the trail could have gone. For example, let’s say you close on a subject who has entered a building and has not exited. Understanding your dogs’ negative indications will eliminate the area around the building, letting you know the subject has not exited and is still in the building. Although, we all train for the dog to indicate on the door the subject used entering the building, we can use what indications the dog gives naturally to finish the trail without the “Door ID”.