Survival in uncivilized nature. Survival School

This topic addresses the following questions:

• Definition and concept of extremity
• Factors and stressors of survival, concept of autonomous existence
• Forced landing
• Maintaining morale
• Orientation
• Signaling means
• Wild edible plants
• Cooking
• Water supply

Definition and concept of extremity.

Extreme situation - this is a situation that goes beyond the “usual”, requiring an increased concentration of physical and (or) emotional effort from a person, with possible negative consequences for a person’s life, in other words, this is a situation in which a person is uncomfortable (a situation that is unusual for him).

The best way out of an extreme situation is not to get into it. To do this you need to follow triune safety formula:

1. Anticipate;
2. Avoid if possible;
3. Take action if necessary.

All extreme situations can be divided into 2 main types:

1. Fast flowing- lasts seconds, there is almost no time to think, mainly reflexes act. For example: a car rushing towards you;
2. Extended in time- lost in the forest, conflict with parents.

Each type of situation has a type and degree of extremeness:

• The person lacks the potential to solve this situation. For example: You are running away from someone, there is a fence in front of you, 2.5 m high. If your height is 1 m 90 cm, this is one thing, but if you are 1 m 50 cm, then this is an extreme situation for you.
• Lack of knowledge, skills, and abilities to resolve this situation. For example: You are driving a car for the first time.
• Lack of specific practical experience. For example: You are lost in the forest. If you have gone hiking, this is one thing; if you have gone out into the forest for the first time, the degree of extremeness for you is very high.

From the above we can conclude that the concept of extremeness is different for different people.

Factors and stressors of survival, concept of autonomous existence.

Autonomous - independent, carried out independently of anyone or anything (S.I. Ozhegov, dictionary).

So it happened! For some reason, you are left alone with Nature. But this is not easy, and not only because water and food supplies are limited, but also because you are affected by various natural factors, which often turn out to be extreme, i.e. extremely strong, causing disturbances in the functioning of the body. But changes in the functions of organs and systems of the body are permissible only up to certain limits, beyond which they become irreversible and can lead to the death of a person.
The time during which violations reach a dangerous threshold is called maximum permissible period of autonomous existence.
Its duration depends on many reasons - survival factors.

 These factors can be divided into four groups: anthropological, natural-environmental, material-technical and environmental.
The first includes the state of health, the reserve capabilities of the body, ensuring its resistance to the effects of heat, cold, deprivation, etc. This includes psychological preparedness, motivation, moral and volitional qualities, active and transformative activity, on which the predominance of positive or negative emotions will depend. An important element of this group is training in actions in conditions of autonomous existence.
The second group consists of environmental factors that have an adverse effect on the human body: air temperature and humidity, solar radiation, wind, low atmospheric pressure, etc. This includes the physical and geographical features of the area of ​​autonomous existence: flora and fauna, water sources, polar days and night, etc.
The third group combines factors that protect a person from environmental influences: clothing, emergency equipment, as well as improvised means used for building shelters, making fire, giving signals, etc.
The fourth group is factors resulting from human interaction with the environment: heat and cold injuries, poisoning caused by the bites of poisonous snakes and arachnids, eating the meat of poisonous animals and plants, infection with natural focal diseases, mountain sickness, etc. ., as well as injuries and acute mental conditions caused by extreme situations.
This group also includes the so-called stressors survival - factors whose effect is so pronounced that it can lead to the development of stress. Stressors can be divided into three groups:

1. Physical- pain, cold, heat, thirst, hunger, fatigue.
2. Mental- loneliness, fear.
3. Complex- various combinations of factors.

Pain. Injuries, inflammatory processes, exposure to high or low temperatures, acids, alkalis, etc. accompanied by pain, which is a kind of protective reaction of the body. It is no coincidence that even in ancient times pain was called the “watchdog” of the body. But, on the other hand, pain, causing suffering, irritates and distracts a person, and acting for a long time, becomes the cause of serious health problems, affects all his activities and behavior, and makes him more vulnerable to the hostile influences of the environment. Losing its beneficial protective function, it turns into a disease. However, a person is able to cope with pain, and even very severe pain, and overcome it. By concentrating on solving some vital tasks, he can “forget” about the pain for a while.

Cold. By reducing physical activity and performance, the cold stressor has an impact on the human psyche. Not only the muscles become numb, the brain and will become numb, without which any struggle is doomed to failure. A decrease in human body temperature by 2 degrees causes serious disorders, and by 5 degrees it leads to death. The intensity and rate of heat transfer depends on a number of factors: physical factors of the climatic environment, morphological characteristics of a person, the heat-protective properties of his clothing, behavior, knowledge and skills.
Heat flow is not the same in different parts of the body. It directly depends on the number of blood vessels and their location. Up to 50% of heat transfer occurs through the head. Active areas of heat exchange are the abdomen, sides, groin and lumbar regions.
As a rule, the limbs begin to freeze first, as the parts of the body farthest from the heart.

Factors that enhance the effect of low temperature:

• High humidity;
• Wind;
• Tight or wet clothing and shoes;
• Prolonged immobility;
• Fatigue;
• Alcohol intoxication.

Ways to reduce heat transfer are formed according to the principle of creating as many air layers as possible around the body:

• Build or more spaciously bandage shoe covers - covers that prevent snow from getting into shoes;
• Loosen the laces on your shoes;
• Tuck the jacket into the trousers (a significant part of the heat comes out from under the bottom edge of the outerwear);
• In places where clothing fits tightly to the body (knees, buttocks, elbows, shoulders), it is necessary to put insulating pads made of any more or less suitable material: moss, branches, any paper, polyethylene, etc.

With these simple steps, even the lightest clothes can be significantly insulated. At the same time, one should not go to the other extreme - all heat-insulating layers should not hinder movement or impede blood circulation. Otherwise, the effect will be the opposite. It is also necessary to make a simple mask to protect the face, which should not be removed, even if it is not comfortable. Warming physical exercises are contraindicated only in strong winds, but the exercises are effective only if you continue to perform them until all parts of the body are completely warmed.
Not without reason, one of the most dangerous and insidious factors in extreme cold conditions is considered humidity. Indeed, as soon as moisture penetrates clothes and shoes, the fight against cold becomes tenfold more difficult. Remember: it is much easier to prevent clothes from getting wet than to dry them later! Do not allow snow to get under your outerwear. To do this:

• Never remove the hood, and if it is not there, raise and tie the collar in such a way as to prevent snow from getting under it;
• If you have to work with snow or a snowstorm begins, the internal pockets must be turned out and left in this position; fasten the patch pockets, and if this is not possible, tear them off or constantly monitor and shovel the snow out of them, preventing it from melting;
• Try as much as possible to reduce the time your shoes and clothes come into contact with the snow, for which it is preferable to be on rocks, branches, skis, etc.;
• Take off your mittens as little as possible and do not warm them with your breath.

Fighting the cooling effect of wind is irrational and sometimes pointless - it can only be avoided. If the wind has reached such a strength that it makes movement difficult or causes a sharp, piercing feeling of cold, you must stop moving. If you are forced to continue moving, despite a strong wind, move with your side turned to the wind, while covering the most freezing parts of your body (face, groin) with your hands, tightly button and tie your clothes, trying to minimize its windage and constantly monitor the condition of your body, checking by touch his sensitivity.

Heat. High environmental temperatures, especially direct solar radiation, cause significant changes in the human body, sometimes in a relatively short time. General disorders of the body when exposed to heat occur more often in southern climates, but can also occur in temperate climates, for example, near bodies of water, because The sun's rays are well reflected from the water surface, and intense evaporation also occurs, which creates increased humidity, which increases the possibility of developing heat stroke.
If, when the temperature rises to 30 degrees, the heat transfer of the body increases significantly, then at a temperature above 37 degrees, in a person who does not constantly live at this temperature, heat exchange processes are disrupted, often causing overheating (if sweating is weak) or dehydration (if sweating is too strong) of the body .

To make it easier for a person to be forced to stay in hot conditions, we can recommend the following:

• If possible, avoid direct sunlight (stay in the shade, cover your entire body and head to prevent burns and reduce moisture evaporation),
• take off clothes only in the shade, take off shoes and socks when resting, but do not walk barefoot,
• breathe through your nose,
• limit physical activity,
• limit water consumption (if it is insufficient) to 500-600 ml per day,
• eat as little as possible, excluding salty and spicy foods,
• drink water in small sips of 150 ml at a time,
• To reduce the feeling of thirst, suck on a pebble.

!  Even if you are very thirsty, do not drink: blood, urine, sea water, liquids with alcohol and petroleum products.

Thirst is inextricably linked with heat, as the most common cause of its occurrence. Thirst, being a normal signal of a lack of fluid in the body, when it is impossible to satisfy it due to lack or absence of water, becomes a serious obstacle to human activity in the case of autonomous existence.
The human body consists of 65 - 70% water and the loss of 10 - 15% water (not to be confused with the total body weight) leads to irreversible consequences in the body.
Dehydration causes an imbalance in the salt balance, which is necessary for the normal transmission of nerve impulses, this explains the lack of coordination with a large loss of water, the accumulation of decay products in the body, metabolic disorders, and overheating.
Recommendations for preventing dehydration are similar to those described in the previous section. "Heat".

Hunger. The set of sensations associated with the body’s need for food can be considered a typical, albeit somewhat delayed, stress reaction. It is known that a person can go without food for a long time, maintaining working capacity, however, many days of fasting, and especially with a lack of water, weakens the body, reduces its resistance to cold, pain, etc.

Overwork. This is a peculiar state of the body that occurs after long-term (and sometimes short-term) physical or mental stress. Overwork is fraught with potential danger, since it dulls a person’s will and makes him compliant to his own weaknesses.
Correct, even distribution of physical activity and timely rest, which should be done as fully as possible by all available means, allow you to avoid overwork and quickly restore strength.

Loneliness. A special place among survival factors is occupied by the feeling of loneliness. It often has a strong impact on the human psyche.
The first person to circumnavigate the world alone, Captain Joshua Slocum, noted that being alone sometimes caused a terrible strain of all the senses, even hallucinations.
They fight loneliness in different ways - read poetry out loud, try to remember the most pleasant moments in life, discuss their plans out loud, etc. They try to distract themselves with active physical work to improve their home, camp, etc.
People who find themselves in conditions of autonomous existence often experience a mental state called despondency. Caused by loneliness, it is aggravated by unsuccessful attempts to navigate, find water and food, establish communication, etc. This state can be avoided by setting yourself and strictly controlling specific, but definitely achievable tasks.

Fear. An old parable tells: once on the road a wanderer met the Plague. “Where are you going, Plague?” - asked the wanderer. “I’m going to Baghdad,” answered Plague. “I want to kill five thousand people.” After some time they met again. “Why did you deceive me? You said that you would kill five thousand people, but you killed fifty thousand,” the wanderer reproached her. “No, you are mistaken. I kept my word and killed only five thousand, and the remaining forty-five died of fear.”
Fear - a feeling caused by real or apparent danger, the expectation of death, suffering, pain - is one of the forms of emotional reaction. In conditions of autonomous existence, the feeling of fear is often associated with the unknown of the environment, one’s own weakness, the expectation of an animal attack, etc. And at the same time, the emotion of fear “to certain limits can be considered a physiologically normal reaction and adaptively useful, contributing to the emergency mobilization of physical and mental stress” (Yu. Aleksandrovsky, 1991). This is a kind of danger warning system, signaling the need to take measures to eliminate a threat to life.
Since a person’s emotional reaction to a particular danger largely depends on his will, internal composure, and the ability to overcome the instinct of self-preservation, by learning to suppress and control fear, you can turn it into a kind of catalyst for energy and determination. At the same time, the feeling of fear is transformed into a feeling of daring, readiness for confrontation" (Kitaev-Smyk, 1983). But if you succumb to fear, it will turn into a dangerous enemy, subjugating all thoughts and actions. The state of fear increases the feeling of pain and suffering from thirst and hunger, heat and frost. It was fear that was to blame for the fact that some people, finding themselves in extreme conditions, died of hunger without using up their food supply, froze to death, having fuel for a fire on hand, and died of thirst three steps from a water source.

Forced landing.

In the event of a forced landing of the plane, everyone must immediately leave the plane, carry out the wounded and move to a safe distance. If the ship dies, without wasting time, switch to rescue craft. In case of a natural disaster (avalanche, ice field break, forest fire, etc.) - get out of the danger zone. In any case, you should try to take with you emergency equipment, available supplies of food and water.
When the immediate threat of death has passed, it is necessary, first of all, to provide medical assistance to all those in need and only then proceed to urgent matters: assessing the current situation, taking into account available food supplies, building temporary shelters, starting a fire, etc.
 Naturally, the question arises, what to do next: go towards help or wait for it, remaining in place?

The outcome of autonomous existence may depend on the correctness of the decision made. It is advisable to leave the scene of the incident only if there is no confidence that the group’s exit or departure point knows about the incident, if it is not possible to establish radio contact for a help signal .

Making a decision to independently leave the scene of the incident is facilitated by knowing the approximate distance to the nearest populated area and confidence that the health status of all group members will allow it to be overcome. Otherwise, the most reasonable thing to do would be to wait for help and remain where you are. Organize a temporary camp, build reliable shelters from available materials. This will help maintain strength for a long time and provide care for the wounded and sick. In addition, while in the camp, it is much easier to organize hunting, fishing, and collecting edible wild plants. In some cases, this tactic will facilitate the actions of the search and rescue service, which has received information about an incident in a particular area. Having decided to stay put, you must then draw up a plan for further actions, without skimping on the details. When developing such a plan, the following should be considered:

1. organization of a temporary camp:
   • choosing a suitable place for a camp, taking into account the features of the terrain, the proximity of water sources and wetlands, the density of vegetation, possible dangers (landslide, rockfall, avalanche, falling of old dry trees, attack by predatory or poisonous animals, etc.);
   • determination of a place for the construction of temporary housing, preparation and storage of food and equipment, placement of a latrine and a garbage dump;
   • choosing the type of temporary shelter;
   • preparing fuel and starting a fire;
2. determining the responsibilities of each group member, taking into account his knowledge, physical capabilities and health status:
   • on obtaining food through hunting, fishing, collecting edible wild plants and preparing it;
   • to provide medical care and constant monitoring of the wounded and weakened;
   • for the manufacture of camp and hiking equipment, repair of clothing and shoes;
3. conducting terrain orientation and determining your location;
4. signaling and communication provision:
   • preparation of radio equipment, operation, storage, care and repair, maintaining radio communications with search and rescue groups, airplanes, helicopters;
   • air monitoring for timely warning of the approach of an airplane or helicopter;
   • production and placement of visual signaling devices: fires, signal signs, panels, flags;
   • organizing camp duty and determining the duties of duty officers;
   • holding events to maintain people's morale (conversations, training in making fire, fishing, etc.).

Maintaining morale.

The success of autonomous existence largely depends on the leader. Usually this becomes a person who previously performed the functions of a boss. However, the leader of a group of people who find themselves in extreme conditions can become a so-called informal leader - a person with a strong will, who has gained confidence in himself through determination, wisdom, life experience, knowledge, the ability to organize people, force them to act actively, using each in accordance with his strength, knowledge and abilities for the success of the common cause. The leader may be a person who knows survival techniques and experience living in the field (hunter, tourist, geologist, etc.). It will determine how successfully relationships between people will improve.
In an extreme situation, with a skillful leader, such negative elements of human behavior as panic, disorganization, confusion, lack of faith in one’s own strength, etc. will manifest themselves to a minimal extent. He must in every possible way contribute to maintaining a spirit of agreement and unity in the group, correctly assess the strengths and capabilities of each person, maintaining in him confidence in the successful outcome of the trial that befell him. The leader must be tolerant of the shortcomings and oversights of group members, in assessing their actions, if they are based on the interests of the entire small team, and not on ambitions and their own emotions. An important factor is his ability to consult when making decisions, listen to the advice and wishes of individuals and at the same time be able to achieve the implementation of the plan and decisions made.
The unexpected occurrence of an extreme situation, a threat to life, hunger and thirst, exposure to heat and cold - all these circumstances contribute to great nervous tension (exhaustion), increased, painful irritability, often leading to the emergence of conflicts.
Of course, the primary role in maintaining the moral climate in the group belongs to the leader. He must notice an emerging conflict in time and nip it in the bud. But a lot depends on each member of the group. One immutable truth must be learned: in conflict there are no winners or losers. Both sides lose. Therefore, when irritation flares up, try to control yourself. Don't compare degrees of guilt. Take the first step towards reconciliation. Try to speak in a calm tone, because sometimes it is the tone, and not the content of what is said, that becomes the very spark from which the fire of unfriendliness flares up.
The experience of numerous expeditions shows that sometimes the most important cure for despondency, helping to increase vigor and improve mood, is laughter. Funny stories, witty anecdotes, pranks (but only harmless ones that do not hurt a person’s pride) sometimes work wonders in a team that finds itself in extreme conditions.
So, what does the successful outcome of autonomous existence depend on?
First of all, from the person himself. From his will, composure, discipline and physical fitness, but most importantly - from his ability survive.
In biology, sociology, and economics, this word was used in a very specific sense, meaning “to stay alive, survive, not go broke.”
During World War II, the term acquired a different meaning, which is now widely used in aviation and astronautics. SURVIVAL is an active, purposeful activity aimed at preserving life, health and performance in conditions of autonomous existence. This activity consists of overcoming psychological stress, resourcefulness, ingenuity, effective use of emergency equipment and available means for protection from bad weather, providing the body with food and water.

Orientation.

To be able to navigate the terrain means to be able to determine one’s location relative to the sides of the horizon, surrounding objects and landforms, to find the desired direction of movement and maintain this direction along the way.
This is not difficult to do with a map, sextant, compass and watch at hand, provided that you know how to use them all. But how to navigate time and space if there are no navigation tools? Here the Sun and stars, natural phenomena, plants and animals will come to the rescue.
Now let’s ask ourselves the question: “In what case do we generally need to determine, for example, the sides of the horizon?” But only if you determine in advance, even before departure, at least your general direction of movement relative to your locality. It will be even better if you find out what major landmarks will be in the area of ​​your stay and on the way to it. These could be rivers, railway lines, highways, large settlements or other noticeable landmarks. About which it is desirable to know their names, directions, the location of settlements near them or any other distinctive features.
 Suppose you found out all this and went to the forest to pick mushrooms, not finding a map suitable enough for this, but taking a compass with you just in case. But the trouble is, the place where you went turned out to be difficult, for example, with large deposits of magnetic iron (Kursk and Belgorod regions). And the compass refuses to work correctly. Now is the time to apply the same knowledge of orienteering that is usually written in all books.

Determining the sides of the horizon.

The sun rises on the eastern side (rises - east - the first letter "B"), and sets on the western side - the letter "Z". Accordingly, the shadow moves in the opposite direction. Therefore, anywhere on the globe, the first mark of the shadow will always be in a western direction in relation to the second, made a little later, and therefore to the east. Knowing and remembering this, you can easily determine the approximate direction of the cardinal points. To do this, find a pole and stick it into the soil on a flat, vegetation-free surface, so that the shadow it casts is clearly visible. Mark the end of the shadow. Wait 15-20 minutes until the end of the shadow moves a few centimeters and mark the end of the shadow again. Then draw a straight line connecting the first mark to the second, extend it a little further and draw an arrow at the end of this line. The direction of the arrow will show you the approximate direction to the East.

Another way to navigate by the Sun. The Sun is towards the South Pole (in the northern hemisphere) at exactly noon. In general, noon occurs at 12 o'clock, but in different territories the time of true and local noon may not coincide. For example, in Moscow and the Moscow region, noon occurs at 13:00 in winter, and at 14:00 in summer. If you are not afraid of knowing this feature, then determining the sides of the horizon becomes quite simple. It is enough to stand at noon facing the Sun for your shadow to point you in the direction of the North in the northern hemisphere, or the South in the southern hemisphere. But with a watch, you don't need to wait half a day. Using them, you can quite accurately determine the cardinal directions or clarify the desired direction at any time of the day, given that the Sun moves by 15 degrees in 1 hour, and each five-minute division on the clock corresponds to an angle of 30 degrees.
To determine the cardinal directions using this information, you need to know what a compass looks like so that you can compare it with a clock, and what azimuth is.

Azimuth is the direction to an object, measured in degrees. You can say it differently - this is an angle, one side of which always points to the north, and the other to the object. The object can be anything - a tree, a clearing, the Sun, etc.

In order to determine the azimuth of an object, you need to pick up a compass, connect the arrow that points north with the letter N on the dial, and mentally draw a straight line along them to the center of the compass - this will be one side of the angle. Then, from the center of the compass, draw a straight line to the object you need. The resulting angle is the azimuth.

Each side of the world also has its own azimuth.
- North azimuth (N) - 0 or 360 degrees;
- azimuth northeast - 45 degrees;
- azimuth east (E) - 90 degrees;
- azimuth southeast - 135 degrees;
- azimuth south (S) - 180 degrees;
- southwest azimuth - 225 degrees;
- azimuth west (W) - 270 degrees;
- azimuth northwest - 315 degrees.

In order to determine the azimuth of the Sun, it is enough to know the time and formula:
And C =(t - 1(2))*15 degrees.

Where: A C - Azimuth of the Sun;
t - time on the clock;
1 (2) - the difference in hours between true and local noon. 1 hour in winter (from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March); 2 hours in summer (from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October) - For Moscow and the Moscow region;
15 degrees is the conversion factor to degrees, because In 1 hour, the sun moves 15 degrees across the sky.

Example 1
Time 16 o'clock, August.

And C = (17 - 2)*15 = 225 degrees.

Accordingly, at this time the Sun is in the southwest.

This formula can be used and vice versa, to determine the time by the value of the azimuth of the Sun. In this case, the formula will look like this:

T = A C /15 degrees + 1(2)

Example 2: You are in the Moscow region.

A C = 195 degrees, August.
t = 195/15 degrees + 1(2) = 15 hours.

Well, one last thing. You have successfully determined the direction of movement you need. Now you need to stay on the chosen course. Very often this is not an easy task, because... A person's step with one leg is slightly longer than the other. And, if you just go forward, then sooner or later you will come to the same place, having described a circle. To prevent this from happening, they use the “on target” walking method. To do this, select any noticeable object located in the direction of your chosen movement and move towards it. Having reached the selected object, a new object is selected, etc. The error in maintaining direction with this method is greatly reduced.

Signaling means.

The search for people who find themselves in a critical situation is often complicated by the fact that it has to be carried out over a very vast territory. It is even more difficult to detect them from a height in the mountains, forests or in bad weather. Therefore, those in distress who see an aircraft or hear the sound of an engine should use any means available to signal their location. This is primarily a combined PSND cartridge. Its “day end” is filled with a composition that, when burned for 30 seconds, forms thick clouds of bright orange smoke, and the “night end” (in the dark it can be easily identified by the depression in the cap) burns with a bright crimson flame. The cartridge is taken in the left hand, and with the right hand, unscrewing the safety cap, the ignition cord is removed from the recess. Then, standing with your back to the wind and holding the cartridge in a slightly bent hand, jerk the cord upward. In open areas, signals are visible quite far away, especially at night (10 - 12 km). In the forest, you should first find an area with sparse vegetation, an edge or clearing, the top of a hill or the shore of a reservoir, otherwise the smoke will “hang” on the branches of the trees and will not be visible from above.
Flares are widely used to signal distress. You can learn how to launch a rocket from the instructions printed on its body. The signal mirror is very effective. Man is characterized by a certain conservatism of thinking, due to which it is difficult for him to imagine that a sunbeam, known in childhood, can compete with the creations of radio, pyrotechnics and electronics.
And if there are no special signaling means at hand, then you can use the ancient method - a fire. It remains one of the most effective means of emergency signaling today. To give a signal in a timely manner, i.e. immediately when an airplane or helicopter appears within sight, fuel for fires must be prepared in advance. It must be placed in open places - a clearing, a clearing, a hilltop, otherwise thick tree branches will trap the smoke and the signal will go unnoticed. To make the smoke blacker and thicker, fresh grass, green leaves of trees, raw moss, etc. are added to the fire after it has flared up.
In desert areas, where fuel may not be enough, cans of sand soaked in flammable material are used instead of a fire.
The signal fire is set on fire only when the search aircraft (helicopter) is already within sight or hearing range or radio contact has been established with it. In winter, the signal fire should be covered from snow with spruce branches.
You can attract the attention of the aircraft crew, if there is no other possibility, by “unmasking” the area: by trampling geometric shapes in the snow, cutting down bushes, etc.

Wild edible plants.

In the taiga and tundra, in the desert and jungle, you can find many wild edible plants. With their help, you can provide the body with the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
Fruits, roots, bulbs, young shoots, stems, leaves, buds, flowers, and nuts are used for food. Some of them, for example, berries and fruits, can be eaten raw, while others - rhizomes, bulbs, tubers - require cooking. It is not recommended to eat fruit pits and seeds, bulbs without a characteristic onion or garlic odor, and plants that secrete milky juice when broken.
Whether a particular fruit is edible can sometimes be determined by indirect signs: bird droppings, scraps of peel and numerous seeds lying at the foot of the tree, pecked fruits, etc. However, when using plants for food, you must strictly adhere to certain rules, because if you mistakenly take this or that plant for edible, you can get seriously poisoned.
The toxic properties of plants are associated with the content of alkaloids, glycosides, organic acids, and saponins. The color, smell, and taste of an unfamiliar fruit are not always a reliable sign of its edibility. Some legumes, euphorbias and a number of other representatives of the plant world are highly toxic, poisoning with which can lead to death. When using unfamiliar plants and fruits for food, it is recommended to eat no more than 3 - 5 g at a time. The plant poison contained in such a portion will not cause serious harm to the body. If over the next 1 - 2 hours no signs of poisoning APPEAR (cramping abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, intestinal upset), then the plant is edible.
However, for the purpose of prevention, unfamiliar fruits and tubers should be thoroughly boiled, since most plant poisons are destroyed during heat treatment.

Cooking.

It is better to collect leaves, stems, and shoots from plants before they bloom. They are more tender, juicier, easier to digest and assimilate. After flowering, the above-ground parts of the plant become coarser and lose their nutritional value. The most nutritious are young leaves, shoots and their growing tops. The greenery of plants hidden in the shade of trees and shrubs is especially tender.
In old plants, the youngest leaves and ends of shoots are most suitable for consumption. Harvested greens are washed in running water and even eaten raw. The dug up roots, bulbs, tubers should be immediately shaken off the ground and washed thoroughly, and then disassembled, removing areas affected by rot, having an abnormal color, growths, or tuberosity that is not at all characteristic of the rhizome. Catching a wild animal or finding edible roots or shoots sometimes turns out to be much less difficult than their further preparation.
Often, those in distress do not have the simplest utensils, and preparing hot food at least once a day becomes a problem. But it can be easily solved if you master the simplest methods of cooking, which do not require a pot or a frying pan. Roots and tubers of plants, fish and small animals can be cooked without utensils, directly on hot coals, after being coated with a layer of clay or wrapped in foil.

Small animals and birds are roasted on a spit without removing the skin or plucking. After cooking, the charred skin is removed and the carcass is cleaned of its entrails.
A convenient way to cook food over a fire. To do this, dig a hole 30 - 40 cm deep in the ground and line it with fresh leaves, grass or a damp cloth. Meat or roots are placed at the bottom of the pit, covered with a 1.5 - 2 cm layer of sand, and then a fire is made on top. After 30 - 40 minutes the food is ready.
You can also fry meat on hot stones, covering it with grass, leaves, and then a layer of sand or earth. When preparing shellfish this way, it is not recommended to wrap them in leaves.
To cook food, dig a shallow hole and line it from the inside with a layer of foil. Having filled the improvised pot with water and put the food to be cooked in it, heat the stones on the fire and lower them one by one into the “pot” until the water boils. Improvised dishes can also be made from birch bark. To prevent it from leaking, coat the outside with clay and burn it over a fire.
The readiness of food is determined by taste and smell.
But even without food, a person can survive for quite a long time. A group of 11 enthusiasts set off in the summer of 1981 on a fourteen-day hike along the Valdai Hills, without taking with them a single gram of food. During the entire transition and after its completion, the participants of the expedition, called "Extremum", were observed by doctors. The results of medical examinations showed that all participants retained their vigor and physical performance until the end of the hike.
In general, fasting for 30 - 35 days is not an prohibitive load for a relatively healthy body. The critical period is 60 days.

Water supply.

Depletion of the body with water, even by a few percent, leads to disruption of its vital functions, and dehydration of more than 10% causes deep disturbances in the functional activity of organs and systems, which can cause death.
The need for water in areas with moderate temperatures with relatively limited physical mobility does not exceed 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day. But they increase significantly at high air temperatures, especially in deserts and the tropics, amounting to 4 - 6 liters or more per day.
It is not surprising that in conditions of autonomous existence, especially in areas where high air temperatures and solar radiation contribute to the rapid development of dehydration, water supply becomes a problem of paramount importance.
Natural water sources can be divided into several groups: open water bodies (rivers, lakes, ponds, streams), groundwater bodies (springs, springs, water accumulations in underground reservoirs), biological water sources (water-carrying plants - bamboo, cacti, vines, etc. ), atmospheric water (snow, rain, dew, desalinated ice, etc.).
In the Arctic regions, depending on the time of year, the sources of water are: desalinated ice, snow, snowfields - lakes of melt water on ice. The summer tundra abounds in streams, lakes, and swamps.
In the taiga, in wooded and swampy areas, finding water sources is usually not difficult. Rivers, lakes, streams, swamps, and accumulations of water in certain areas of the soil provide people with the necessary amount for drinking, cooking and household needs.
Water supply in desert conditions poses particular difficulties. Reservoirs are not only rare, but sometimes they are difficult to detect without knowledge of special relief features and plants - indicators of water.
Water supply in tropical forest conditions is carried out not only through numerous flowing and standing reservoirs, but also through a number of so-called biological water sources - water-carrying plants (various vines, ravenala palm, bamboo, malukba tree, baobab, etc.).
In mountainous areas, water sources are rivers, streams, mountain springs, and in the snowy zone - alpine lakes and snow.
Water from springs and mountain and forest rivers and streams can be drunk raw. But before you quench your thirst with water from stagnant or low-flowing reservoirs, it must be cleaned of impurities and disinfected. For cleaning, it is easy to make the simplest filters from several layers of bandage, from an empty tin can, punching 3 - 4 small holes in the bottom, and then filling it with sand. You can dig a shallow hole half a meter from the edge of the reservoir, and after a while it will be filled with clean, clear water.
However, simply purifying water from stagnant or low-flowing reservoirs, swamps, abandoned wells, and irrigation ditches is not enough. It contains dangers to human health - pathogens of gastrointestinal diseases, hepatitis viruses, worm larvae, etc. Therefore, water from such sources must be disinfected.
You can disinfect water using crystals of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) until a faint pink color appears. The water is allowed to stand for an hour, after which it can be used for drinking. The widely known pantocide is used at the rate of 2 - 3 tablets per liter, and in case of severe water contamination - 3 - 4, followed by settling for 20 - 30 minutes. A 5% tincture of iodine, added to water at the rate of 2 - 3 drops per liter, has a certain effectiveness.
In the absence of instruments or chemicals, you can use improvised means - willow, oak, beech bark, putting 100 - 150 g of birch bark in a bucket of water, boil for 30 - 40 minutes, and then let it sit for 6 - 7 hours. Herbs are also used to purify water - feather grass, yarrow, field violet (approximately 200 - 300 g per bucket). And of course, the most accessible and reliable method of disinfection is boiling.
Creating water reserves during transitions is advisable only in conditions where water sources are located at a great distance from each other. But since in a hot tropical climate water during storage quickly changes its taste and blooms, it should be boiled during a rest.

Finding yourself in an extreme situation of autonomous existence is quite rare, but unpleasant. The knowledge you will gain by reading this section will help you make it more comfortable. And some information can be useful in everyday life.

To avoid accidental mistakes when answering test questions, pay attention to the definitions. This topic contains a lot of details, which are also reflected in the test questions. Don't lose sight of them!

Survival is survival, so what else is there to define? Yes, we know, the title of the article looks a little crazy, but there is an explanation for this. The fact is that in Russian, various aspects of survival fit into the capacious word “survival,” while, for example, in English there are several words to describe one or another aspect of this process. In order to clarify some of them, we started this article. So, what are these words and what is the difference between them? More about this below:

Let's start with, perhaps, the most general of them:

Survival

Survival- (English: “survival, survivability”) - a set of measures and actions aimed at directly maintaining the life, health and performance of the body in conditions of a real threat to life. In most cases, this term will be used to describe situations where, for example, a planned walk in nature unexpectedly turns into a situation that poses a danger to your life. You didn’t have time to return to your destination, lost your way, lost your means of communication with the world, and now you are alone in the forest/mountains/desert, you are scared, you only have crackers for food and you don’t yet know how much you have to go in order to to be saved. In such a situation, you are threatened by \, and many more, and the decisions you make may determine whether you will see the sunrise tomorrow or not. Knowledge will significantly increase your chances in such a case.

Bush Craft, Field Craft

Bush Craft, Field Craft- (English: “field craft”) - the term refers to “actions necessary for survival in the bush (undeveloped territories of Australia, New Zealand)” and the times of the development of Australia by the British Empire. Subsequently, the term acquired wider application and is used as an aspect of survival associated with the ability to provide oneself with everything necessary using natural resources, as well as the manufacture of tools and household items by hand, from natural and available materials using a minimum of tools or without their use at all. Good examples of this trend would be making fire using primitive techniques, making clothing and equipment from natural materials, building primitive things, etc. Many of the skills in a bushcrafter's arsenal are related to archaeological knowledge of our ancestors, tribes and indigenous populations of different parts of the Earth, as well as medieval techniques and technologies. Despite the fact that such knowledge is quite ancient, its simplicity and reliability have been tested and proven by time.

Preparedness

Preparedness- (English “preparedness”) - an aspect of survival aimed at preparing for one of the natural disasters, man-made accidents, social conflicts, etc., likely for a certain region. While the bushcrafter depends on his knowledge, skills and available resources, the prepper relies entirely on his supplies. It is the accumulation of supplies of food, water, medicine, tools, weapons, ammunition, etc. is considered a criterion for the preparedness of followers of this direction. However, not all preppers are lunatics, building a bunker and fearing an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse. The essence of prepping is to analyze the situation and prepare an action plan in case of a certain disaster (hurricane, flooding, fire, civil unrest, etc.). If this cataclysm were to occur, most average people would be victims of their lack of preparedness, while the prepper would implement a plan worked out in advance, which greatly increases his chances of survival.

Sustainability, Off the Grid Living

Sustainability, Off the Grid Living- (English: “constancy, stability”, “life off the grid”) - this aspect is closely related to both bushcraft and prepping and consists in achieving a certain level of autonomy from uncontrolled resources. For example, centralized systems of energy supply, heating, water supply, food supplies, etc. are entire infrastructures and require many complex systems for their functioning. If one part of the system fails, it can pose a threat to the entire system, while autonomy frees you from dependence on such consequences. Independent cultivation and procurement of food, autonomous energy sources, crafts, production, etc. guarantee the “autonomer” satisfaction of his basic needs.

Separately from “civilian survival”, it is perhaps worth mentioning “military survival”

SERE

SERE- (English abbreviation for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape - “survival”, “evasion”, “resistance”, “escape”) - this direction is based on bushcraft to satisfy its basic needs and is complemented by features associated with participation in the military conflicts such as the need to remain unnoticed by the enemy, evade pursuit, resist interrogation, communicate with allies, etc. Although SERE itself is a training program for US military personnel launched in the 50s, its analogues existed before, in particular related to the training of Air Force pilots and reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the armed forces of many countries around the world.

Each of the above approaches to survival has many supporters and opponents. In turn, we would like to note that none of them are absolute, and no one forces you to choose one from a list. On the contrary, combining the knowledge and skills of each of them can form the ideal survival plan for you. We, in turn, will try to publish information on each of them.

Survival is active, expedient actions aimed at preserving life, health and performance in conditions of autonomous existence. From the very first minutes, people who find themselves in conditions of autonomous existence face a number of urgent tasks, the most important of which are:
overcoming stress caused by an emergency situation;

Providing first aid to victims;

Protection from the adverse effects of environmental factors;

Providing water and food;

Determining your own location;

Establishing communications and preparing signaling equipment. The solution to these and a number of other problems depends on the ingenuity and resourcefulness of a person, his ability to effectively use emergency equipment and available means.

The main postulate of survival: a person can and must maintain health and life in the harshest climatic conditions if he is able to take advantage of everything that the environment provides. But this requires certain knowledge and experience.
The duration of the autonomous period depends on a number of objective and subjective reasons that can promote or hinder human activity.

Factors of survival in conditions of autonomous existence.

All factors influencing the ability to survive can be divided into 4 groups:

Anthropological;

Natural and environmental;

Logistics;

Ecological.

Anthropological factors characterize a person’s state of health, the constancy of his internal environment, and the body’s reserve capabilities. Anthropological factors include:

Psychological preparedness;

Moral and volitional qualities;

Active-transformative activity that influences the predominance of positive or negative emotions;

Ability to act in conditions of autonomous existence.

For an unprepared person, the environment is a source of all kinds of dangers; he is in constant anxious tension. This state lasts from several minutes to several days.

Thus, an important task of training is to psychologically prepare a person to overcome a possible emergency, increase his emotional-volitional stability, teach him to correctly perceive and evaluate the current situation and act in accordance with the situation.

Natural and environmental factors - temperature, air humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, atmospheric pressure level, wind, etc.
People are able to endure even the harshest natural conditions for long periods of time. However, when they enter them for the first time, they find themselves poorly adapted to life in an unfamiliar environment. Therefore, the harsher the environmental conditions, the greater the effort required by the struggle for survival, the more strictly the rules of behavior must be followed, and the more expensive the price that is paid for each mistake.

Logistical factors provide protective materials in conditions of autonomous existence: clothing, emergency equipment, food and water supplies, improvised means used for various purposes, etc.

Environmental factors risks arise as a result of human interaction with the environment (accidents, injuries, etc.).

Physiological risk factors - illnesses, natural disasters, heat, cold, hunger, thirst, fear, overwork, loneliness, improper organization of relationships within the emergency group. For a person who finds himself in emergency circumstances, factors take on special significance. It is for these reasons that most tragic accidents occur.

Let's consider main physiological risk factors.
Hunger. In medical literature, the feeling of hunger is understood as a set of sensations that express the body’s physiological need for food. Accordingly, fasting is a state of the body in which there is a complete absence or insufficient supply of nutrients. Conditionally There are several types of fasting:
absolute - a person is deprived of food and water;

Complete - a person is deprived of food, but is not limited in water consumption;

Incomplete - food is consumed by a person in limited quantities, insufficient to restore energy costs;

Partial - with sufficient quantitative nutrition, a person does not receive one or more substances from food (vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, etc.).

With complete and absolute fasting, the body is forced to switch to internal self-sufficiency. It is estimated that for a person weighing 70 kg, the body’s energy reserves are approximately 160 thousand kcal;

The body can use up % of these reserves (65-70 thousand kcal) without a direct threat to its existence.
In a state of absolute rest, a person needs one kilocalorie per hour per kilogram of mass to maintain the vital functions of the body (the functioning of the heart, lungs, brain and other organs). With a mass of 70 kg, a person’s energy consumption will be 70 kcal/h or 1680 kcal/day. These are inevitable internal energy costs. The rest of the body's energy reserve is enough for the average man to last 30-40 days of fasting without much harm to his health.

Human energy expenditures during various types of movement

Type and nature of movement
Walking on a flat road (4-5 km/h) Walking on a flat road with a load (4 km/h) Walking uphill at a speed of 2 km/h with a slope up to 8 km/h Running at a speed of 8 km/h Skiing on flat terrain

Energy consumption, kcal/h
200-300
500
350
600
720

These calculations of the body's energy reserve and the duration of safe fasting were made under conditions of a “room” microclimate and complete immobility of a person.

In a real situation, a person is affected by cold, snow, rain, wind, blizzard, and the person is not in a stationary state. Human energy expenditures for various types of movements are presented in table. 13. The duration of safe fasting is significantly reduced by various diseases, increased emotionality, fear and other physical and mental conditions that increase metabolism in the human body.

Thus, in real conditions of complete starvation, the body’s energy reserve allows a person to go without food (without much damage to health) not for 30-40 days, but only for 10-15 days.

Elderly people tolerate lack of food easier and longer, as they have a lower metabolic rate; in a young growing organism, energy consumption is increased by 15-20% in comparison with average indicators. Women tolerate fasting more easily than men.
In addition, as practice shows, even among people of the same age, gender, build, who are in exactly the same conditions, the maximum survival time can be different due to the individual characteristics of the body and mental state at the time of fasting. There are cases where people did not eat food for 40-50 or even 60 days and survived. On the contrary, there are examples of people dying from exhaustion in 20-25 days. With complete starvation, death usually occurs after 30-40% loss of initial weight.

Typical symptoms of prolonged fasting. In the initial period (2-4 days), a strong feeling of hunger occurs. Appetite increases sharply, burning, pressure and even pain in the epigastric region and nausea may be felt. Dizziness, headaches, and stomach cramps are possible. The sense of smell is noticeably enhanced. In the presence of water, salivation increases. A person constantly thinks about food.

During the initial period, a person’s body weight decreases by an average of 1 kg daily, sometimes (in areas with a hot climate) - up to 1.5 kg. Then daily weight loss decreases.
Subsequently, the feeling of hunger weakens. Appetite disappears, sometimes a person experiences some cheerfulness. Salivation does not increase even at the sight of food. The tongue is often covered with a whitish coating, and when inhaling, a faint smell of acetone may be felt in the mouth. Poor sleep, prolonged headaches, and increased irritability may occur. With prolonged fasting, a person falls into apathy, lethargy, and drowsiness.

Hunger as a cause of death in emergency situations is extremely rare. Hunger enhances the damaging effects of other unfavorable factors. A hungry person freezes faster than a well-fed person, gets sick more often and suffers a more severe illness. With prolonged fasting, mental activity weakens and performance drops sharply.

Therefore, in the absence of food supplies, if it is impossible to obtain them through hunting, fishing, or collecting wild edible plants, one should adhere to passive survival tactics, i.e., expect help in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. In order to save energy resources, you should try not to leave the shelter unless absolutely necessary, lie down more, sleep, reduce any vigorous activity to a minimum, and perform only the most necessary work.

Duties should be carried out alternately, dividing daytime and nighttime into short shifts (1-2 hours each). Only wounded, sick and young children are allowed to be released from duty. All other members of the emergency team must be involved in watchkeeping without fail. If there are a large number of people, two people on duty can be appointed at a time. Such an order will prevent outbreaks of apathy, despondency, and pessimistic moods that may arise as a result of a long passive stay in a shelter.
thirst. The concept of “heat” in relation to an emergency situation is the sum of several components - ambient air temperature, solar radiation intensity, soil surface temperature, air humidity, the presence or absence of wind, i.e., the climatic conditions of the place where the accident occurred.

In addition, there are many special cases when a person, for one reason or another, may feel that he is hot. For example, when the quantity or quality of clothing worn by a person does not correspond to the work he is currently performing. An inexperienced person, for fear of freezing, puts on all the clothes at his disposal, and then begins to work intensively. Active activities release a significant amount of energy, which leads to increased sweating and wetness of clothing adjacent to the body. As a result, a person quickly freezes after finishing work.

The practice of tourism and mountaineering knows many examples when a person received heatstroke during polar and high-mountain travel at sub-zero ambient temperatures.

Violation of the internal thermal balance occurs primarily through the fault of the victim himself.
Sultry afternoons are somewhat more dangerous in forest and forest-steppe zones. But here you can always find shade, a river or lake to swim or wet your headdress and face with cool water, and at the very peak of the heat, stop for a long rest.

It is much more difficult for a person in an emergency situation that has occurred in a desert or semi-desert zone. This is explained by the fact that heat here enters into alliance with thirst.

Almost two-thirds of a person consists of water, i.e. the body of an adult weighing 70 kg contains 50 liters of water. Moreover, bones consist of 25% water, muscles - 75%, and the brain - 80%. It is the brain that primarily suffers from lack of water.
Water in the body is the main medium (intra- and extracellular) and in many cases the main participant in countless vital chemical reactions. Therefore, insufficient, as well as excessive, intake of water into the body seriously affects the general physical condition of a person.

Excess water overloads the kidneys and heart, and washes out the salts it needs from the body. Workers in hot shops, whose water consumption is much higher than average (3-6 liters per day), sometimes show signs of water poisoning: loss of sensitivity, vomiting, convulsions, intestinal upset.

Lack of water leads to a decrease in body weight, thickening of the blood and, as a result, overstrain of the heart, which expends additional effort to push the thickened blood into the vessels. At the same time, the concentration of salts in the blood increases, which serves as a signal of the onset of dehydration. Brain cells respond to the threat of dehydration by immediately pumping free fluid out of the body's cells. Up to 5% of the liquid is removed without any consequences for the cells and, therefore, for the person himself. Dehydration exceeding 15% can lead to death. At the same time, a person deprived of food is able to lose almost the entire supply of fat, almost 50% of protein, and only then approach the dangerous line. Fasting, as already mentioned, can last several weeks, and a person deprived of water dies in a matter of days or hours (in hot climates).

In favorable climatic conditions, the human body's need for water does not exceed 2.5-3 liters per day. Moreover, not only the liquid that people consume in the form of various drinks is taken into account, but also the liquid that is part of solid food products. In addition, water is formed in the body itself as a result of chemical reactions occurring in it.
It is important to distinguish true water hunger from apparent water hunger. Very often, the feeling of thirst does not arise due to an objective lack of water, but due to improper water consumption.

One of the indicators of thirst is a decrease in salivation in the mouth. When salivation decreases by 15%, the first feeling of thirst appears, with a 20% decrease, thirst becomes more pronounced, and at 50%, a feeling of unbearable thirst appears.
Initial dry mouth is often perceived as a feeling of extreme thirst, although dehydration as such is not observed. A person begins to consume a significant amount of water, but there is no real need for it.

Excessive intake of water into the body, accompanied by increased physical activity, leads to increased sweating. Simultaneously with the abundant removal of excess fluid, the ability of body cells to retain water is disrupted. A vicious circle arises - the more a person drinks, the more he sweats and the more thirsty he feels.
The experiment showed that some people drank 5-6 liters of water in 8 hours, while others, under the same conditions, managed 0.5 liters.
Drinking a lot of water in one gulp is not recommended. Such a one-time consumption of liquid will not quench thirst, but can lead to swelling and weakness. We must remember that drinking water does not quench thirst immediately, but only after 10-15 minutes (after it reaches the stomach and is absorbed into the blood). It is best to drink water in small portions at short intervals until completely saturated.

Sometimes it is enough to rinse your mouth with cool water or suck on a sour candy, caramel, fruit pit, etc. This will cause a reflex release of saliva, and the feeling of thirst will significantly decrease.
In case of intense sweating, leading to the leaching of salts from the body, it is advisable to drink lightly salted water (0.5-1.0 g of salt per 1 liter of water). This amount of salt will have almost no effect on the taste of the water and will restore the body’s salt balance.

In the fight against frost, a person has a considerable arsenal of means. He can warm up by building a snow shelter, using warm clothing, lighting a fire, or doing intense physical work. Any of these methods will allow a person to save life for 1-3 days. Using all of the above possibilities, you can withstand the elements, sometimes for whole weeks.
In the desert, only water can prolong the life of a person who finds himself in an emergency situation.

Cold. Cold threatens humans most in high-latitude zones of the country: in the tundra, forest-tundra, in winter in the taiga, steppes and adjacent semi-deserts, as well as in the highlands.
The above zones are heterogeneous in temperature characteristics. Even in the same area at the same time, thermometer readings can vary by ten degrees or more. For example, in river valleys, gorges and other depressions, the decrease in temperature as a result of the flow of cold air into the lowlands is often much more noticeable than at elevated points of the relief.

Air humidity is important. For example, in the Oymyakon region, which is the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere, the temperature can drop to -70 ° C (the minimum -77.8 ° C was recorded in 1938), but due to the dry air, low temperatures are tolerated quite easily. And vice versa, humid frost, characteristic of coastal areas, which envelops and literally sticks to the skin, so subjectively the air temperature is always assessed lower than it actually is.
Wind speed is of decisive importance for human survival in low temperature conditions (Table 14).
In areas without natural shelter, low air temperatures combined with strong winds can reduce a person's survival time to several hours.
Long-term survival in sub-zero temperatures It also depends on the condition of clothing and shoes at the time of the accident, the quality of the shelter built, the availability of food and fuel supplies, and the moral and physical condition of the person.
As a rule, in an emergency situation, clothing can protect a person from the cold for a period sufficient to build a snow shelter.

Dependence of the cooling effect of air on a person on wind speed
Actual air temperature, °С Wind speed, m/s Total cooling effect, °С
-3 -10 -15 -25 -45 10-11 10-11 18 -20 -30 -36 -50 -90

Footwear plays a very important role in winter emergency conditions. Suffice it to say that 9 out of 10 frostbites occur on the lower extremities. Therefore, a person who has suffered an accident in the winter should first of all pay attention to the condition of his legs.
In order to keep shoes, socks, foot wraps dry, you can make shoe covers from available material (wrap your feet with a piece of loose fabric, etc.). Use the remaining material to insulate your clothes and protect your face from the wind.

Resistance to low temperatures largely depends on the mental state of a person. For example, a feeling of fear greatly reduces a person’s survival time even at temperatures close to zero. Panic fear of freezing contributes to freezing. And, on the contrary, the psychological attitude is “I’m not afraid of the cold. I have real opportunities to protect myself from its effects” - significantly increases the survival period, allows you to wisely distribute energy and time.

Overwork - an inevitable companion to an emergency situation, a consequence of constant physical and mental stress.
During an emergency, a person is forced to build a shelter, get food, prepare firewood for fires, and carry out many other necessary works that involve huge energy costs.
At the same time, a person may experience hunger and thirst, suffer from chronic lack of sleep, unfavorable climatic factors, feelings of fear and other stress.

In cases of sudden physical or mental stress, fatigue appears in an unusually short time. But most often, overwork accompanies long-term survival, when the sum of unfavorable factors (continuous work, malnutrition, lack of sleep, mental tension, etc.), gradually accumulating, exhausts a person physically and mentally.

With the help of proper rest, nutrition, and sleep, you can restore strength within a few days, but an emergency situation does not provide such opportunities. Overwork increases the impact on a person of adverse weather factors and various diseases. Thus, in the first hours after the accident, frost of -15 °C is much easier to bear than a few days later - temperatures close to zero.

Overfatigue significantly reduces performance and motor activity and weakens the will. Even with a slight load, a person may feel weak,
tremors in the legs, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea; it is difficult for him to concentrate on any object or thought, his attention is scattered, his actions are often illogical.

In a state of overwork, the speed of reactions, including defensive ones, slows down. In a situation where a healthy person reacts to danger in time, for example, jumps away from a falling stone, a significantly tired person will be delayed by several moments. (continued on page 2, see below the block - similar articles)