This is part four of a five part series, you can find
part three, HERE –
Author’s Note.
In most survival situations, according to the “Rule of Threes”, shelter is the next most important thing you need after providing first aid
and calling for help.
Fifth, find or build a
permanent shelter, to protect you from the elements and the wind as soon as the
conditions and weather permit.
Tip 7: Remember, if you or anyone with you is seriously injured, you do not want to move them anymore than is necessary, so as the FAA notes “staying put – once the threat of the fire is past – is normally your best bet”12.
An excerpt from “Snow Bound”, Driver, October 1980, by the Department of the Air Force, HERE.
You
will need to get out of the wind and the weather, and when it comes to permanent
shelters, you really have only three options:
1. You
can use the inside of the car or the plane’s fuselage if the wreckage is intact
and safe.
2. If
the wreckage is broken up, but still partially intact, you can modify the
remains with materials from the wilderness around you. Any upright piece of debris could make a
windbreak, to stop the wind from blowing into the remains of the wreck, if
supplemented with other materials found around the crash site13.
3. If
the wreck is destroyed or its location is unsafe, you can also use material,
such as a door or wing sections, from the wreckage to build or improve on a shelter
away from the crash site.
An excerpt from “Snow Bound”, Driver, October 1980, by the Department of the Air Force.
The
most readily available shelter, obviously, is the fuselage of the plane, or
interior of the car.
bound vehicle die from carbon monoxide poisoning from the engine exhausts. Before you start the engine, clear the exhaust pipes, and open an upwind window (the side opposite from the direction the wind is blowing) a little bit to allow for ventilation.
“Surviving the Winter Emergency”, Flying Safety, November 1985, page 3, HERE.
destroyed vehicle, the only source of heat will be your body heat.
You
will have to completely close-up the wreck, by plugging broken windows, cracks,
or doors with anything that stops the wind.
Then curtain off any areas that you aren’t using and insulate the walls
and especially the floors of your shelter with dry pine boughs or leaves,
newspapers, maps, cardboard, fabric seat stuffing, carpeting, plastic interior
panels, dry clothing, floorboards, or virtually anything that is dry and
nonmetallic, and have everyone huddle close together for warmth.
Two
important considerations to keep in mind are, first the temperature will drop
considerably after nightfall, usually between 10 - 20o F (5 - 10o
C) if the sky is clear, and second metal, particularly aluminum, conducts heat
very rapidly. If the temperature is
below 10o F (-12o C), the metal of the car or plane will
act as a cold sink and draw the heat from your body.
Tip
8: Remember the smaller
the shelter, the less body heat that is required to raise the temperature
inside.
some important benefits.
“Surviving the Winter Emergency”, Flying Safety, November 1985, page 3.
If
it is necessary to build a permanent shelter away from the wreckage, you can build
a roof over the temporary shelter you made earlier or make a lean-to, snow-trench,
or snow-cave.
Snow is a very good insulator, and your body heat alone will make the inside of the shelter warmer than the outside. Remember, the
smaller the area inside of your shelter, the easier it will be to warm it up with just your body heat.
For
more on shelter building read “The Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skills...Number
Five©”, HERE.
So,
now that your need for shelter has been satisfied it is time to build a fire
and get water to drink. Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Winter
Survival for Tommy...Part Five©”, where we will talk about building fires, getting
water and making signals to attract attention.
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
12 “Airman
Survival in the Big Snow”, by Federal Aviation Administration
13
Stay in sight of the wreck, remember don’t go far from the wreck, particularly
if the weather is bad, you might not be able to find your way back to it. If you must leave sight of the wreck, leave
trail signs so you can find your way back or rescuers can find you.
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