Survival

SURVIVAL FIRST ACTIONS

1001. A survival situation arrises when some unforseen circumstance causes a disruption to

your normal well being. It may happen through an accident, mechanical breakdown, a natural disaster

like bushfire or flood, through someone becoming sick or injured or perhaps you just get lost in the

bush. One dictionary definition states that to survive, means to continue to live, after a disaster or

hardship. So survival is essentially, the art of staying alive and while generally this applies to all environments, the AIRTC notes concentrate only on the natural / outdoor environment. The following

mnemonic, made up of the word SURVIVAL, provides some useful guidelines. As you work through

the notes and lectures, you will find that each point is explained in more detail.

S stop and think

U undue haste makes waste

R remember where you are

V vanquish fear and panic

I improvise

V value life

A act according to the situation

L learn the basic skills

Survival Attitudes

1002. In a survival situation, a positive mental attitude is essential in order to maintain both

individual and group morale. Development of such an attitude can mean the difference between

success and failure. Some of the factors which relate to a positive survival attitude are explained

below.

a. Common sense; Don't over react to the situation you find yourself in, this often

causes unnecessary mental stress and leads to wrong decisions

being taken. Take time to think about what has happened, look

around you, assess the situation and then make your decisions.

b. Tenacity; Take positive action to improve your situation and don't just

accept that things look bad at the time. Take stock of the water

and food supply and work out if you need shelter from he

elements. Do something substantial about it no matter how

simple, you can improve on it later.

c. Organising ability; Many people think that this trait only belongs to a few gifted

individuals. This attitude is not acceptable for survival because

you can't afford not to be organised. Whether on your own, or in

a group, tasks have to be done, often at a given time of the day.

Possible ways out of the situation need to be planned and also

what you can do to assist search and rescue parties which may be

looking for you.

d. Patience; Survival in the natural environment often involves a lot of

waiting around. Waiting for water to collect in a solar still,

waiting for an animal