Autonomous survival in extreme environmental conditions
Man evolved the significant period of his history exclusively in natural conditions; has acquired experience, knowledge, ways and methods of existence in various and sometimes very severe natural conditions.
Thanks to technical progress man created an artificial habitat which guarantees him a relatively safe and comfortable existence. However no matter how perfect, automated, informative this comfortable world is, the man always exists in it only at the expense of nature, its resources. Contacts with nature are inevitable - sometimes in a soft, sometimes in a rigid form, including extreme situations.Extreme situation is the situation that has a direct threat to life, human health or property and at the same time it is limited or excluded the possibility of assistance from other people.
Extreme situations occur more often when a person is forced to stay at a considerable distance from the inhabited place. Prerequisites for such situations can be:
> sudden changes in weather conditions;
> disaster;
> exaggeration of one's own capabilities in a difficult situation;
> insufficient qualification of a specialist;
> loss of orientation;
> failure of machinery, transport;
> harassment of the enemy, etc.
In all cases, when a person changes his location, he is forced to learn new climatogeographical conditions of life and habitat.
Adaptation to new climatogeographical conditions of life is called acclimatization and is carried out in a complex way in several directions:
1. Acclimatization to the changes in the temperature regime.
2. Acclimatization to the changes in the solar (radiation) regime.
3. Acclimatization to the change in the daily regime.
The favorable outcome of autonomous existence largely depends on the psychophysical qualities of a person, physical readiness, endurance, etc.
Survival means active, expedient actions aimed at preserving life, health and efficiency in an autonomous existence.
In conditions of forced autonomy a person is rarely closed in an enclosed space. And if this happens, we must take into account that 1 person for 1 hour requires 1 m3 of air.
The problem of water has two sides. This is, first, reducing water use and keeping it in the body in every possible way, and, secondly, searching for sources of water and preparing it for use.
The minimum water intake necessary to maintain the water balance in the body is approximately 1,1 liters. The daily loss of water by a person equal to 1,5 liters is distributed as follows: urine 0,5 l; sweat 0,5 l; loss of breath 0,4 liters; feces 0,1 liters. Losses of water sharply increase in cases of vomiting (seasickness, food poisoning, trauma accompanied by concussion), diarrhea related to person's sick condition. The use of alcoholic beverages also causes dehydration of the body.
The daily compensation for water losses consists of the following sources:
> ~1,1 liters of water, drinks, juices, tea, soups, water contained in solid foods (vegetables, bread (~ 35%)), etc.;
> metabolic water (with the intake of 100 g of fat as a result of metabolism 107 ml of water is formed, 100 g of carbohydrates - 55 ml of water, 100 g of protein - 41 ml of water).
Water sources:
1. Spring, stream, river, soil water.
2. Lake, swamp, puddle.
3. Precipitation (rainwater, dew, frost, snow, ice).
4. Plant juice, animal blood.
5. Wells.
6. Condensate.
Water purification:
1. Filtration (a layer of soil, sand, charcoal, cloth).
2. Decontamination (boiling, addition of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to slightly-pink color, followed by sedimentation and filtration of a dark precipitate (MnO2), 2-3 drops of 5% solution of I2 per 1 liter of water, 1-2 tablets of lanthocide per 1 liter of water, boiling for 30-40 minutes with 100150 g of young branches of coniferous trees, birch bark, bark of oak, willow on a bucket of water). These methods can not purify water from pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
In conditions of forced autonomy four cases of starvation may occur:
> absolute (or dry, since no food and water);
> complete (no food, but enough water);
> incomplete (eating food in limited quantities, not enough to fill energy losses);
> partial (with sufficient food, a person loses with food one or several substances necessary for the body, for example, vitamins).
The possibilities of starvation depend on many factors and fluctuate in a large time interval for people of different ages, complexion and state of health.
Before going into starvation it is necessary to assess the current situation and make a strategy of behavior taking into account the gained experience:
> 2-3 days of starvation when drinking water does not affect the body condition negatively.
> Avoid sharp transition to starvation, it is better to gradually reduce the amount of food consumed and its calorie content. But, if you went into starvation, it is better not to eat at all, than to use fractional food.
> With decrease in nutrition, drink more water (preferably warm), this is especially important in the first days of fasting, when the body loses a lot of fluid.
> Minimize energy losses - maximally reduce motor activity, lie more; keep the body warm. (Warm clothes, hat, mittens.)
> The critical state occurs on the 30th-40th day.
Any forced autonomy immediately puts before the person tasks, from the solution of which, in the first place, depends its outcome:
> overcoming fear and getting out of a possible stressful state;
> assistance or self-help in the event of injury;
> salvage of property and water and food supplies;
> establishing communication or distress signals;
> obtaining water and food;
> construction of temporary shelters;
> preservation of life and health;
> orientation in space and time, determining the route to people.
Overcoming fear and possible stress
Fear is the first reaction of a person caught in an extreme situation.
This is a natural reaction to danger, and it is typical for any normal person. It is fear for life that causes the desire to act to be saved, and if a person knows what he should do, fear intensifies reaction, activates thinking.There are several grades of fear:
> fright (the first reaction to the threat),
> anxiety (a sense of uncertainty when expecting unfavorable events),
> fear (reacting to real danger),
> panic (uncontrollable animal fear).
Each individual has a limit of mental endurance, beyond which he is not capable of further resisting the feeling of fear, falling into chaotic behavior or some kind of stupor. Shock, arising from fear, usually lasts from 15 to 30 minutes.
Physiological symptoms of fear are: increased heart rate, trembling, weakness, muscle retardation, drying of the mouth and throat, sweating, nausea, dizziness, lack of air, rumbling in the abdomen, frequent urge to urinate, involuntary emptying of the intestine and bladder.
Stress is the state of strong nervous tension. It can be long and shortterm. In the case of a long stress state, three phases can be distinguished:
- reaction of anxiety (the phase of mobilization of body defenses);
- stabilization phase;
- exhaustion.
Overcoming stress and fear:
- Auto-training. Even forcing yourself to count to 30 with your eyes closed, you can achieve the first result - to calm down. A good result is given by breathing exercises which are part of the warm-up complexes of many martial arts.
- Analysis of the situation and development of an action plan.
- Mobilization of consciousness and will on active actions.
Establishing communication or giving distress signals
The search for people who find themselves in an extreme situation is often hampered by the fact that it has to be conducted on a large territory. Therefore, those in distress must use any available means to provide a signal indicating their location
For this, various pyrotechnic means can be used: the combined signal cartridge, signal rockets, and etc.
For radio signals, special emergency radio stations, small in size, can be used which, when switched on for three hours, give alarm signals.The simplest ways of signaling:
> signalling mirror
> smoke of a fire
Mobile telephony belongs to the perfect technical means that can be used to overcome the misfortune of an autonomous existence.
Getting food
To get food in natural extreme conditions of survival is one of the main tasks, from the solution of which depends, first of all, the maintenance of human strength, the resistance of his organism to the harsh external environment.
Signs of plants edibility:
1. Fruits are bitten by birds.
2. Remains of plant food at the foot of trees and bushes (many pits, scraps of peel).
3. Bird litter on branches, trunks.
4. Plants gnawed by animals.
5. Fruits of plants found in nests and burrows.
Do not use:
1. Unfamiliar plants, berries, mushrooms.
2. Plants that produce milky juice at the break.
3. Berries and mushrooms with an unpleasant taste.
4. Bitter plants.
Edible parts of plants: tubers, roots and rhizomes, bulbs (under the ground, as a rule, are rich in starch, eaten raw, boiled or fried), shoots and stems, leaves, grain, bark (edible soft inner layer of bark of young birches and pines, cut as noodles, eaten both raw and dried), berries and fruits (the richest in vitamins and carbohydrates), nuts, mushrooms.
Burdock as a root crop can replace carrots, parsley, parsnips.
Great nettle is rich in proteins (vegetable meat). In the leaves of the nettle there is a lot of ascorbic acid, and vitamin K is more than in spinach and cabbage.
Dandelion regulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, eliminates the feeling of fatigue, both physical and mental, contains insulin.
Common borage contains ascorbic acid, carotene, aromatic substances; raises spirit, improves mood.
Sorrel contains vitamin C, rutin, potassium, iron, magnesium, tannins.
Berries of juniper contain up to 40% of sugar.
Among the representatives of the animal world grasshoppers, smooth caterpillars, larvae and pupae of bug beetles, spiders, termites, mollusks, snails, freshwater or sea crabs, crayfish, lobsters, shrimps, frogs, newts, salamanders, snakes, lizards, turtles, fish could be eaten. Hunting for fish, birds, animals requires skill and some equipment.