Survival Planning and Survival Kits
A
survival plan is dependent on three separate but intertwined parts to be successful:
planning, preparation, and practice.
Survival
planning is nothing more than realizing something could happen that would put
you in a survival situation and, with that in mind, taking steps to increase
your chances of survival. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime, so
remember: failure to plan is a plan to fail. Plans are based on evasion and
recovery (E&R) considerations and the availability of resupply or emergency
bundles. You must take into consideration the mission duration and the distance
to friendly lines; the environment, to include the terrain and weather and
possible changes in the weather during a protracted mission; and the platform
you will be operating with, such as an aircraft, a multipurpose vehicle, or
perhaps just a rucksack. Planning also entails looking at those E&R routes
and knowing by memory the major geographical features in case your map and
compass are lost. You can use classified and unclassified sources such as the
Internet, encyclopedias, and geographic magazines to assist you in planning.
Preparation
means preparing yourself and your survival kit for those contingencies that you
have in your plan. A plan without any preparation is just a piece of paper. It
will not keep you alive. Prepare yourself by making sure your immunizations and
dental work are up-to-date. Prepare your uniform by having the newest uniform
for emergencies. It will have the most infrared-defeating capabilities
possible. You can have signal devices and snare wire sewn into it ahead of
time. Break in your boots and make sure that the boots have good soles and
water-repellent properties. Study the area, climate, terrain, and indigenous
methods of food and water procurement. You should continuously assess data,
even after the plan is made, to update the plan as necessary and give you the
greatest possible chance of survival. Another example of preparation is finding
the emergency exits on an aircraft when you board it for a flight. Practice
those things that you have planned with the items in your survival kit.
Checking ensures that items work and that you know how to use them. Build a
fire in the rain so you know that when it is critical to get warm, you can do
it. Review the medical items in your kit and have instructions printed on their
use so that even in times of stress, you will not make life-threatening errors.
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
Detailed prior planning is essential in
potential survival situations. Including survival considerations in mission
planning will enhance your chances of survival if an emergency occurs. For
example, if your job requires that you work in a small, enclosed area that
limits what you can carry on your person, plan where you can put your rucksack
or your load-bearing equipment (LBE). Put it where it will not prevent you from
getting out of the area quickly, yet where it is readily accessible.
One important aspect of prior planning is
preventive medicine. Ensuring that you have no dental problems and that your
immunizations are current will help you avoid potential dental or health
problems. Some dental problems can progress to the point that you may not be
able to eat enough to survive. Failure to keep your shots current may mean your
body is not immune to diseases that are prevalent in the area.
Preparing and carrying a survival kit is as
important as the considerations mentioned above. All Army aircraft have
survival kits on board for the type of area over which they will fly. There are
kits for over-water, hot climate, and cold climate survival. Each crewmember
will also be wearing an aviator survival vest (Appendix A describes these
survival kits). Know the location of these kits on the aircraft and what they
contain in case of crash or ditching. There are also soldier kits for tropical
and temperate survival. These kits are expensive and not always available to
every soldier. However, if you know what these kits contain, and on what basis
they are built, you will be able to plan and to prepare your own survival kit
that may be better suited to you than an off-the-shelf one.
Even the smallest survival kit, if properly
prepared, is invaluable when faced with a survival problem. However, before
making your survival kit, consider your unit `s
mission, the operational environment, and the equipment and vehicles assigned
to your unit.
SURVIVAL KITS
The environment is the key to the types of
items you will need in your survival kit. How much equipment you put in your
kit depends on how you will carry the kit. A kit carried on your body will have
to be smaller than one carried in a vehicle. Always layer your survival
kit—body, load-bearing vest or equipment, and platform (rucksack, vehicle, or
aircraft). Keep the most important items on your body. For example, your map
and compass should always be on your body, as should your basic life-sustaining
items (knife, lighter). Carry less important items on your LBE. Place bulky
items in the rucksack.
In preparing your survival kit, select items
that are multipurpose, compact, lightweight, durable, and most importantly,
functional. An item is not good if it looks great but doesn `t
do what it was designed for. Items should complement each other from layer to
layer. A signal mirror in your pocket can be backed up by pen flares in your
LBE and a signal panel in your rucksack. A lighter in your uniform can be
augmented by a magnesium bar in your LBE and additional dry tinder in your
rucksack.
Your survival kit need not be elaborate. You
need only functional items that will meet your needs and a case to hold the
items. For the case, you might want to use a bandage box, soap dish, tobacco
tin, first-aid case, ammunition pouch, or another suitable case. This case
should be—
·
Water-repellent
or waterproof.
·
Easy
to carry or attach to your body.
·
Suitable
to accept various-sized components.
·
Durable.
Your survival kit should be broken down into
the following categories:
·
Water.
·
Fire.
·
Shelter.
·
Food.
·
Medical.
·
Signal.
·
Miscellaneous.
Each category should contain items that allow
you to sustain your basic needs. For example, water—you should have items that
allow you to scoop up, draw up, soak up, or suck up water; something to gather
rainwater, condensation, or perspiration; something to transport water; and
something to purify or filter water. Some examples of each category are as
follows:
·
Water—purification
tablets, non-lubricated condoms for carrying water, bleach, povidone-iodine
drops, cravats, sponges, small plastic or rubber tubing, collapsible canteens
or water bags.
·
Fire—lighter,
metal match, waterproof matches, magnesium bar, candle, magnifying lens.
·
Shelter—550
parachute cord, large knife, machete or hatchet, poncho, space blanket,
hammock, mosquito net, wire saw.
·
Food—knife,
snare wire, fishhooks, fish and snare line, bouillon cubes or soup packets,
high-energy food bars, granola bars, gill or yeti net, aluminum foil, freezer
bags.
·
Medical—oxytetracycline
tablets (to treat diarrhea or infection), surgical blades or surgical
preparation knife, butterfly sutures, lip balm, safety pins, sutures,
antidiarrheal medication (imodium), antimalarial medication (doxycycline),
broad-spectrum antibiotics (rocephin and zithromax) and broad spectrum topical
ophthalmic (eye) antibiotic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen),
petrolatum gauze, and soap. Medical items may make up approximately 50 percent
of your survival kit.
·
Signal—signaling
mirror, strobe, pen flares, whistle, flag, pilot scarf or other bright
orange silk scarf, glint tape, flashlight, laser pointer, solar blanket.
·
Miscellaneous—wrist
compass, needle and thread, money, extra eyeglasses, knife sharpener, cork,
camouflage stick, and survival manual.
Include a weapon only if the situation so
dictates. Ambassadors and theater commanders may prohibit weapons even in
extreme circumstances. Read and practice the survival techniques in this manual
and apply these basic concepts to those you read about in other civilian
publications. Consider your mission and the environment in which you will
operate. Then prepare your survival kit with items that are durable,
multipurpose, and lightweight. Imagination may be the largest part of your kit.
It can replace many of the items in a kit. Combined with the will to live, it
can mean the difference between surviving to return home with honor or not
returning at all.