In the September 2008 issue of S.W.A.T., Jeff Randall answered the request of some readers by writing about remote first aid. Jeff did a good job of covering what you may face once you leave the safety of your home, though I should really say, once you leave the safety of your bed, since most accidents occur in the home.
One of the priorities of survival that we teach in our jungle school is proper visual rescue signaling. It is perhaps the one skill that will save your life when rescue teams start looking for you.
A bug-out bag is a pre-prepared cache of supplies collected for use in times of emergency. The entire concept is to have this bag packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice. You may not have much warning and even less time to gather needed supplies.
Small bleeders are typically easy to control by direct pressure and by using dressings such as sterile gauze pads, Band-Aids, steri-strips, or by taping the wound closed with simple duct tape. Rarely should you attempt to sew a wound closed. Serious bleeding should be controlled by direct pressure and pressure dressings.
One thing that has always impressed me about S.W.A.T. Magazine is that just everything you see being reviewed here is actually reviewed. While contemplating what to work on for this month’s Against All Odds, I got an email from Simon Ashdown, PR Director for Adventure Medical Kits (AMK), detailing the new single-person survival kit that AMK had just released. Naturally I wanted to review it.
When it comes to training, having to do something is a far better instructor than the comfort of knowing you can quit at any time and go home. The best teacher in the world is named “necessity.” For the past 10 years my partner, Mike Perrin, and I have operated Randall’s Adventure & Training (RAT)
About 15 years ago, we were without power for ten days when a 220-inch snowfall snapped pine trees and took down power lines throughout Northern Alabama. I realize that a major snowfall doesn’t seem like much to all of you who live up North, but down South we don’t have the equipment to deal with it, since snowstorms in these parts are a rare event.
I’ve gone for several days without eating in the bush and when you finally get the chance to eat, your stomach has changed. Just about anything you put in it, especially raw meat, causes it to react in strange ways, and you may end up spending a few uncomfortable hours until the digestive process catches up.
To be real blunt, you cannot “learn” survival no matter how many videos or books you study. An instructor can only bring enlightenment to the methods that aid in various types of developed skills. Survival is a natural reaction known as staying alive. It can be as simple as running away from a threat or
Many moons ago, during a visit to a group of Indians on the Chambira River in Peru, I was amazed at how sharp their machetes were, even though no grinders, files or commercial sharpening stones were anywhere in the village.
