"Do not burn yourself to stop the bleeding if wounded, as a medical professional once said: “you’ll just be bleeding AND burned”."
"Don’t get under an overpass during a tornado. If you’re in a vehicle and can’t go inside something like a gas station or rest stop you’re better off in a ditch and cover your head. But overpasses/bridges are not a good place to be during a tornado."
"If you think you're going to be robbed at the bank, then put your PIN into the ATM backward, and it'll send some sort of emergency signal.
This isn't true. Plus, some people may have PINs that are the same forwards and backwards in the first place."
"I’m not sure how the myth started, but do not sleep naked in a sleeping bag. Unless you want to I guess. But it will not keep you warmer by “reflecting the heat” or anything like that. Clothing is another, important, layer of insulation."
"People think "survival" and think about hunting, building a 3 story mansion, creating water filters, and woodworking.
Most actual survival situations is basically getting some snacks, water, and signalling until you are found.
Pretty much the most important part is to just stay put when you realize you are lost, wandering around will make things so much worse."
"If you find a water source, remember something else is using it too. Some you can eat some can eat you."
"That you can get water by c*****g open a cactus and drinking the liquid inside. Unless you are a botanist who can identify the one or two specific types of cactus that are safe, you're going to have a bad time. The fluid in most cacti is full of acids and alkaloids that will make you violently ill. You'll end up vomiting, which will make you lose way more water than you gained and speed up the dehydration process."
"Alcohol warms the blood. They used to have giant st bernards with brandy casks around their neck. The dogs would find lost hikers and the brandy would "help them warm up and stay alive" Such a widespread idea that it is still visible in a lot of older cartoons.
Or so they thought.
In fact, the story of the St Bernards is largely a myth as well. Alcohol lowers body temperature and actually causes harm in these situations."
"Not a survival tip. Lightning does strike twice (or more) in the same place."
"If you have a nosebleed, tilt your head back.
You should really lean forward while pinching the soft part of your nose closed so all the blood doesn’t run down the back of your throat into your stomach and make you vomit. If you have blood in your mouth from this already, spit it out or let it run out.
People love to argue about this and I’ll never understand why."
"The idea that you should never move someone if you suspect a spinal injury is overstated.
Now they teach that it’s ok to (gently) move someone if you can make them more comfortable or safer. Especially if it will be a while before rescue .
It’s now thought that the initial trauma was enough to cause that damage, or it wasn’t, and gently moving them won’t leave them worse off."
"Fire by friction is easy. I can do it after just watching a bunch of youtube videos."
"Suck out the snake bite."
"*Do not get in a doorway during an earthquake.* Get under a sturdy table ~~or get down next to something sturdy.~~
~~Rescuers often find still-alive people in what’s called the “triangle of life.” Debris will fall onto the sturdy object and create a triangle-shaped safe zone next to it.~~
Edit: this has apparently changed since I took CERT training. The common advice is to “drop cover and hold on.” Thank you to those who commented!
The doorway thing was only true way back in the day for adobe and brick construction."
"3 feet of pine boughs compresses down to an amount that will keep u warm in an improvised shelter. At -40 take everything and anything."
"Drinking alcohol to stay warm..."
"If you crash your car into a river or lake, let it sink,and the pressure equalise before you try and get out."
"Moving in quicksand makes you sink faster."
"Let’s say ur stranded in the desert with only a water bottle, ppl think to take sips every while to preserve it throughout ur time there. But it’s actually better to just drink it all at once."
"A lot of the fighting stuff.
I'd just gouge their eyes, or bite them, or punch them in the throat, or kick him in the nuts", etc. are things spouted by people who don't have any training in a legitimate martial art, let alone had a single schoolyard scuffle when they were younger. It's just plain dangerous advice — doubly so when that kind of c**p is taught in slow motion drills at "self defence" classes, giving people false confidence."
"Anything that focus on being prepared physically without being prepared mentally ."
"Growing up I feel like I heard “stop, drop, and roll” everywhere. Not 1 viral video or movie have I ever seen anyone do this when on fire. I’m starting to think I was lied to, maybe other people can prevent forest fires too?"
"If you’re in trouble, call the police."
• Don't insult other visitors. Offensive comments will be deleted without warning.
• Comments are accepted in English only.
• No swearing words in comments, otherwise such comments will be censored.
• Your nickname and avatar are randomly selected. If you don't post comments for 7 days, they both are reset.
• To choose another avatar, click the ‘Random avatar’ link.
I hope the assholes who downvoted you get mugged, sodomized and shot by some Monkey-Poxed Haitian someday. They probably look like my avatar.
Yes but warms up to usable temps in your hand or mouth. (Alaskans are actually trained to always have a lighter and a knife).
My Jr High did survival training on a mini island in Alaska, I got "Best solo survivalist".
1. Air
2. Water
3. Shelter
4. Warmth/fire
5. Food
6. (I forget) maybe communication or tools?
7. Entertainment (very important to survival alone or with others)
Hard to tell if some of these are meant as Do's or Don'ts, but I can say, don't do deadly dangerous things for low value items. I've known a trained Coast Gaurd who drowned while trying to retrieve a fishing hook stuck on a bouy, while stupidly fishing off a beach in waders during a rainstorm.