Monday 21 May 2012

Personal Survival Kit

Introduction
A survival kit is a package of essential tools and provisions geared up in advance as a support for continued existence in a crisis circumstances. Survival kits, gives a person basic protection against all odd elements. It facilitates them in keeping warm, provide food and water, meet their first aid needs, signal to rescuers, and help them in finding their way back. Civilians such as forestry employees, inspectors, or bush pilots, whose occupation is in remote site or in regions with intense climatic conditions, are required to be always equipped with survival kits. Disaster provisions are also held in reserve by those living in areas which are prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
A lot of people like the camouflage as well as the earthy colors in their survival kit including ropes. Though it is good for military but if civilians are equipping themselves to have a good kit then they should avoid these colors. It is required to be as visible as feasible in order to be noticed by the rescuer. A natural shelter will camouflage it in the background and will create more difficulties for search and rescue operation. If we taped brightly colored tape or reflective material on an element it is easier to search in case we drop or misplace them. This means we can save a lot of time and energy if we expend some time in improving our signals. Survival is a serious affair and a regular update about any eventuality is very much essential. A survival arrangement starts at the pre-trip planning phase, in the case of a planned journey. If we have a personal survival kit and unexpectedly fall into an emergency situation, be certain that our small kit will do the job.
Personal Survival Kit
Having a high-quality personal survival kit on disposal is the safest way to protect ourselves in an unforeseen event. Miniature version of a whole lot of things we need is cleverly packed into a compact container, which means we never have to search somewhere else for the proper items. What makes a personal survival kit better than other is the quality. Not all pack contains food, properly sealed water and batteries. However, it also is essential to look for kits that contain as many products we could have, including light, communication and warmth.
There are many types of survival kits, ranging from small sizes enough to fit into our pocket to large size sufficient to pack a room. It doesn’t matter how big or small a survival kit is it should assure all or most of our needs. One accepted small kit is prepared from an Altoids tin. Users typically put gears like strike anywhere matches, a small folding knife, water purification tablets, adhesive bandages, duct tape, and tinder for starting fires. The tin is often wrapped with 550 paracord. The idea isn’t that this kit will give us all our need to survive for weeks but rather, it gives us at least the essentials to last a night or two.
Another acceptable type of survival kit is described a Get Home Bag. It is usually made from a duffel bag or backpack. While all efforts are made to maintain the lightness of the bag so as to effortlessly carry long distances, the pack is packed with food and gear to last quite a few days. The content list includes items such as granola bars, 550 paracord, a mess kit, dehydrated soups, a portable water filter, a sheath knife and/or machete, and a well stocked first aid kit.
One more category of survival kit is the Evacuation Bag. This kit is held in reserve at home and contains items a family will need in an occasion they are strained to leave home for an uncertain length of time. While comparable in content to a Get Home Bag, there are a small number of additional items that are included. These would be stuff like clothes for all family members and copies of essential papers. The target is to make available all of the family’s needs until such time they are able to come back home.
These Evacuation Bags are not confined to just one duffel bag or backpack. It is suggested that a family prepare separate bags for each and every person who are old enough to carry one bag in an emergency situation. If younger kids are involved, supplies for them can be placed in another family member’s bag thus helping them to move easily with a lighter load. This not only helps to share the load of the complete family Survival Kit, it also brings awareness to the small members of our family during any eventuality. Who knows it may be a kid, due to his/her preparedness rescue an adult. Though younger kids need to share the load of a family survival kit, but it is very much essential that they move with the family members. As the preparedness is a collective effort, it is the responsibility of the head of the family to take regular stock of the kit and involve all members for its utilization. Survival kits come in different shapes and sizes with a common goal to keep us and our families alive until help reach the destination.
Preparedness

Practice makes a man perfect and it is no different in an emergency situation. It helps people feel less confused and better planned even if it is in the middle of the night. We should make sure that our families know where to locate the main circuit breaker, gas, fire extinguishers, and water valves. Select a reunion location where all family members will meet during an emergency. It should be outside the house, in the garden or any other open place. They should carry their survival kit during the monk test. There should be a counting of all the members of the family. If anybody is missing, only the trained person during the emergency should enter to rescue the family member. We need to always update every year our Family Disaster Plan. Check the personal information and telephone numbers of everyone sited in the plan. Print updated copies of all the family members. Check the contents of the emergency kits. Change the batteries in the flashlights and portable radio. Replenish the emergency kits. Change bottled water; make sure that all food is safe to eat and a medication has not expired.




Mini Personal Survival Kit
Signalling group
-
Polished case serves as improvised signal mirror. Polished aluminum tape applied to interior of lid, protected by peel-away sheet.
Emergency devices group
2
Razor knife Blades
1
Spark-Lite Fire starter Flint
5
Spark-Lite "Fire Tab" Tinders
4
Windproof/Waterproof NATO Lifeboat Matches and Striker Strip
1
"Premium" BCB Wire Survival Saw
1
Fishing Kit in plastic vial: 13 asst. hooks, 6 swivels, 5 split shot
50 ft.
20 lb. Fishing Line
1
Extra Large Hook
20 ft.
Brass Snare Wire
1
Fishing Knot Information sheet
1
White narrow-angle Photon Micro-Light II
11in.
Teflon Tube
1
Brunton 15MM Button Compass
Medical group
6
Acetaminophen or similar pain killer, vacuum packed

Critical personal medication, vacuum packed
1
Drug Information Sheet
.6 cc
Potassium Permanganate Crystals in plastic vial
Water & food group
25
Potable-Aqua Iodine Water Disinfectant Tabs in glass vial
2
Large Oven Baking Bags
Miscellaneous / Multi-Purpose Group
9 ft.
550# Mil Spec. Parachute Cord wrapped around kit
2.5 ft.
3M Scotch "Super 33+" Electrical Tape (wrapped around kit to seal it)
10 ft.
Twisted Nylon Line
16 in.
Duct Tape
10 ft.
H.D. Poly/Cotton Sewing Thread
2
Sewing Needles, 1 large, 1 medium
1
Heavy Duty Sewing Awl
7
Safety Pins, 2 each #1, #2 and 3 ea. of #3
5 sq. ft.
H.D. Aluminum Foil
1
Thin Pencil (unsharpened)
2
"Rite in the Rain" paper, 2 x 3 in. sheets
1
Two Piece Tinned Steel Container  3 3/4" x 2 5/16" x 15/16"


Conclusion
Disaster never comes knocking our door, so the better we prepare for it, safer we and our family members are. As day by day Personal Survival Kits have become more and more advance, adequate knowledge and awareness will go a long way in helping us to survive before help actually arrives. It is very essential to have the Personal Survival Kit for all the Family members because in case there is a coordination failure and some members are missing, at least because of the survival kit they should be able to survive for a day or so. With the advent of Global Warming, Emergency preparedness training of all persons in the household is essential, as it is becoming very difficult to predict the Mother Nature. Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Earthquake, tsunami and many other calamities always make us feel we can never overpower the Mother Nature, hence all we can do is save ourselves with a little bit of precautions, so as to help our state and country, by giving those extra vital hours before they finally arrive. 

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