Here is a presentation I made for my TAFE work. It is tips of how to survive in the wild if you get lost.

1. Bush Survival

2. DISCLAMER
The bush is a dangerous place. The writer will not take any responsibility if someone gets
hurt taking the advice from this presentation. Always take advise from a expert before
entering a dangerous environment.

3. Going out in the wild
Going for hiking, bike rides, four wheel driving etc. is a great way to get out in
to the wild.
You can spend time with friends and family and even make new friends. But
you need to make sure you are prepared. Some times things happen like
getting lost, hurting yourself and many more things. This presentation is
about how to survive if some thing does happen .

4. The First Thing To Do
A big mistake people make is panicking. The most important
thing to do is relax, sit down (as long as it safe to do so!) and think about
your next step. How far out am I, is any body hurt, am I hurt, is it best to
wait for help or do I go get help?
Most people when they break down in the bush, will rush off and try to
get help and will be found dead or hurt 5km from the car.
Just use common sense.

5. Priorities Of Survival
There’s a saying you can say to yourself to remember the four
priorities, Please Remember What's First. The P in Please stands
for Protection, The R in Remember stands for Rescue, the W in What's
stands for Water and the F in First stands for Food. These are the basic
needs for survival.
Lets go through the priorities of survival.

6. Protection
The first priority is protection. Think about it, there’s no point putting rescue first
and then you die because you didn't build or find shelter.
The first thing that protects you from the elements is your clothing. Clothing is
your first line of defence. Wear layers in a cold climate to trap air. Wearing
layers is better than just wearing one big garment. Also keep your clothes dry.
Wet clothing looses 90% of there insulating properties. Water conducts heat (away
from your body) approximately 25 time faster then air of the same temperature.
So in other words, stay dry!

7. Protection
In a hot climate, clothing and head wear could be your only protection against the
sun. A improvised hat or head scarf can provide shade and keep your body cool
if made wet. Keep your skin covered is a good idea if you don't want to get burnt.

8. Protection
The next form of protection is shelter. A tip, most of the time nature has provided
one for you. So before you waste energy making a shelter, have a quick look
around first and see if there is any trees fallen over or maybe some caves.
Then if there is nothing then you are going to have to build one. Ideally it would be
great to have a tent but most of the time you don’t carry one in you pocket!

9. Protection
FIRE. This is a thing that kills a lot of people. But in this case it saves a lot. Fire, if
used right can save your life. It will provide you with heat, light, comfort and
protection. Lighting one can be a pain. But if you know what your doing, it can
make it a whole lot easier. There is three things a fire needs: Oxygen, Fuel and
Heat.

10. Protection
Choose the location for your fire wisely; relative proximity to your shelter and
wind direction being the most important consideration. ( You don't want a bush
fire!) Build a base of green branches if the ground is wet or dig a pit to protect if
it is windy. Look for wood off the ground to ensure that you get dry wood. (Look
for dead branches and twigs that crack when you break them). You will then
need tinder to get you spark going.

11. Protection
Your probably thinking “What another slide about fire”? Trust me if you are out
in the elements and it is freezing cold and you are wet, you will want to know how
to light a fire! There are lots of types of tinder. Fluffy fibrous materials like dry
moss and dry grasses all make good tinder, as do cotton balls, tampons or
petrol soaked rags. (Be very careful starting a fire with petrol. Use a very small
amount and start the fire well away from the petrol source.) Before you light
your fire make sure you have enough wood to last you. If you think you have
got enough double it.

12. Protection
(Yes one more slide) Finally once you have a flame, start putting the kindling on.
One thing you have to learn about fire is you can’t rush it. Look after it when its
small, it will look after you when its big. So remember it needs oxygen. Once the
kindling catches on start building it up. Make lighting the fire a group thing. (if
more than one of you are lost of course!) Once it is going, sit around the fire and talk
about home. Its amazing how much a fire can lift your spirits.

13. Rescue
Rescue is your next priority. Rescue services will start looking as soon as they
know you are missing. You might only get one chance to signal your rescuers so
make sure you are prepared.
Location: You need to think, what way would they be coming from? How will they
spot you? Like I said at the start if it is safe to do so, stay were you are. You need
to make yourself visible.
Signalling: The international sign for help is the letters SOS. Make the SOS sign
with rocks or sticks near your location. If you have a torch or light source keep it
near by for signalling A shiny surface will reflect the sun for many miles. For
example you could use a knife or a mirror off your car. Use this to signal them
directly or sweep the horizon if no one is in sight.

14. Rescue
Signalling (Continued): Smoky signal fires are a great way to alert rescuers. Have
them built and ready for quick ignition. Keep the fire dry by putting vegetation over
the top. Have damp or living wood or green leaves near by to create smoke. You
can also put oil, diesel and tyres on to make smoke. (Please make sure you deflate
the tyre before you put it on the fire!)
Navigation: If you HAVE to walk to find help, you need to know which direction to go.
There is two reasons why you would travel to find help. Number one is your
location is unsafe, or two you know that no one is looking for you. There are many
ways of finding directions.

15. Rescue
Navigation (continued): There is a method called the shadow stick. What you
do is place a stick in the ground. Mark where the tip of the shadow falls. Wait 15
min's and mark again. The line between those two marks denotes a general
east-west axis. (Not recommended in polar regions above/below 60° latitude.) In
the southern hemisphere, the south line in the picture will become north.
The next one is my favourite. Using your watch all you do is point the 12 at the sun
and half way between 12 and the short hand is a rough north-south line.

16. Water
Water is very important. They say some people can last 3 weeks without food but
barely 3 days without water. (In good conditions) Don't eat food if you don't have water
because your body uses water to digest food.
Sources: One way to find water is if you find some game trails (Animal tracks) and
follow them and see if they lead to water. Also look for lush vegetation which can
be a sign the there is underground water present. If you are desperate, now I
mean like really desperate you can drink your own pee. Yes that sound really gross
but you can drink it. I don't recommend it, but if your just about to die then go for it.

17. Water
Collection:
You should always start looking for water before you run out. Don't wait until you
have nothing before you start looking. You could make a rain/dew trap or a solar
still.
Purification: Water from Arctic ice (caution may be sea ice), a rain/dew or still
probably won't need purifying. You should always purify when possible. Drinking
water that makes you sick can be worse than having no water. To purify water
you need boil the water for about 15mins. To get dirt out of the water just use your
shirt or sock. Try to get water from a running source.

18. Food
Good old bush tucker. The bush can provide some food that half the time you
don't know it is there. The first step, don't eat food that is unknown to you. Probably
the most safe food to eat in the bush is meat. Setting snares and traps is better
than wasting energy hunting. Generally if it walks, crawls, swims or flies it is edible.
When you start getting to plants then you have to be careful. Berries, and fruit are a
bit more hard to tell if its edible.

19. Food
Traps:
Most animals can be snared with a wire noose in the right position. Funnel the
animal toward your trap. The more traps you set the better your chance of you
catching some thing. Practice knots at home.
Scavenging:
The good survivor is a scavenger. Let nature do all the hard work for you. Don't
be choosy if you get your hands on something edible, eat it.

20. Food
There is a testing process that you can do to test plants if they are edible. The first
step is to smell. Crush a small amount and smell. If it smells like bitter almonds or
peaches – DISCARD.
Next Rub slightly or squeeze some of the juice on to a tender part of the body
(under the arm between armpit and elbow). If any discomfort, rash or swelling is
experienced- DISCARD.
If there is no irritation to the skin proceed in the following stages, going on to the
next only waiting 10sec to check that there is no unpleasant reaction:
● Place a small portion on the lips
● Place a small portion in the corner of the mouth
● Place a small portion on the tip of the tongue
● Place a small portion under the tongue
● Chew a small portion
In any cases: if any discomfort is felt, such as soreness to the throat, irritation or
stinging or burning sensation- DISCARD
Swallow a small amount and WAIT FIVE HOURS. During this period eat or drink
NOTHING else. If there is no reactions, you may consider the plant safe.

21. CHOOSE TO SURVIVE
This is the most important thing. You might think it doesn’t help much but it does.
There have been people that have been in situations that you would of thought
was impossible to get out of. Just because they kept their hope up, they survived.
Be prepared, plan your trip carefully, contact professionals for advise, and most of
all respect the wild.
Jayden Glassby ☺
Above: Climbing mountains with my grand dad and brother.