Security instructor of the search and rescue squad "Lisa Alert" Yulia Sviridenkova told about the rules of life of the mushroom picker: how to prepare for a trip to the forest, what you must take with you, how the search and rescue operation of the squad works, and how to behave if you do get lost in the forest.
Don't be too cocky
On the one hand, it seems that the safest forest is the one you know. Although you can even visit it ten times, and on the eleventh, you can get lost because during the winter the paths were covered with trees and the usual landscape has changed. Basically, "losses". Say: "I have been going to this forest for ten years and I know it like the back of my hand." But, as a rule, people who go into an unfamiliar forest show great caution: they do not go too deep. It turns out that those at risk are those who are too confident in their abilities.
Before going to the forest
When going to the forest, you need to warn your relatives or neighbors about this: tell you which way you are heading, which forest, and be sure to warn what time you plan to return home. It is better to go out into the forest in the morning when the sun is still high and there is long daylight ahead.
Do not go to the forest alone. If possible, it is always better to call a girlfriend, neighbor, husband, wife — anyone, but not young children. If you get lost, together it will be easier for you to break trees and get firewood for a fire, and if you have to spend the night in the forest, you can warm each other. Also, psychologically together it is not so scary to get lost. You can take a dog with you if you are sure that she will not run away and you do not have to run after her through the forest.
Before going into the forest, it is advisable to study the map of the area and understand at which point you go and which linear limiters are nearby: it can be a river, a railway, a clearing, an electric power line, or a highway. If you get lost, they will serve as guidelines.
You need to look at the weather forecast: will there be a squally wind or heavy rain. Often people are guided by the sun, but this is unreliable: it can hide, and a person will be disoriented. Even if the weather forecast is good, grab a rain cover: it is light and does not take up much space, but it will save you in case of rain.
Remember what time you left the house, what road you went, where the sun was and what obstacles crossed: swamps, streams, paths, power lines.
What to bring except a mushroom basket
First of all, you need to bring a fully charged mobile phone with you. You can also grab a portable power bank charger.
Take a supply of water at the rate of one liter per person for one day. If you are walking with someone together, be sure to share the water. One person can't have the entire supply, otherwise, if one is lost, the other will be left without water. From food, it is better to take something nutritious and small: chocolate and chocolate bars, nuts, dried fruits. In such food, there are a lot of complex carbohydrates that give saturation for a long time. Food and water must be stretched, you can't drink and eat all at once: if you get lost, it is not known how quickly they will find you.
You can't drink water from forest sources: an urban person is not accustomed to natural sources and can easily be poisoned. This also applies to mushrooms. Wild berries can only be eaten if you are 100% sure that they are edible. An important forest rule says: "You do not know - do not eat."
If the water is over and thirsty, look for springs and running water. It is best to wait in the morning and collect dew from the grass. But if you always drink a lot of water or you have some kind of disease (for example, diabetes mellitus), it is better to take plenty of drinking water with you.
Take a whistle with you: it will help if you need to beep. You cannot shout your voice, and the sound of a whistle is usually clearly distinguishable. You need to hang it on a rope or attach it to clothes - so that you do not drop it. If there is no whistle, you can knock on a tree with a stick: this sound is also well heard from afar. It can be confused with the sound of a woodpecker, but search engines still always go to check this response.
At dusk and darkness, a flashlight comes in handy. You can’t highlight the road with a telephone: you need to save energy at any cost. If you can walk in azimuth, take a compass. The compass on the phone does not always accurately show the direction, so it's better not to hope for it, moreover, the charge will be spent like that.
How to get dressed
When you go to the forest, wear bright clothes: it will make you more visible, this will help you find you faster in the event of a search operation. It's good if you wear a reflective vest: you will be seen from afar even at night. Also, colorful clothing can scare away animals. You don't need to dress in camouflage - you won’t attract mushrooms with this, but you can create difficulties for yourself.
When did you realize that you were lost
As soon as you understand that you are lost, stay put and call 112: the application form there is automatically transferred to the Lisa Alert squad. You can reach this number even if you don't catch the network, you don't have money in your account or your SIM card is lost. According to the statistics of the detachment, if you immediately called 112, they will find you in the next 12 hours. You need to call this number if you get injured (for example, have broken your leg) and you need help.
The slightest delay can be dangerous: every day the percentage of a successful search outcome is reduced. It’s one thing if you cannot call, but your relatives know that you have gone to the forest, begin to look for you and turn to us, and it's a completely different story if neighbors in the district accidentally noticed your disappearance two days later.
If you are lost together with someone, you should always be in sight of each other. If you have a small child, it's especially important not to panic. In any case, you need to maintain a positive attitude and know that you will be saved.
As soon as you called 112 and informed that you were lost, the information coordinator of Lisa Alert contacts you. If the "loss" has not received any injuries and can walk, they try to take him out by telephone. If this fails, search teams or a helicopter of the search and rescue squad Angel are sent to the place.
It works like this: a "loss" tells the pilot where he hears the sound of a helicopter, and rescuers try to locate his whereabouts. When the pilot hears the sound of the blades of his helicopter in the handset, he realizes that he is directly above the lost person. In this case, the helicopter searches for a place that sits down and takes the person out. If the helicopter cannot land, the rescuers send the person’s coordinates to the detachment, and a rescue team walks behind it. If you see a clearing nearby, you can go out to shout in case there are people nearby, but still, stay in place and not go anywhere. In open space, you will be found faster.
First of all, search engines work out paths and linear landmarks: power lines, clearings, places along with water bodies. Water is produced first if a small child is missing. According to the statistics of Lisa Alert, most of the children who have disappeared in the forest die because of water.
What to do if you meet an animal in the forest
If you hear any noise, always answer with a sound: these may be the people who are looking for you. They may also be forest animals, but do not be afraid that your noise will attract their attention: most likely, the sound will scare them, and they will move aside. If the cubs come up to you, try to scare them away: clap your hands, make loud noises. But you can’t swing a stick or legs: if their mother is nearby, she can decide that you are a danger to her offspring and attack.
If you had to spend the night in the forest
Moving through the forest is prohibited at night: it is dangerous. There is a chance to stumble on a branch, stumble and get injured.
If you understand that you have to spend the night in the forest, you need to arrange a night's lodge and stay in place. You cannot go under the bushes and other places where you will be hard to see.
It is necessary to choose a fallen tree or a stump, to lay branches of trees. It’s good if the trees grow nearby: their lower branches (spruce branches) are usually dry, even if it has rained. You should sit and lean your back on the tree, but in no case lie on the ground, even strewn with branches. As soon as a person lies down, he begins to cool, his body temperature drops. If you fall asleep, you can become very cold and cold, and hypothermia is a common cause of death of a person who is lost in nature.
If you have matches or a lighter, make a bonfire. This can also be done during the day, but then the fire should be smoky: so it will be visible from afar. To do this, you can use moss, the bark of trees and needles - depending on what is nearby.
In which case you can search for the road yourself
The main rule of the lost person, who reported that he was lost, is to remain in place. No need to be too presumptuous and expect that you will leave the forest yourself. As a rule, in such cases, people go much deeper into the thicket or roam in circles. A person who is in the forest with a supply of drinking water can calmly wait for help and painlessly leave the forest.
You can search for your way only if you cannot report your situation and if you know for sure that in the next three days no one will be looking for you and there is no place to wait for help. Then go to the sound of the railway, highway, dogs barking.
The work of the search and rescue squad "Lisa Alert" is free for you. It’s okay if you call there and then you suddenly find a way or relatives find you. Just call the squad and report that you have left the forest.
Do not be shy. Asking for help is normal.
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