Signaling is the least touched-on skill in survival programs or featured in videos. It’s less sexy than making fire, hurling sharp, pointy things, or making a rustic shelter. Mastering the art of signaling for help could mean the contrast between an exhilarating rescue and a prolonged camping adventure.
People who tragically die in the outdoors aren’t experienced adventurers. Some get stranded due to vehicle issues while traveling. Unlike seasoned outdoor enthusiasts with gear, they might not have any. But they can still find ways to signal for help!
Types of Signaling
Passive Signaling: Visual cues and items communicate information through clothes and gear. This can include wearing bright clothing for visibility, carrying specific items that indicate your intentions or affiliations, or using symbols and colors (like orange) to convey messages without words. Passive signaling can be essential for safety, identification, or nonverbal communication in outdoor activities, emergencies, or group activities.
Active Signaling: In survival situations, the X ground-to-air signal is a crucial distress sign. It signifies the need for help and indicates that the person or group cannot proceed. To create this signal, use branches, logs, rocks, or any available materials to create a large X shape on the ground, ideally between 15-20 feet long. Ensuring the X has high color contrast is crucial to make it visible from the air. This signal is an essential tool for attracting attention and signaling for assistance in emergencies.
Increasing Survival Odds
Visual: In survival situations, a “fireball” refers to the intense, bright, circular light produced by the sun’s reflection from a mirror or CD. It is also present in nature. When using a signal mirror, ensure that none of the reflective surfaces is blocked. Create a V-shape with your opposing hand’s thumb and index finger, and move the mirror around until you find the reflection on your hand. Once you locate the reflection, angle the mirror to flash the target. Using a signal mirror may be ineffective if the sky is overcast, so it’s best to use sound instead.
It’s essential to take stock of the items you have with you and in your surroundings. Items like hubcaps, aluminum foil, watch faces, belt buckles, the bottoms of aluminum cans, CDs, reflective dashboard covers, and car mirrors can all be used for signaling. For women, it’s common to have makeup while hiking or backpacking, and a compact is useful. Additionally, bright lipstick can be used to write notes on rocks or trees using color and contrast. Use what you have, like MacGyver.
Fire As Your Friend
Be Seen at all costs. Whether it be a heavy fine for a forest fire, dare to be seen and alive!
When you’re lost outdoors, a signal fire is not just a source of warmth or a means to cook food; it’s a vital survival tool for signaling rescuers. It’s one of the most visible distress signals during the day, especially at night. The smoke from a signal fire can be seen for miles, cutting through the vastness of the wilderness to alert search parties of your location.
To maximize visibility, build your fire in a clear, open space and add green vegetation to produce more smoke. Remember, three fires in a triangle are the universal distress signal, so if possible, create multiple signal fires to increase the chances of being spotted. A well-maintained signal fire also serves as a psychological boost, providing hope and a sense of control over the situation. It’s a beacon of human presence in the wild, a call for help that stretches across the forest’s silence. So, if you ever find yourself in a survival scenario, remember the importance of a signal fire—it could save your life.
Be Heard
Using a Whistle is paramount. Think about it. How long can you yell for help? How far will it carry? You can blow and conserve your air and energy with a whistle for a lot longer. Look for whistles with maximum decibels and minimal effort.
Universal 3: The universally recognized distress signal consists of three of anything. When this signal is heard, it signifies that someone is in distress, lost, or injured. Examples of this signal include three whistle blows, gunshots, banging on an airplane wing or vehicle hood with a stick, signal fires, air horn blasts, flashes of light, hits on the buttresses of large trees in a rainforest, and car horn honks.
Gear To Get Noticed
● Sun Company
● SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer)
● Adventure Medical Kits
Survival Kits
When assembling a survival or emergency kit, it’s vital to ensure redundancy for two essential items: fire and signaling tools. It’s advisable to have at least two ways of signaling for help: a signaling mirror and a whistle. While flares and smoke signals can also be helpful, portable tools are generally more favored and should be carried with you. The effectiveness of a signaling mirror and whistle is negated if they’re not readily available. Therefore, storing them in pockets or attaching them with a carabiner for quick access instead of stowing them deep within a backpack is advisable.
Anyone with a cell phone should always carry it when venturing into the city or wilderness, not for texting or entertainment, but for its potential as a resource. A cell phone can be a lifesaver if you are truly lost or injured.
While some parts of the wilderness may have no cell signal, unexpected areas with full service, such as mountain peaks, are often found. For instance, California’s Mount Whitney, the highest US hiking trail, has a great cell phone signal. I remember a news report about a hiker who was rescued after being lost in the mountains because rescuers spotted the light of his cell phone flashing around dusk. This case highlights the importance of having a cell phone for emergencies.
Practice before you need this skill!
