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When travelling on extremely remote roads, you need to prepare for the worst. This is even more true if you are travelling in a climate where the weather might kill you within days, such as in extreme cold.
I've had a car break down once at -35°C. That road in Northern Sweden wasn't as remote as the one in Siberia you describe, as it still had maybe two ...
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First, if you go somewhere in a car, take along the clothes necessary to be outside for an extended period.
406 MHz PLB (Personal Locator Beacon)
All the tragedies have one thing in common: they did not have one of these and/or did not activate it.
This is the gold-standard, same as aircraft ELTs and ship EPIRBs and works worldwide on the COSPAS-SARSAT ...
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Well, I'm from Russia, and I heard that in the most desperate situation like this you can burn your car's tires. The tires are made of oil, so they burn well. Using fire from tires you can use other car parts that burn well, like a seat. This will allow you to last at least for a day and if you're driving a big car, like a semi, you can last several days.
...
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In increasing order of complexity and price you have,
Personal Locator Beacons
Personal locator beacons are high-powered (typically, 5 watts) devices designed primarily to send out a personalized emergency distress signal. They generally require an open view of the sky to transmit successfully.
Source
Satellite Messengers (Like a Garmin inReach)
Much ...
answered Apr 24 '17 at 23:13
Charlie Brumbaugh
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I'd give them whatever my device or map provided me, and let them convert to whatever their devices or maps use. Anyone used to receiving lat/lon coordinates regularly should be able to convert from various formats to whatever they use internally.
You're the one in trouble with limited resources. You're out there with a broken leg, lost, in the cold or ...
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While Charlie Brumbaugh's answer is good, there is a cheaper and simpler alternative: a LED marine distress flare. These are handheld LED lights, as bright as a distress flare. Many jurisdictions certify them as legal substitutes for distress flares.
However these are substitutes for handheld flares, not flare guns, and are designed for marine environments ...
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Maybe you should explain what you need a flare gun equivalent for... A flare gun has a very specific purpose which generally is to alert somebody who is already looking for you to your immediate location. On top of that you must know that the people looking for you are actually within a certain range, otherwise the flare will be wasted.
A flare gun might ...
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I have always learned that when you go to remote areas you should have at least a basic knowledge of car repair and depending on the make of car and the area you go to your knowledge should be good to expert.
So your first action should be looking whether you can repair it, with what you have and where you are.
If that is not possible, you go to what the ...
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There is a definitely a risk of starting a fire with a flare gun, for this reason they are discouraged by the National Park Service (at least in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument).
Not Useful:
Cell phones do not have service in the monument
Flares are not always visible to pilots flying overhead during hours of sunlight or in heavy overcast skies. ...
answered Apr 25 '17 at 14:17
Charlie Brumbaugh
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20
I only see an advantage if your boots are wet:
Then I would advise to remove the wet shoes and socks. Maybe you are in the lucky position to have some dry spare socks in your backpack. If not you may have a bivi sack to heat up your extremities. Otherwise you can at least put your feet in your backpack. This would help immensely.
If the boots are dry, I ...
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This is not constrained to Siberia. A snowstorm/blizzard can occur at many locations and throw down so much snow that roads are blocked and people outside the main routes (or even on main routes) get trapped.
As most of the answers give good advice on preparation (telling the route and estimated time of arrival, having a kit and good clothing or even an PLB)...
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There is a great Mountain Rescue in Poland, called GOPR ("Górskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe" - "Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue"). They cover all the mountain regions of Poland and in case of emergency you can reach them calling free rescue number: +48 601100300. There is even a smartphone app you can use to call help called "Ratunek" (https://play....
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There isn't only one method, there are a few. Partially the choice depends on which canoe you have (big and wide, very stable or tippy, or a small solo) and if its calm water or not. What you can do with a big canoe might need some tweaks when it comes to some small solo and a canoe with good secondary stability will be easier to get into. Extra flotation is ...
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WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?
You have three main choices:
A dedicated PLB (Personal Locator Beacon)
A satellite messenger with added rescue facilities (DeLorme or Spot)
Conventional measures such as a whistle, strobe light, mirror or flare.
For any non-trivial situation, I believe the PLB is unambiguously your best option if rescue is your top priority.
THE ...
14
The most obvious thing is an emergency blanket. It will add a lot of extra insulation per gram. It'a good to have one in you bag on any trip.
However, a mere blanket is definitely not enough for all seasons, elevations and weather conditions. When planning at home, you should ask yourself a question: "What will happen to me if I have to be on the route ...
14
Almost every emergency dispatch center has a non-emergency phone number. While services like Skype and Google Voice can't call 911 directly, you can look up "<region> non-emergency dispatch" and get a number with a local area code. Call them and tell them this is an emergency but you couldn't access 911. They will transfer you to an emergency ...
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I would recommend UTM coordinates; it avoids the formatting uncertainty of lat/long and is better suited for ground operations. (Easy to translate to paper maps, define search areas, and calculate distances.) If you use the WGS84 datum, the numerical portions are also identical with the military grid reference system (MGRS) and the national grid (USNG). ...
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Depends where the hole is and how big it is, but:
First, determine if it's necessary to try and patch the hole in open water.
If you're close to shore, then go ashore and patch it there. If you're losing air faster than you could get back to shore, then you need to act quick.
Locate the the hole.
If you can't find the hole, then you can't stop the leak. A ...
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A safety whistle is cheap and reliable. Also, it won't run out of flares or batteries. You can hang it from your backpack shoulder strap for easy access. (Imagine trying to take off and dig through your backpack with a broken arm.) Three chirps is the distress signal.
Similarly, a signal mirror is an inexpensive visual indicator, like a flare.
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If something goes wrong, the information you provide your emergency contact will be the starting point for the information Search and Rescue groups use to look for you. Much of this information will remain the same for multiple trips and some will be trip-specific. The items I list won't be comprehensive, but rather a selection of items from an online trip-...
12
Here's the theory: at noon, if you're in the northern hemisphere, the sun is due south of you. At 6am it's due east of you and at 6pm, due west. (Day length may tweak this a little if you're far enough north, but this is not a precise technique, it just needs to beat looking for which side of the tree is mossy etc. That said, you should un-daylight-savings ...
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As an anecdote, I did. I unexpectedly bivied overnight during a snowstorm at 14kft in -15F, 50mph winds with a pack, bivy sack and warm clothes. I had dry feet prior, didn't have an issue getting the boots back on, and walked out in the morning without frostbite.
I used my pack and boots to stabilize the loose snow ledge and provide insulation. I alternated ...
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There are times when a car will not drive, but its engine will run. In such cases, if you can spare the fuel, use the engine to generate heat. Ventilation from time to time would help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
If the engine won’t run, perhaps the battery is fully charged. All of that power will produce a decent amount of heat if you can rig ...
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Assuming you have no way of safely and reliably leaving the cave to get help, your first priority is not to become a casualty yourself as well.
Even if the Guide needs urgent medical attention, it would take an appreciable amount of time for the first members of the cave rescue team to arrive on site and then to locate you and the Guide in the cave, so ...
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I think there are simply not that many uses for nails in emergency situations.
Using nails as intended:
If you want to build shelter or other wooden constructions you would need a lot of nails - which are heavy.
Hammering in nails with a rock is rather annoying - and you're not planning to bring a 500g hammer, are you?
In any case, for shelter and tool ...
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Yes & no. The U.S. Navy land survival training in Pensacola, Florida teaches students to chew on pine needles to obtain vitamin C. But you don't actually chew and swallow them.
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I always take a fist-sized SOL emergency bivy bag and a couple of strong black garbage bags. That way you can stuff food and even your body in the bags when conditions are cold and wet. I have also converted a garbage bag into a spare insulating clothing layer by tearing holes for arms and legs.
Essential for climbers are a whistle for signalling and a ...
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To quote from the Wilderness First Responder manual,
Large objects found impaled in a wound should be left in place if you can get to a medical facility with relative ease. Yanking on an object can stimulate serious bleeding and damage underlying structures, especially if the object is impaled in a body cavity, such as the chest, abdomen or head
...
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I live in Siberia.
First, clean roads in winter are used by traffic. Minor ground tracks get covered by snow and impossible to use in first weeks of winter. If you're driving down a highway in winter, it means it's been cleaned by tractors, and this only happens in important roads. So at least minimal traffic must be there, even in remote areas.
If you're ...
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All 4 major carriers have either implemented or are implementing text-to-911 service.
U.S. mobile providers commit to emergency texting service
In the event that this doesn't work, you can always text a friend or family member. They can then call 911 for you. If they are in a different area, then they will be transferred to the correct area.
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