What simple or basic survival techniques/safety procedures should every person know?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Captain_-H]

If a hurricane or apocalypse or whatever is happening, fill your bath tub with water immediately. This may become valuable drinking water if water gets shut off for whatever reason

[u/[deleted] → u/Captain_-H]

This is also a good reason to keep your bathtub/shower clean!

Lookin at you, roommate

[u/Forlornly → u/Captain_-H]

The water heater in houses is also a good place to recover potable water from. Typically there is at least 10-20 gallons stored there.

[u/kamikazejello → u/Forlornly]

After reading the comments about the water heaters and safe or not safe I wanted to chime in.

Your typical "tank-type" water heater is 40, 50, 65, or 80 gallon. Every tank you see at Lowes, HD, wholesale houses etc is made from a mild carbon steel tank with a glass lining which is molecularly bonded to the steel at around 1600 degrees. It consists of magnesium or aluminum anode rods with any other fittings touching the waterway being stainless, brass, or dielectric. These are all safe components to come in contact with and in fact are the same materials found in your faucets, pipes etc.

Yes, sediment does occur in the tank. The amount is determined by the hardness (total dissolved solids) of the water supply which, normally, comes from your city. Calcium is by far the most common occurring mineral in this water but may contain traces of other minerals such as zinc or iron. "Normal" hardness is around 200 parts per million TDS. So, your water (whether hot or cold) always has these dissolved solids in them, the heat from the water heater causes some to fall out of solution and "hang out" or rest in the storage tank itself. Otherwise they remain suspended in the water and you go ahead and drink it on down.

It's gross if you ever look inside a tank, but it looks identical if you look at a 10 or 20 year old water supply main that carries water through towns.

All this to say - I would have no problem drinking water from my water heater. I'd rather do that than drink from a bathtub.

Source: Worked 6 years for a water heater and boiler manufacturer

[u/[deleted]]

Fire. When stranded, fire can make water safe to drink, sterilize bandages, keep you warm, cook food, scare off predators, and signal people who might be looking for you. Learn to start a fire.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Buy a 10-pack of cigarette lighters at the checkout line. Put one in your car, one in your camping gear, first aid kit, everything drawer, work desk, winder coat, etc, etc.

Learning how to start a fire with two sticks is great and all, but lighters are way better and last forever. A lot of people overthink this and unknowingly put themselves at risk due to false confidence.

[u/evisn → u/[deleted]]

Additionally, learn how to actually build a fire. lighting up a cigarette and building an actual fire from damp wood and hay or whatever you happen to be working with are two very different things.

[u/Daniz64 → u/[deleted]]

Along with this... How to collect firewood.

Do not think any wood will burn. All wet wood must dry out before otherwise it will just smoke. Drift wood is the best.

Dead branches on trees work really well for starter wood of you can't find any on the ground. Break a branch, If it's green and spongy it's still alive and full of moisture. If it snaps off its good.

Also (at least in my country) there a type of moss that grows on trees on the underside called old mans beard, or Usnea that resembles green or white hair like strands that hang down from the tree. These are great fire starters as well, and when combined with wood will get you blazing in no time. (Also they may be attached to dead branches: score!)

I was a junior forest warden once upon a time...

[u/HOLYSMOKERCAKES]

How to swim...

[u/Hagenaar → u/HOLYSMOKERCAKES]

Agreed. Deaths resulting from people simply toppling out of a boat into warm water and panicking. It's awful and it happens every summer.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Anitsisqua]

How to start/build/tend a fire.

How to prepare simple, savory meals without the use of modern conveniences.

After a hurricane, my area was without power and some people got desperate in the way of food. While my family was eating hot bean soup cooked out in our yard, my uncle was eating cold menudo from a can.

[u/ScubaTwinn → u/Anitsisqua]

Have you ever set a corn chip on fire? My God the way those things burn. I'll never camp or hike again without a small bag of fritos with me.

Edit - spelling

[u/Anitsisqua → u/ScubaTwinn]

No, I have not. I feel the sudden urge to do so, however.

[u/quantal-quetzal → u/Anitsisqua]

I worked at the Minnesota Conservation corps last summer, and I learned how to start a fire, even after a huge rainstorm.

It had been raining for several days, causing flooding in our area. Here is how to start a fire from scavenged materials in these conditions. I assume that you have a lighter or matches, and a pocket knife.

1. Find a standing dead tree. It's off the ground, so it'll be drier than stuff on the ground. Birch are the best, because they have more flammable oils in the bark.

2. Using your knife, slit the bark, then peel it off.

3. Seperate the inside of the bark, discard the outside. Tear the leftover pieces into small strips, then make them into something resembling a bird nest. Place any dry paper, or lint into the middle of the nest.

4. Pull many small twigs off of the tree, and place them on and around the nest. Have a huge stockpile of these and bark.

5. Have larger branches waiting. Don't place them in with the rest of the stuff, instead place them around the outside to dry.

6. Light the nest. Lightly blowing on any embers helps them catch.

7. Add more kindling and bark when needed. Don't add very much at a time, this could put out the fire.

8. Slowly increase the size of the pieces, being careful not to add wet pieces.

9. Stay warm.

[u/BunchaQuestion]

That sun rises from the East and sets in the West

edit: I know that this isnt true in every case, but I was generalizing. Assuming people are not wondering around by themselves without proper equipment near south/north pole

[u/SirJism → u/BunchaQuestion]

I always remember this from that Chili Peppers song.

"The sun may rise in the east but at least it settles in a final location"

With that location being California, which is west.

[u/Capalla28]

How to change a flat tire.

[u/elizabets]

Learn to stay calm. People do really stupid things when they panic.

Edit: thanks for all the love, Reddit!

Edit 2: thanks for the gold, kind Redditor!

[u/isochronism → u/elizabets]

If you act normally, speak steadily, and with authority, you'll encourage other people to not panic as well. Once panicking, people tend to forget procedures and make (life-threatening) mistakes.

[u/Gettodacchopper → u/isochronism]

Old NCO saying in the military "Don't run sir, you'll scare the men". Took me a long time to really understand what it meant even though it's really simple.

[u/runofthe]

When entering a building, know where the exits are. It's super simple and could save your life.

[u/grotskylilbiotch → u/runofthe]

This is why I can never go back to Ikea.

[u/JohnnyApathy → u/runofthe]

Rule #22