If you have your cell phone along, now is the time to try and use it. However, as mentioned in Chapter Two, do not rely solely on a cell phone to summon searchers. If your call does go through, you may not still be able to tell them exactly where you are. Otherwise you wouldn't be lost, now would you? It would still behoove you to be able to contact your search party with more conventional means.
Most Search and Rescue organizations will not begin a search operation until the lost party is 24 hours overdue. Many useless searches are avoided this way. Often Search and Rescue are called out to find persons who are just running a bit behind schedule or who arrived safely home and did not call anyone to inform them of this fact. Once it is decided to begin a search, time must be spent calling the searchers out and organizing the search. Thus a party stranded in the desert can expect to wait for at least several hours for rescue.
If the party does not have a liaison person who has the itinerary for the trip, the rescue can take much longer. It may take days just to discover that the party never returned. If no one has the vaguest notion where the party went, the search can stretch out longer.
However, do not despair. Most rescues take place within 24 hours after the searchers have been called out. The lost party can aid the searchers by increasing their visibility so that they can be spotted more readily.
The first order of the day for a party lost in the desert is to secure shelter from the sun and, if possible, water. Ways to locate water in the desert will be discussed in detail in a later chapter. Since there will be a delay before the searchers are sent out, there will be plenty of time for this.
Preparations to signal the search party must be made before the searchers arrive. A search plane will pass over in a matter of minutes; if the signal is not sent out immediately, it may be too late. Make signal preparations a top priority for the stranded party.
Place some sort of signal on the ground. A large "X" or "SOS" is always appropriate. Three of anything in a triangle will attract the searchers' attention.
A newspaper carried in the car can be used. Lay individual sheets of paper on the ground weighted with rocks. Or use clothing, torn-up sheets, aluminum foil, or an emergency metallic blanket carried in many survival kits.
Build a fire. Fire starter and matches and/or a lighter should be a part of any survival kit. The fire should be kept smoky during the day and brightly lit at night. Take care that the fire does not spread. A brush fire will attract attention, but it may do some damage to the stranded party. Three fires built in a triangle will not only signal that you are in trouble, they will be very warm to sit between.
Shouting may be effective if searchers are heard in the area. However shouting will dry the throat and make the shouter thirsty. A loud whistle will carry much further than a voice, and a whistle does not grow tired and hoarse. Whistle at intervals in groups of three. Three of anything means trouble.
If the party has a gun, shots in sequences of three may attract searchers. Remember, however, that many people go into the desert to target shoot, and shots in the desert are often ignored or avoided (not many people walk towards someone they think is target shooting). Also, what goes up must come down, and there have been cases of people killed by stray bullets whose shooters are not even aware of the tragedy.
A signal mirror can signal for many miles if used from a high spot or to signal aircraft. A mirror designed for this purpose has a hole drilled through the center to sight through. One should look through the hole at whatever is being signaled and wiggle the mirror to make the reflected sunlight flash. If the mirror does not have a sighting hole, one should hold one hand at arm's length and touch the fingertips with the light reflected from the mirror. This can be used to aim the flash of light.
Use natural materials such! as rocks or branches to write an X or SOS. An old sheet with HELP or SOS written on it can be carried as part of a car survival kit and anchored on the ground with rocks.
Signal flares can start fires and can be dangerous, but they can be seen from a long distance. If these are carried great care should be taken to avoid injuring someone or starting a brush fire. This would attract searchers, but would not be in your best interest otherwise.
A person standing and waving cannot be easily seen from a plane. A person lying spread-eagled on the ground will attract attention.
Remember that the vehicle can be spotted from a long distance by air searchers. Stay with the vehicle.
NEVER use any of these methods as an experiment just to see if they work. If searchers are called out for a bogus search they were be most vexed, and the experimenter can land in jail and be faced with a hefty fine.
Standard ground-to-air signals as shown below are recognized by most pilots. These are easy to form with paper or torn sheets. The best one for you to remember is a large "X". This indicates "cannot continue".
If searchers are seen or heard in the area, utilize many signals. If the party is not seen on the first pass, the searchers may not return to that area for days. It is important to attract their attention when the time is ripe.
Chapter Five Please
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