Signaling for Rescue

Preparation

If you find yourself in a survival situation, you need to evaulate your situation in terms of how easily you can communicate with others (such as a search party). You will have to find a means of communicating your presence and location. You must communicate (signal) in such a way that it is easy for others to recieve your signal.

Man-made geometric patterns can be used as good "attention getters." These include straight lines, circles, triangles, and X's. A large fire or a big flash of light can be used, as well as bright colors (preferably in motion) and anything that contrasts with your surrounding environment.

Signaling with a radio

A radio is an obvious way to communicate with others your position and situation. Become familiar with any sort of radio that you plan on having with you (or in your group). Learn to operate the radio so that you can communicate easily and effectively.

Signaling with Fire

As mentioned earlier, a fire is a great way to signal, especially in the evening hours when it is the most visible. Constructing three fires in a triangle (the international distress signal) or straight line with about 20-25 yards between each fire is an effective way to get attention from those who may pass by your location. However, you should note that maintaining 3 fires could be difficult. If this is the case, maintain one large fire.

When you are constucting your signal fire, consider your position geographically. For example, if you are in a thick forest, you will want to make your signal out in a clearing. If a clearing can't be found or is inaccessible, you may have to make your own clearing. If you are in a snow-covered area, you may have to make a clearing in the snow or build a platform for your fire.

Finally, you can burn a fallen or dead tree to make your signal fire. However, you should pick a tree that is set apart from the others so that you do not start a forest fire...and please, don't go around setting trees on fire just because you read it here. This is for survival situations only.

Signaling with smoke

During the daylight hours, smoke is an excellent way to get someone's attention. Another international distress signal is three columns of smoke. Also, you should attempt to create a color of smoke that contrasts with your environment. If you smother a fire with green leaves, moss, or a bit of water, your fire will have white smoke. If you add oil-soaked rags or rubber to a fire, its smoke will be black.

Signaling with mirrors

During a bright, sunny day, a mirror is your best signaling device. If you don't have a mirror handy, you can polish your belt buckle (or something similar) so that it reflects light effectively. Keep the mirror in a convenient spot (such as on a chain around your neck) so that you will have it ready when you need it.

If you are in hazy or foggy conditions, your mirror signals will be harder to see from the air (or from any other direction for that matter). You may want to move to higher ground so that your signals will be more easily recieved. You should note that mirror signals can normally be seen over 70 miles away (in good conditions). In a desert environment, mirror signals can usually be seen at over 100 miles away!

A popular way to signal with a mirror is by the use of Morse Code. Click here to learn more about using Morse Code for signaling.