30 Facts That Could Save Your Life
1.
If you’re outdoors in the heat and you stop sweating, you’re in trouble. You need to hydrate and get the f**k inside and if you can’t keep water down, go to the hospital or urgent care for an IV. You are SEVERELY dehydrated and at high risk for a heat stroke. You should always be sweating if it’s hot and you’re doing strenuous work. In the same vein, never ever drink ice cold water when you’re hot. You need to drink room temperature water.
2.
If you see someone wearing a motorcycle helmet have an accident, DO NOT pull their helmet off for any reason. By all means, loosen the chin strap, but leave the helmet on and let the paramedics or doctors deal with it. You don't know what that helmet is holding together.
3.
If a service dog comes to you for attention, immediately locate their owner, they could be using a last ditch effort to get help. A few months ago when I was on a delivery for work, I was stopped by a dog who ran out in the middle of the road (residential). I got out and tried to move the dog, but it followed me all the way to the door of my delivery. Once I was done I checked the dogs tag to bring it home, and I noticed he had all kinds of medical tags. After I realized what the dog was trying to do, I ran towards the correct address and the dog led me through a screen door on the porch. His owner was passed out on the floor, and I called 911. The individual had a phone (brought by the dog) by its head, and a bag of medications by his side. The dog had done everything it was trained to do, but the person had passed out before it could do anything. The ambulance came, got his pulse back, and took him to the hospital. I don't know if he ended up surviving, but if I hadn't checked the dog's tags and realized it was a medical animal, I wouldn't have hurried, blatantly invite myself in his house, and ultimately get him to a point of survival.
4.
If you fall into water, don't panic. You don't have to be able to swim; you just have to float. Hold your breath and let yourself bob to the surface. If someone is in trouble in the water, they will absolutely kill you in mindless panic. Bring something with you - a float, a rope, a towel - and use that to bridge the gap between you so you can tow the person in. If you must make direct contact, come up from behind and slip your arm across the victim's chest. Pull the victim's back to your chest and keep his/her arms facing away from you. I've been in the deathgrip of a fat little 8 year old and he nearly took me out. If a panicked drowner does grab you, do everything in your power to go down toward the bottom. Most will let go; that's the last place they want to go. Recognize that even if you are both a strong swimmer and a trained rescuer, you are still risking your own life if you go to the aid of a swimmer in trouble. Take it very seriously.
5.
If you're performing CPR on someone who's stopped breathing/heart has stopped, don't stop until EMTs take the body away. Don't stop after 2 mins thinking "Well that didn't work." CPR typically won't cause the victim's heart to suddenly start and or for them to jerk awake -- it's mostly to force blood circulation to prevent brain death. You're not forcing life into them; you're preserving a corpse to keep a 'reviveable' state.
7.
**Do not** pull objects (knife, glass, splinter etc) from a deep wound. They might be sealing or slowing flow from an artery or they might *cut* an artery when you pull them out. Put pressure *around* such an object to slow bleeding till emergency responders take over.
8.
A few survival tips for mainly the desert but also a lot of places. If you are lost in the desert, or a lot of places for that mater, the number one thing you can carry to increase your chances of being found is a small reflective mirror. Anytime a plane flies overhead you can reflect light towards them and you greatly increase your chances of being found. This seriously is more important than carrying more water with you (not that water doesn't help, its just not realistic to carry that much water on your back). Furthermore, if you get stranded in the desert with a vehicle, do not leave your vehicle to find people. You are a lot harder to see than your vehicle and your car can provide shelter (your car has some good reflective mirrors to signal with, especially the rearview mirror). People die all the time doing this, often found only mere miles from their car. Finally, the universal sign for needing to be rescued is waving two arms up and down. If you wave only one arm to a passing plane, you will not be helped, or at least are less likely to be helped. Also, because a few people have been wondering what to do if you can't use both of your arms, there is another universal way to signal for help that is more versatile. The way I can best describe it is three of anything quick signal. Three gunshots, three whistle blows, three flashes of a flashlight, three flashes from a reflective mirror, etc. Just make sure they are spaced widely enough (at least one second) and that you spend a considerable time before making your next three signals. There have been many deaths that could have been prevented had this advice been followed.
9.
A person who is drowning doesn't look like people drowning on TV. When someone is drowning they rarely cry out, can't wave their arms around, and will often just bob/sink at the surface for a very little while, often gasping, before submerging. Don't expect it to look like the movies when you're keeping an eye on swimmers.
10.
It's likely too late for anyone to see this but hopefully this helps a few: nuclear warfare is a serious threat that hasn't been mentioned yet. The following was common knowledge during the cold war era, but most people my age don't know what to do in a nuclear disaster. In a nuclear explosion most of the damage and death is caused by the shockwave the blast creates, not the fireball which has a comparatively small radius. One day you may find yourself outside or looking out a window to see an extremely bright flash. As bright as if you were staring straight at the sun. Do not attempt to locate the source of the flash. You have maybe 8-10 seconds to respond if you're far enough away from the fireball. Lay face down on the ground and put your thumbs in your ears and fingers over your eyes. Breathe through your teeth. Since you're laying face down the shockwave will mostly pass over you. If you're standing up it can cause your lungs, eardrums, and other organs to explode. Once the shockwave passes over you, you need to find shelter immediately. I said before that most death from the explosion is caused by the shockwave. Well, FAR more death is subsequently caused by nuclear fallout AFTER the blast. Do not attempt to travel anywhere. Just get underground. If you're next to a complete stranger's house or a business, don't hesitate to go inside and hide out under as much concrete and steel as possible. You need to remain in this location for the next 48 hours. This is critical. Even if you survive the blast if you attempt to go home and spend just 20 minutes outside traveling you will more than likely die of radiation sickness. Radioactive material after a blast decays exponentially and you will be safe to try and find your loved ones after 48 hours. If you don't wait this out, you definitely won't be alive to find them. When you're ready you need to leave the city and get as far from the fallout as you can.
11.
If you find yourself hurt in a public place, direct your pleas to one person, not to the crowd cause everyone will think ”somebody else will help you”. It is called the bystander effect
12.
Never talk to the police without a lawyer. Just give your name, address and dob. Otherwise don’t say a word. It might not keep your heart from stopping but nothing ruins a life faster than prison. Even a conviction can stop you from getting work or being able to travel. *also don’t commit crime. But since being innocent doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be charged/convicted the above still applies.
14.
If you are caught in an active shooter situation and you are unable to run away or hide, start throwing things at them. It is incredibly difficult to be accurate with a firearm with someone throwing stuff at you. Even small things flying toward you triggers your desire to avoid the object and dodging something while simultaneously shooting accurately is almost impossible. A thrown stapler or keyboard might buy you enough time to either rush the attacker or escape somewhere.
15.
If you ever get lost, the first thing to do is stop moving. Sit down, stop freaking out, and think. If you give in to panic and lose your head, you can screw things up so badly for yourself that help will never find you. Remember the rule of three: Starvation will kill you in three weeks. Thirst will kill you in three days. Cold will kill you in three hours. Lack of oxygen will kill you in three minutes. Panic will kill you in three seconds.
16.
Beware of a stranger who says "I'm not going to hurt you " If you someone feels the need to say this, they are thinking of hurting you. Trust your instincts if you feel there is danger in a situation, there probably is. Don't let politeness or fear of embarrassment put you in danger. Source: "The gift of fear." Very interesting and useful book. Highly recommended.
17.
If you get caught in a rip current, swim horizontally / parallel to the shore at the fastest speed you can comfortably maintain. Don't worry that you're going further out. Eventually you'll be out of the current and can slowly head back inland. Try to swim against it and you'll just tire yourself until you drown.
18.
If you EVER need to break your car window - all headrests detach and can the metal ends are meant to be used to break the glass. Helpful if you are in a sinking car.
19.
If someone grabs your wrists, pull away quickly where their thumbs are - thumbs are the weakest parts in a grip.
20.
If you're outside in a lightning storm and your hair starts floating, seek immediate shelter. You're about to be struck by lightning. If immediate (within 15 seconds of movement) shelter is not available, put both your feet together, squat down on the balls of your feet, and grab your ankles. If you're struck, this will give the lightning a direct path down to the ground and hopefully minimize damage.
21.
If a known diabetic person faints/gets dizzy, give them something sugary immediately. If they got sick because of high sugar levels (hyperglycemia), the repercussions of increasing their sugar won’t be as terrible as the damage caused if no action is taken. Giving that little amount of sugar (if they fainted due to a hypoglycemic episode) can be life saving!
22.
When you're making a turn across oncoming traffic, keep your wheels pointing straight ahead until the opportunity comes for you to make the turn. If your wheels are facing into the turn and someone hits you from behind, they will push you into the oncoming traffic and dead you will go.
23.
If someone is choking but they are coughing/talking, DO NOT INTERVENE. Let them cough it out. The ability to cough is a sign that air is able to get in and out and that they only have a partial obstruction in their airway. If you try to intervene with the Heimlich or backblows, you *could* force it out, or you could dislodge the blockage and cause a full obstruction. Obviously, if they're not breathing or coughing then you should definitely administer backblows, just remember to check in between each one incase you partially dislodge the object.
24.
Tips for cold weather. Dress in layers-holds heat in better. Stay dry. Protect your feet,hands,and face. If you plan on going long distances have a plan to move on top of the snow and let people know where you are going Never go on ice unless it is at least 4” thick. 6” if you have a snowmobile. 8” for a small car. 12” for medium trucks. Clear ice is stronger than “snow ice” Always watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
25.
If you’re being tied up, puff yourself out as much as possible so it’ll be easier to wiggle out of. Tense muscles, inhale deep and stretch out your arms and legs to make more space.
26.
If you think you're being followed turn right four times. Since you'll get to the same place they shouldn't be following you anymore. If they do, you might be in trouble. Since it's a common warning that you shouldn't go home when you think someone is following you, the smartest is to go to a police station. - If someone is beating you and you can't resist the best is to lie on the ground and cover your head. This is usually known because it obviously protects the most important place in your body but it is also important because it will make the aggressor feel guilty and probably leave you.
27.
If you're stuck in a stampede. As soon as you get knocked down your chances decrease significantly. If this is the case, however, and you can’t get up immediately, assume a protective posture with your feet tucked up and your hands covering your head. Try to position your face in the direction the crowd is moving so you don’t get kicked and try to get back on your feet ASAP.
29.
If your car breaks down in a remote area cut off from civilization, stay with it. To draw attention, burn a tire during daylight. Somebody is likely to see the thick, black smoke.
30.
In the US (and I think some other Western countries), you can notify your Department of State that you are going overseas for free (i think it is the smart traveller program). This means in event of a natural disaster/political issue/etc , they will know you need evacuation. They also update you on the state of the country as time goes by so you don't accidentally collide with some trouble. A lot of accidents happen just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so if you're travelling, it might be worth looking into.
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