Survival Kits

Survival kits are a composite of useful tools that ensure you will be correctly equipped in case of a disaster or survival situation. Airplanes, ships, spacecrafts and military vehicles ought to be aptly supplied with survival kits.

There is an assortment of survival kits; each accommodating the user of the survival kit. Inside are utensils and supplies that give the owner essential safety in the event of an emergency situation.

Survival Kits are Useful Because They:

• give people warmth
• provide health care and first-aid needs
• help supply food and water
• aid discovering a way to help
• help to signal to rescuers

A first aid-kit, survival knife, sewing utensils, matches, flares, flashlight and fishing line should usually be equipment necessary to keep in your survival kits.

Survival Kits are Universal?

Human’s who work in extreme conditions or in areas with intense weather, unquestionably should have survival kits on-hand. Disaster gear or equipment and survival kits also should be kept by everyday people who live near areas that are prone to receiving natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, etc.

Craig Edwards Field Director with the Boy Scouts of America met with LifeCaps to receive dozens of free survival kits for distribution to some local troops around the greater Salt Lake area. To obtain the rank of Eagle Scout, the boys need to pass the test and obtain their Wilderness Survival merit badge. The fifth requirement is to put together personal survival kits and a survival pill such as LifeCaps could now be added.

Requirements for the Wilderness Survival merit badge:

1. Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses likely to occur in backcountry settings, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebites.
2. From memory, list the seven priorities for survival in a backcountry or wilderness location. Explain the importance of each one with your counselor.
3. Describe ways to avoid panic and maintain a high level of morale when lost, and explain why this is important.
   1. Cold and snowy
   2. Wet (forest)
   3. Hot and dry (desert)
   4. Windy (mountains or plains)
   5. Water (ocean, lake, or river)

Describe the steps you would take to survive in the following conditions:

4. Put together a personal survival kit or survival kits and be able to explain how each item in it could be useful. (Sample Kit)
5. Using three different methods (other than matches), build and light three fires.
6. Do the following:
   1. Show five different ways to attract attention when lost.
   2. Demonstrate how to use a signal mirror.
   3. Describe from memory five ground-to-air signals and tell what they mean.
7. Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter.
8. Explain how to protect yourself from insects, reptiles, and bears.
9. Demonstrate three ways to treat water found in the outdoors to prepare it for drinking.
10. Show that you know the proper clothing to wear in your area on an overnight in extremely hot weather and in extremely cold weather.
11. Explain why it usually is not wise to eat edible wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival situation.

Daryl Stevenett Founder of LifeCaps thinks it would be a good idea for everyone, not just Boy Scouts, to learn how to stay alive in emergency situations.

Many victims of the recent devastation of Hurricane Ike were given 72 hour food pill survival kits to help sustain them since many were without money and the ability to obtain food. LifeCaps, a Utah based company, made the trip to Galveston Island with hundreds of free Survival Kits for the victims there. After the second day, LifeCaps had even more survival kits shipped in to the area due to the demand.

Daryl Stevenett, founder of LifeCaps watched as hundreds of people stood in line for a chance to receive a $200 gift card from WalMart courtesy of the Red Cross. Only 200 cards were to be given out so some people had been standing in line since 10 pm the night before. At 6 am it was dark and the weather was cold and very windy and many people had children that appeared to be sick, wearing flip flops with only thin blankets wrapped around them.

Stevenett said, “It’s hard to watch fellow Americans in so much pain and suffering.” It seemed that FEMA and the Red Cross were overwhelmed and there was really not enough money and help to go around.

Depend on no one to help you in an emergency, get prepared with survival kits and have provisions to help yourself and your own family.