Being Found: How to Increase your Survivability by Understanding How Search and Rescue Personnel Work

Posted by Jeff on Apr 8, 2015 @ 8:27 am in Hiking News | 0 comments | Last modified: April 8, 2015

When was the last time you were hiking and looked up only to realize that your real and perceived locations no longer matched? It’s a common and unsettling experience to say the least. In these moments, humans tend to use a combination of observational, logical and investigative techniques to reorient themselves and get back on track. However, any combination of factors can undermine a person’s chances for success:

• Lack of familiarity with the environment (causing perception error)
• Decreased cognitive capability (due to medical issues, environment, panic, exhaustion, etc.)
• Inability to use key skills and techniques (due to training, experience, lack of awareness, etc.)
• Equipment failure, physical disability or an overwhelming dose of Murphy’s Law.

The result is being lost, which can be a terrifying and life threatening experience. One of the most dangerous environments in which this can happen is the rural/wilderness areas that surround our familiar man-made environments. Since most people aren’t trained or equipped to survive in these circumstances indefinitely, a key part of survival for the lost person is being found.

This article shares what the average hiker/camper/outdoor enthusiast can do to increase their chances of being found by examining how Wilderness Search and Rescue Personnel approach the missing person incident.

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