Signaling is not as easy as it might seem. Your alarm may go unnoticed. In addition, failure to properly signal with certain types of signal aids can cost you your life.

All means of sending distress signals are divided into standard and improvised (type of means), as well as into audio, visual and radio signals (principle of signal transmission). Their main goal is to indicate your exact location for subsequent evacuation and emergency assistance in the form of food, medicine, weapons and ammunition dropped from an aircraft.

Service means

Radio distress signal (SOS). Distress SOS (save our souls ( … – … )) adopted by the International Convention in Berlin on November 3, 1906, for its unhindered reception every hour for 6 minutes (from 15 to 18 and from 45 to 48) on “distress frequencies” - 500 and 2182 kHz – all radio stations in the world go silent; There is silence on the air so that anyone who is in trouble can freely go on the air and send a distress signal, indicating the square of their location, or give themselves the opportunity to take direction. To send this radio signal, you must have an emergency radio transmitter and know the basics of using this device and Morse code.

Visual signaling

Pyrotechnic signaling devices. These include:

♦ signal flares;

♦ signal checkers;

♦ signal mortars.

These signaling devices require compliance with certain rules of use and storage:

♦ remember that they can shoot, treat these means like a weapon;

♦ do not repair them if they are faulty;

♦ if there is a misfire, do not reuse;

♦ hold any pyrotechnic device at arm’s length, with the nozzle facing away from you;

♦ stay away from other people and from flammable objects, store these products in boxes that are protected from shock and precipitation, give a signal from the closest possible distance and only when you are sure that it will be noticed;

♦ Observe maximum safety precautions.

Signal mirror. This is a highly polished metal plate with a hole in the middle (5-7 mm) through which you can follow the object.

The “sunbeam” released by your mirror can be detected even from an airplane flying at an altitude of 2 km at a distance of 20-25 km from your location. The mirror is effective even at night; perhaps it can be called “letting moon bunnies in.”

Handy signaling devices

Reflectors. To indicate your location in the absence of a signal mirror, you can use a cosmetic mirror, foil, or a knife blade. The more polished the plate is, the further away the light signal is visible.

Place pieces of crumpled (this will increase the number of reflective planes) foil on the hill. Or attach the foil to a tree or pole in a clearly visible area and it will rotate and make signals.

Kite. A kite can also serve you well. Make a frame from thin planks, stretch thin (preferably colored) paper over it, tie pieces of foil and bright ribbons to the kite’s tail.

Signal flags. Hang signal “flags” - bright pieces of material - on tall trees near your camp. To make them visible from above, stretch these “flags” along the ground. Tie one side of the material to bushes growing near the reservoir, and the other to stakes driven into the bottom of the reservoir.

Signal fire. If you don't have any "flags", no foil, no pyrotechnics, no flashlight, you can start a fire, which is no worse than other means. A fire located in an open area or a high hill can be seen from afar. At night, a brightly burning fire is visible from a distance of 20 km when observed from the sky, 8 km when observed from the ground. And even better, if there are several fires, the distance between them in this case should not exceed 20–30 m. However, for the idea to work, it is necessary to maintain a constant small fire near the fires, so you can make your “alarm” burn in a short time.

Terrestrial code signals

In open areas, you can lay out code table signals. The most banal ones - HELP And SOS. The dimensions of one signal must be at least 3 m. Remember, the larger the signal, the higher the likelihood that it will be noticed. You can make a signal from available materials: airplane wreckage, life jackets, clothing, logs.

You can not post the signal, but “dig it up”. To do this, remove the sod and deepen the trench. Such signals work both day and night (at night you can light a fire in the recesses). “Scatter” signals around the periphery, the more of them, the better.

Gesture code system for communicating with pilots

♦ “Landing here! We need help! – arms up, palms in, legs together.

♦ “Landing is impossible! We don't need help! – left arm up, legs together.

♦ “Straight” – arms raised, elbows bent, palms back. Feet shoulder width apart. Swing your forearms back.

♦ “Back” – arms raised forward to shoulder level. Palms forward.

♦ “Stop! Stop the engine” - cross your arms, the speed of this action corresponds to the degree of need to stop.

♦ “Hang!” – arms to the sides, palms down.

♦ “Lower” – swinging down with straight arms, palms down.

♦ “Higher” – swinging upward with straight arms, palms up.

♦ “Landing” – cross your arms in front of you at the bottom.

Questions for self-control

1. What types of survival factors do you know?

2. What is the role of anthropological factors in ensuring the safety of human life?

3. What is the role of material and technical factors in ensuring the safety of human life?

4. What is the nature of the impact of natural environmental factors on a person during an autonomous existence in the natural environment?

5. What is the impact of environmental factors on a person during an autonomous existence in the natural environment?

6. What are “survival stressors”? What is their impact on the human condition?

7. What are the priority actions of victims of a vehicle accident?

8. What are the priority actions for those caught in extreme conditions in nature?

9. What do you need to know (define) in order to correctly assess the situation in order to make a decision on further actions for those caught in an extreme situation?

10. List the rules for safe behavior when leaving the scene of an accident.

11. List the rules for safe behavior when waiting for help at the scene of an accident.

12. What activities are included in the action plan for organizing a temporary camp?

13. What are the role and tasks of the group leader in conditions of forced autonomous existence?

14. List the basic requirements for temporary shelters.

16. What factors influence the choice of shelter type?

17. What natural shelters can be used to organize an overnight stay in an extreme situation?

18. What can serve as the simplest shelter in the warm season?

19. How can you spend the night under a canopy at low temperatures?

20. What shelters and how can you build from snow?

When in an extreme situation, you should never lose hope of help. They will certainly search for the person using any available means: combing the forest on foot, on all-terrain vehicles, from the air - on planes and helicopters. Therefore, you need to constantly be ready to signal to rescuers. This applies to both the option of waiting for help in the camp and the option of going out on your own. You can use a cell phone (if you have one). Call the rescue service and accurately answer the operator’s questions. This will make the search much easier. While hiking, you don’t need to have unnecessary conversations on the phone; you need to take care of the battery to send messages in an extreme situation.

We have already said that the camp should be located on or near a spacious clearing. Open space will be needed to indicate your location and to send distress signals.

The easiest way to signal is to build a large signal fire. Without waiting for a plane or helicopter to appear, it is necessary to prepare firewood and good kindling for it in advance. For reliability cover them with something from the rain. Prepare more raw branches, grass - anything that will give a lot of smoke, which is clearly visible from afar.

Signal fires

When you hear the sounds of a helicopter or airplane, you need to light a fire. It is better to use three fires, placing them as shown in the picture.

You can also light a fire so that rescuers walking on foot can see it: thick smoke is visible from afar.

The attention of rescuers from the air can be attracted not only by a fire. To do this, you should use bright clothes, a tent, anything that sharply contrasts with the surface of the earth. Things in white, red, and bright yellow colors will be clearly visible on the grass. All colors are clearly visible in the snow, except, of course, white. You can lay out some kind of sign with branches of spruce, pine, bushes, or trample it in the snow. This could be the well-known international distress signal “SOS”.

To transmit information to rescuers, you can also use special characters of the international character code table:

Signal mirror: a - single; b - double

When hiking in areas remote from populated areas, it is better to distribute bright ribbons (0.3 x l.5 m) to all group members, from which signs can be easily and quickly made.

During the daytime in sunny weather, a signal mirror that you can make yourself is effective. To do this, the metal plate or tin must be cleaned on both sides with sand or ash. The brightness of the sunbeam will depend on the degree of polishing. A hole should be punched in the center of the plate.

The mirror must be held as shown in the picture. Observe an airplane or ship through the hole. Without losing the object of observation, you need to turn the mirror towards the sun. Having found a light flare (a ray of sunlight passing through the hole) on the face or clothing, combine the specular reflection of the flare with the hole in the mirror. If the hole coincides with the reflected flare, the light signal will be directed at the aircraft or ship.

The double signal mirror is more convenient to use. It consists of a single mirror and a matte plate made of plywood, plastic, or unpolished metal attached to it using hinges, brackets or wire. The doors should be opened at an angle of 60-70°. Watch the plane through the hole. Try to match the mirror reflection of the sun's glare with the hole.

Questions and tasks

1. In what ways can distress signals be sent day and night?
2. Why do tourists and rescuers try to dress in bright clothes and have brightly colored backpacks and tents?
3. Together with your parents, select a clearing in the forest and place several special characters from the code table of symbols on it using bright ribbons.
4. Together with adults, make a signal mirror as shown in the figure. Try using it during the daytime in sunny weather.

Grebenshchikova V.M.

Municipal educational institution secondary school No. 31,

G. Kartaly

If you are in an emergency situation, do not lose hope for help even for a minute.

You need to constantly be prepared to give signals to rescuers and help them detect themselves as early as possible

• To give a signal in a timely manner, fuel for the fire is prepared in advance.
• It is placed in open places: a clearing, a hilltop, a river spit.

Pyrotechnics .

There are few emergency kits that do not include one or more parachute flares.

Signal light

To send a light distress signal, you can use photo flashes built into many modern cameras. Photo flashes are characterized by a strong, but very short light pulse, which can be mistaken for a random glare. Hence it is very important that the signal is repeated periodically. It should be given on the most elevated and bare area of ​​the terrain. It is very good if the reflective background is light.

Night-day signal cartridges enjoy well-deserved recognition

There are special flares, torch-candles, smoke bombs that sometimes burn for ten or more minutes or longer.

SIGNAL MIRROR. One of the most effective alarm systems! But you must have it!

From an airplane flying at an altitude of 1-1.5 kilometers, the light “bunny” is detected at a distance of up to 25 kilometers, that is, earlier than any other visual signal.

INTERNATIONAL CODE SIGNALS. Geometric figures of the international code are laid out from spruce branches in the snow or by trampling snow, breaking out or cutting down bushes, but always in an open place.

bottle mail Notes are placed in empty bottles indicating the date and location and circumstances of the accident. The bottles are tightly closed and thrown into the water to chance. There are several cases where, thanks to this method, victims of disaster were discovered and rescued.

• Near the camp, on the tops of free-standing trees or towering above the forest, you can hang signal flags sewn from colorful pieces of fabric. You can also hang bright objects, foil, or anything that can attract attention around the camp on tree branches.
• Large orange or variegated panels are clearly visible from above, stretched with long ropes over a lake or river parallel to the surface of the water. For example, one side of the cloth is tied to bushes and trees growing on the shore, the other - to stakes driven into the bottom of the reservoir.

If during your travel you notice a “foreign” distress signal, take all measures to provide assistance.

• Ilyin A - "School of survival in case of accidents and natural disasters"
• A.A. Ilyichev "The Great Encyclopedia of Survival in Extreme Conditions"

Currently, there are many special technical means and systems for sending and receiving distress signals. This includes the International Space System for Searching for Emergency Ships and Aircraft (COSPAS-SARSAT), automatic radio beacons and other radio systems. Various pyrotechnic signaling devices—signal, lighting, and smoke flares—have become widespread.

However, in a situation of forced autonomous existence, these funds are unlikely to be at hand. Therefore, we will consider methods of sending distress signals, the implementation of which is possible without the presence of special technical means.

Signal fires. This is the simplest and most accessible way of signaling, which has been used by some peoples from time immemorial to the present. First of all, you need to choose a place convenient for fires, clearly visible both from the ground and from the air. Open spaces - clearings, wide clearings, lakes - are suitable for this purpose. It is better if the place chosen for fires is on a hill. It should also be remembered that this place should be close to the victims’ camp.

To attract the attention of rescuers, you need to light not one, but several fires. It is customary to light three fires located on the same line or at the vertices of an equilateral triangle. Such figures are international distress signals (Fig. 152). Five fires forming the letter T indicate a place suitable for landing an airplane or helicopter.

The distance between fires should be at least 30 - 50 m.

Methods for equipping signal fires are shown in Fig. 153.

At night, a fire lit in a shelter is clearly visible (Fig. 154). This option can be used if the victims have polyethylene, light, transparent fabric or a parachute.

As a last resort, you can set a free-standing tree on fire, taking precautions to avoid a forest fire.

Preparing fires should be started as soon as the first necessary steps have been completed or there are free people. At each fire you need to prepare a good supply of reliable kindling and firewood, covered in case of bad weather. It should be remembered that a fire ready to be lit and a sufficient supply of firewood is a guarantee of sending a reliable signal to rescuers who come out or fly out to help the victims. For quick, guaranteed lighting of signal fires, it is necessary to place guards around them to support the so-called small pilot fires.

On heavily moist soil, signal fires should be placed on log decks (Fig. 155).

Fires lit on rafts set some distance from the shore and secured with anchors or tied with ropes are clearly visible (Fig. 156).

Smoke signals are most effective on clear, calm days. Moreover, they are visible at a distance of up to 80 km. To increase the amount of smoke, you need to throw raw branches and grass (prepared in advance) into the fire. However, in winter and in inclement weather in summer, such smoke is hardly noticeable. At this time of year, black smoke is clearly visible. To do this, you can use rubber, plastic or car oil.

At night you need a bright fire made of dry wood. A pilot can see such a fire at a distance of up to 20 km. From the ground it is visible at a distance of up to 10 km.

If for some reason it was possible to make only one fire, then it is recommended to periodically cover it with a piece of cloth or thick spruce branches. Such a pulsating fire attracts the attention of rescuers better than a constantly burning one.

A good effect for detecting a location is achieved by using a signal mirror - a heliograph. The brightness of the light signal “bunny” of such a mirror at a sun angle of 90° reaches approximately 7 million candles. The flash of such a mirror is visible from an airplane flying at an altitude of 1 - 2 km, from a distance of 20 - 25 km.

The simplest signal mirror can be made from a metal plate, polished on both sides. The signal detection range will depend on the degree of polishing of the surfaces. In the center of the plate you need to make a hole with a diameter of 5 - 7 mm. Through the hole in the plate you need to observe the plane that appears (Fig. 157).

After this, without losing sight of the object, you should turn the mirror towards the sun. Having found a sunbeam (light glare) appearing on your face or clothing, you need to turn the mirror to align its reflection on the back of the mirror with the hole. In the position when the reflected solar flare is aligned with the mirror hole, the light signal is directed at the aircraft. Giving signals in this way is a complex task and requires preliminary training. Even without seeing or hearing the plane, you can periodically run a light “bunny” along the horizon line.

As a reflective surface, you can use the reflective materials at hand - tin, metal

Russian foil (including chocolate wrapper), an ordinary pocket mirror. If the victims have a sufficient supply of foil, then pieces of it can be hung on tree branches. Reflecting the sun's rays from different angles, they will attract the attention of rescuers from afar. For the same purpose, you can lay out pieces of foil along the hillside. Before this, the foil must be slightly wrinkled, creating many reflective planes located at different angles.

Rescuers have developed and use the International Code Table (Fig. 158).

Signals are posted in places that are clearly visible from the air - in clearings, unforested hillsides. Recommended signal sizes are at least 10 m long, 3 m wide and 3 m between signs. To make signs, you can use any materials available to victims. The main requirement is that they should stand out well on the earth's surface. Suitable items for posting signs include clothing, tents, sleeping bags, life jackets, etc.

If there is no equipment, a signal sign can be dug by removing the turf and laying it (upside down) next to the trench, increasing the width of the sign. A sign lined with spruce branches is clearly visible in the snow. Examples of sign equipment are shown in Fig. 159.

If the aircraft descends significantly, the International Aviation Emergency Signal Signs can be used (Fig. 160).

Responses from the aircraft may be as follows (Fig. 161): I see you - a turn in the horizontal plane (a circle above the detected people) or a green rocket.

Expect help on the spot, a helicopter will come for you - a figure-of-eight flight in the horizontal plane or a red rocket.

Go in the indicated direction - an airplane flying over those in distress in the direction of travel or a yellow flare.

Got you - swinging from wing to wing or a white rocket. At night: turn on and off twice

landing lights or navigation lights. The absence of these signs indicates that the sign given from the ground is not accepted.

I don’t understand you—snake flight or two red rockets.

Indicate the landing direction and landing location - a dive followed by a turn or two green rockets.

Information signals (Fig. 162). They are used when it is necessary to leave a disaster zone or camp.

In this case, you should always leave a clearly visible sign - an arrow indicating the direction in which the victims left. It is also necessary to mark the route with some signs.

It is important to know the distress signals to send if you are lost in the forest.

International distress signals if lost in the forest

In order not to remain idle in a situation where you are lost in the forest, there are certain distress signals. Distress signals should be issued as quickly and as noticeably as possible so that they can be seen from a long distance, and preferably from a height if a helicopter flies out after you.

• Three smoke columns or fires are recognized as an international distress signal!
• If you have flares, firecrackers or a transmitter, use them!
• Inspect your belongings for a mirror, a flashlight, a whistle, a bright sweater, all this will help you signal your situation. Let the sunbeams in or flash a flashlight, depending on the time of day.

An excellent way to make you more visible during the day is smoke; light a fire and keep it away from the wind; to give the smoke color, add dry grass, rubber, or wet wood.

Always be ready to make yourself known, and don't stray too far from materials that can help you do this.

If a helicopter is looking for you from the air, lay out requests for help on the ground with branches, stones, surrounding debris, leaves, and dry grass. We can also spread out an international SOS word for help in an open forest clearing from flammable components, such as leaves, and set it on fire if we suddenly notice a vehicle flying in the sky.

Sending distress signals in the forest or mountains

Sending a distress signal can occur in several ways:

• signal fires;
• light signals;
• noise;
• displaying SOS on the ground through various possible means.

SOS signal

You need to make such fires not too large, they are more difficult to maintain, it is better to light several small fires. In the rain, it is more difficult to find material for lighting than during the day, but it may be worth looking under fallen trees and stacks of dead wood.

It is best to provide light and noise signals. It is important to understand that they must be clear, sharp and easily visible. Give signals with a certain periodicity in time in all possible ways: shout, knock, shine a lantern, light fires, wave the brightest item of clothing and launch the flare guns you have. It is advisable to do the latter if you heard or saw traces of people.

How to call for help in the forest

You may also find information about how to navigate the area useful. If you are lost in the forest, calm down and call for help. First of all, dial 112; you can do this even without having money on your phone. Before doing this, inspect the area and choose a landmark to better describe your location to rescuers. It is desirable that it be a river, a railway, etc. After the rescuers leave, stay in place and wait for help; movement is dangerous because you will get even more lost and change your location, which you have already described to the rescuers!