The survival facts that could save your life or someone else’s one day

Recently, a user on popular forum website Reddit asked others to ‘tell me something that could save my life one day‘. The responses were incredibly interesting and informative…

So here are 14 of our favourites. Who knows, they could help save you or someone else’s life.

1. If someone is stabbed or is punctured by a sharp object, leave it in. The object is blocking the blood from spilling out. If you pull it out, nothing is blocking the blood and it will bleed excessively.

2. If someone has been stabbed and the blade was removed, get cloth and place it on the stab entry. Apply pressure until the ambulance arrive.

3. If you’re stranded in water and you’re wearing jeans, take them off and keep in front of you. Tie the legs together in a knot down by the ankles. Then place your hands on either side of the front next to the zipper and button. raise your jeans up and over your head so the legs are dangling behind your back. Forcefully swipe your pants down up over your head and down into water – this will create and air bubble in your jeans. Keep the waist part under water and grab pull the tied legs around your neck. This will make a makeshift life jacket. You can then blow air through the inseam of your jeans to keep it inflated.

4. If you need urgent emergency assistance, 112 is the international triple-zero.

5. Always have a fire detector and a carbon monoxide detector as well so that if something leaks, you will know. Dangerous gases can be scentless but deadly.

6. If you are stuck on a train track and have to abandon your vehicle to an oncoming train, run away from the track but also run towards the train itself. If you run in the same direction as the train is traveling, you will be standing where the debris of your former car lands.

7. FAST to identify stroke symptoms.

F – Face. Ask the person to smile. If one side droops, it is a stroke indicator.

A – Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm doesn’t seem to want to stay up this is an indicator of stoke.

S – Speech. Garbled or confused speech, or slurring could indicate a stroke.

T – Time. The sooner a stroke is identified and treated, the better.

8. Self Heimlich manoeuvre:

9. If you get stuck in a rip, remain calm, and swim parallel to the shore. You’ll still be pulled out but it’s better than fighting against the riptide, which is inevitably stronger than you are as a swimmer. Once you’re beyond the riptide, you can swim to shore.

10. If someone is struggling in water, unless you are specifically trained at such rescues, do not just swim out and try to rescue them. Find something that will float and give them buoyancy that you can extend to them. An ice chest with a handle at each end would work nicely. Or throw a rope to them. But never, ever let them get their hands on you. They will pull you under.

11. How to remove a ring from a swollen or injured finger

This trick works for someone who has a ring stuck on a finger that is swollen.

• Take an elastic band or a shoestring and start wrapping it tightly around the finger near the fingernail.
• Continue wrapping towards the ring.
• Once the string is wrapped close to the ring, push the end of the string under the ring.
• Slowly unravel the string pulling towards the end of the finger

The pressure of the string compresses the finger and the unraveling of the string should swivel the ring towards the end of the finger.

12. Everything you need to survive essentially distills down to how long you can survive without it.

Remember the rule of threes:

3 minutes without air (maybe you’re buried in snow following an avalanche)
3 hours without shelter against the elements
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

13. If you find yourself in a car that is being submerged in water, open the door as soon as it hits the water if possible or climb out the window and get out as soon as you can, don’t sit there waiting for the car to fill with water. Also unwind as many windows as possible.

14. How to help someone with a severe burn:

• Stop the burning process and remove any sources of heat.
• Put out the flames with water or smother with a blanket. If the victim’s clothing is burning roll the victim on the ground to smother the flames.
• Remove clothes that are over the burn. With that said, do not pull off clothing that has stuck to the skin. This may cause skin damage.
• Treat the burnt area immediately with cool running water for at least 20 minutes. For example, put the burnt area under a running cold tap. A shower or bath is useful for larger areas.

Note: do not use very cold water, ice or any objects from a freezer as this can damage the skin. Ensure the person is otherwise kept warm to avoid hypothermia. Chemical burns should be washed (irrigated) with lots of water and for longer than 20 minutes.

What’s the best survival tip you’ve ever heard?