In the geography that spans the Indian sub-continent there are many wonders to be savoured, enjoyed, discovered. and many people are venturing out to enjoy this beauty. Camping, trekking, hiking, kayaking, rafting, paragliding, the whole range of adventurous activities is gaining momentum with each passing day. But an enjoyable weekend can quickly turn into a nightmare. For many, a survival situation can turn ugly because they were not trained or equipped. Nature is kinder to the person who is prepared, someone who has undergone survival training. Remember the 7 Ps of survival: Proper Planning, Preparation and Practice Prevents Possible Problems. This makes it imperative that you are aware of, trained for and know about the essentials of survival. Experience is a lot lighter than a backpack full of books. With knowledge you can turn a survival situation into a self-reliant one, and you will be smoothing it out instead of having to rough it out!
One can get into a survival situation in many different ways. Survival training will help you overcome all of them to a large extent.
Natural occurrences like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, cyclones. landslides, mud slides, avalanches, floods, forest fires, storm surges, dust storms, sandstorms, lightning strikes, etc.
Biological hazards are when pandemics hit a population, like SARS, ebola, plague, anthrax, mad cow, typhoid, etc.
Man-made disasters are becoming very common with increasing terrorism and civil disturbances. Other man-made hazards can be war-like situations, riots, curfews, strikes, workplace violence, etc.
Accidents are also becoming a part of our lives - explosions, fires, accidents, structural collapse, power outage, dam breach, economic collapse, fuel shortage, pollution, communications infrastructure breakdown, etc.
Broadly, we can segregate the different kinds of scenarios under three broad heads -
(1) Wilderness Scenarios,
(2) Urban Emergencies, and
(3) Natural Disasters.
Click on the links for more details on the different kinds of scenarios you might experience and what kind of survival training you require for each..
