Survival Dictionary

E-coli or Escherichia coli is an anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning. The E-coli bacterium grows massively in fresh fecal matter. Virulent strains can cause gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, hemorrhagic colitis, and Crohn’s disease. Common signs and symptoms include severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, vomiting and sometimes fever. In rare cases, virulent strains are also responsible for bowel necrosis or tissue death and perforation. The incubation period is usually 3–4 days after the exposure, but may be as short as one day or as long as 10 days.

Escape & Evasion. More for military use when one needs to stay hidden from the enemy. In urban SHTF situations too it might be called for when resources are scarce and thugs roam the streets to take what you have got.

Aka the whiz wheel, it is a form of circular slide rule used in aviation and one of a very few analog computers in widespread use in the 21st century, mostly used in flight training. These are used to calculate fuel burn, wind correction, time en route, ground speed, determining how much the wind is affecting speed and course, etc.

Wax that accumulates in the outer canal of the ear. Can be used as a fire starting accelerant.

The sudden movement of the tectonic plates that form the earth’s rocky crust resulting in the ground shaking. They can range from mild tremors to huge devastating ones that can flatten entire cities in seconds.

A hermaphrodite worm commonly found in soil, feeding on organic matter converting them into humus thus improving soil fertility. In a survival situation, they are a source of food, rich in minerals and protein. Leave them in a pan of water overnight to purge. Roast or fry.

A type of SONAR used to determine the depth of water by transmitting sound pulses into water. The time interval between emission and return of a pulse is recorded, which is used to determine the depth of water.

Measuring distances from objects by sound.

The intervals of time in which eclipses occur.

The series of eclipses.

Economic Collapse broadly refers to bad economic times when money ceases to have value, jobs vanish, unemployment rises, and prices skyrocket. Suicide rates are high and normal life is almost entirely disrupted. It can be accompanied by chaos, civil unrest and breakdown of law and order.

The difference in measures of economic well-being among individuals in a group, among groups in a population or among countries, primarily difference in wealth, income and consumption.

Everyday Carry. A Kit containing essential items to overcome potential problems. This Kit is like a smaller and less equipped Survival Kit. Can be carried in a small belt pouch or integrated into a key chain.

Apparent in fast flowing rivers when downstream water meets obstacles like rocks creating a reverse current on the downstream side that produces a swirling effect. When caught in a raging river, it is a good idea to try and find a eddy to stop from being carried further downstream.

The cutting edge of a knife.

Test to find out whether a plant is edible. This is not fool proof but provides at least a basic filter from ingesting potentially harmful plants.

A proword in radio communications signifying “Transmission is in error, disregard it.”

Sleeping, particularly during the day, with arms crossed over chest, just like an Egyptian mummy.

Environmental Impact Assessment.

Emergency Information Centre.

Stretchable bandage to create localised pressure and commonly used to treat muscle sprains/strains by restricting swelling.

Extinction Level Event. Pretty much the end of the world.

A storm accompanied by thunder and lightning. Usually associated with cumulonimbus clouds.

EMP is a short burst of electromagnetic energy that damages to electronic equipment. A lightening strike is a form of electromagnetic pulse. They can be natural or man-made and some countries are developing EMP based weapons, both nuclear as well as non nuclear.

An intense and irresistible desire for freedom.

The height of a point on the Earth’s surface above mean sea level. Also called altitude.

A volunteer who helps new folks interested in amateur radio.

Emergency Mass Critical Care.

Emergency Communications.

One who crossed the Equator at the Greenwich Meridian.

An important life saving gadget to help escape a hazardous area like fire, smoke, toxic gases, etc. It contains a canister of oxygen for at least ten minutes.

Satellite based emergency beacons to search, locate and rescue people. Also called Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons or Personal Locator Beacons, ELTs are usually designated for land based systems while EPIRBs are for marine emergencies.

Chronic state of physical and emotional depletion resulting from excessive job and/or personal demands and continuous stress. It describes a feeling of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one’s work and is manifested by both physical fatigue and a sense of feeling psychologically and emotionally drained.

Emergency Preparations.

Emergency Medical Response.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Emergency”

Emergency Medical Technician.

Sleeping sickness but different from tsetse fly transmitted sleeping sickness. The disease attacks the brain, leaving victims in a statue-like, speechless and motionless condition.

Occasionally rafts will flip end over end. This is usually after the raft has dump-trucked to lighten the load, allowing the water to overcome the weight of the boat, flipping it vertically before it lands upside down. Rafts will more often taco and turn sideways, making an end-over-end flip very rare in most rafts.

Put someone at risk or danger, usually foolishly.

Confined to a particular geographical area.

End Exercise.

The ability to exert and remain active for a long period. When one can withstand a higher amount of effort than previously, endurance is increasing. Increasing endurance has been proven to release endorphins resulting in a positive mind, decreasing anxiety, depression and stress.The term stamina is sometimes used synonymously and interchangeably with endurance.

Exercise to increase endurance. It generally refers to training the aerobic system as opposed to anaerobic.

Insertion of fluid through the anal cavity. When dehydration is imminent, contaminated water can be infused into the body through an enema. This will hydrate the body without harming it.

Supplemental bars containing cereals and other high energy foods for quick energy. A typical 100gm energy bar provides about 300 calories. The recipe for home made energy bars depends on individual taste and choice. Typical energy bars comprise dry fruits like almonds, raisins, walnuts, dates, etc, maybe some fruits to give it taste, add some sugar, grated coconut, cocoa powder, etc, and some oatmeal to bind them together.

Large naval flag.

El Nino-Southern Oscillation.

An excessive, irrational or unrealistic fear of insects. Also called Acorophobia.

The internal organs of a butchered animal.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Enough”

Can be induced by present trends of overpopulation, economic development and non-sustainable agriculture. Most of these scenarios involve one or more of the following - Holocene extinction event, scarcity of water that could lead to approximately one half of the Earth’s population being without safe drinking water, pollinator decline, overfishing, massive deforestation, desertification, climate change, or massive water pollution episodes.

Emergency Operations Centre.

End Of The World. Acronym to describe extreme SHTF situations.

Rapid spread of disease in the population and/or in areas where it was not prevalent.

A neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Also known as adrenaline, it is a medication used for conditions like bleeding, anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, etc. It plays an important role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, output of the heart, pupil dilation and blood sugar.

Trade name for Epinephrine, an injectable drug used for treating anaphylaxis.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Location indicator deployed automatically or manually, on immersion or impact, sending signals picked by satellites, for search and rescue parties.

The medical term for a nose bleed.

An imaginary circle around the earth, halfway between the North and South Poles, the largest circumference of the Earth.

When the Sun is vertically above the Equator making day and night of equal duration. They occurring twice a year, around 21 Mar (vernal equinox) and 23 Sep (autumnal equinox).

Emergency Room.

Earthquake Resistant Bracing.

Emergency Response Centre.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Here” (more commonly: HR)

Personification of the night in Greek mythology.

Energy Returned On Energy Invested. Useful to remember in a survival situation. For instance, do not spend more energy finding food and water than the energy it will provide.

Epidemiological Surveillance.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “And”

A long cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces and resulting from erosion.

Part of the ship’s stern where name is displayed.

Emergency Support Function.

Righting a capsized kayak by using body motion in conjunction with a paddle by lifting the torso towards the surface by flicking the hips assisted by applying force with the paddle.

Where a river meets the sea or ocean or where it empties into a large body of water.

Finger breadth.

Change of liquid to a gaseous state due to heat.

It extends to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the outer limit of the territorial sea and includes control of all economic resources like fishing, mining, oil exploration, etc. It has to allow passage above, on, or under the surface of the sea to other countries according to the provisions of the UN Convention.

A hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale that can cause human extinction or permanently and drastically curtail humanity’s potential. These include hostile artificial intelligence, biotechnology risks, or nanotechnology weapons, nuclear holocaust, bioterrorism, cyberterrorism, pandemic, environmental degradation. Examples of non made risks are asteroid impacts, supervolcanic eruption, lethal gamma-ray burst, a geomagnetic storm, natural long-term climate change, or extraterrestrial life impacting life on Earth.

Proprietary tool for extraction from a trapped vehicle that cuts seat belts and breaks glass.

Atmospheric layer above 500km containing mainly oxygen and hydrogen atoms, but there are so few of them that they rarely collide.

A journey by a group of people to a distant place for a specific purpose for adventure, exploration, research, etc.

To violently and noisily burst or shatter as a result of rapid combustion, excessive internal pressure, etc.

Act of searching for information or resources. During the age of discovery, explorers sailed and charted much of the world.

Still in existence and not destroyed or lost.

Extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms, normally a species.

Location designated for reassembly and subsequent transportation out of the zone.

Also called action sports and adventurous sports is a term for activities with a high level of inherent danger involving speed, height, physical exertion and highly specialised gear.

A closed loop or eye at the end a line, rope, cable, etc made by unraveling its end and joining it to itself by intertwining it into the lay of the line. They are very strong and compact.

Any gadget worn over the eye to either improve vision or to protect the eyes or for mere aesthetics.