Using a Pattern as a Distress Signal

Series Summary

Of course we never expect to get lost. We head out on each new adventure expecting to able to leave as and get home as easily as we arrived. But what do you do when your plans don't work out the way you intended? The car breaks down on a country road in the middle of nowhere or one of your fellow campers breaks their leg on a remote trail. You need to know how to call for help when you need it most.

This series focuses on ways to communicate your adverse situation, on emergency and distress signals to get help in low-population areas such as parks and back roads. Our expert will share advice on how to use car horns and flashlights as distress signals, along with cell phones. Don't have any of those accessories to create your signal? Our expert shows you how to use what is available in several given situations, such as fire, rock patterns, even different color arrangements that can be seen from planes. You will find out about the common symbols for camping distress symbols, as well as how to keep safe on the roadside while you wait for assistance. Watch this series to ensure your safety next time you leave the house.

Video Transcript

"Hi this is Eric Sterns with Expert Village. We're discussing signaling and types of ways to attract attention to yourself for purposes of being found. We're going to be going over audible signaling first. This is a whistle. Anything that is done with respect to signaling in an emergency situation should be done in threes. The number three is pretty much recognized as something used under distress. So three fires, three blasts on the horn, three blows of a whistle and what you want to do is break the pattern of silence that is around you. So you want to do this, but you want to do it every few minutes to make sure that anyone who is by the area( driving, walking, whatever) might have a better chance of hearing you and noticing where you are. So it's going to sound something like this. This is a standard whistle that's purchased at a wilderness store, the camping store, or even a sporting goods store. There are other whistles that you can acquire. I'm a big fan of anything serving more than one function. There are also other whistles that double as containers for matches, and that even sometimes have little small compasses on them, and that's something else you can look at with respect to selecting your material."