10 Survival Communication Techniques

Click image to see lantern w/radio

Part of survival preparedness is learning proper communication techniques for alerting help to your location. The more survival communication techniques you learn the greater your chances are of being found and rescued.

Below are some easy and effective ways of communicating in survival situations. After reading them, write them down and add the list to your survival kit.

1. Survival whistle-A survival whistle allows you to easily make loud noise which will alert search others of your location.

2. Flashlight-During the night visibility is limited. An emergency flashlight is a great way to alert others of your location. Point it toward the sky and toward help. Repeat this until someone finds your location.

3. Fire-Fire is a great way to alert others of your situations during both day and night. The bright yellow/orange light of the fire is easily seen by search parties.

4. Smoke-Use smoke signals if you need a signal that will rise above trees and buildings. Add freshly cut wood or green grass to your fire to make the smoke dark and more noticeable.

5. Words-Make words like HELP or SOS in snow or arrange objects to spell out the words on the ground so it is easily visible from the sky.

6. Bright colors-Display bright colors where they can be seen easily from a distance like in a tree or in a clear field. ANY bright colors will do whether it’s garbage, your survival bag, a coat, etc.

7. Flares-Keeping some signal flares in your survival backpack is an excellent way to signal others. They can also be used to start a fire.

8. Mirrors-Any bright object will serve as a signaling device. Use any shiny object to reflect the sun’s light toward help.

9. Gunshots-Loud and unique, a gunshot’s sound is very effective in alerting others of your location in survival situations.

10. Body signals-Get to high ground or climb a tree and motion that you are in trouble. Certain actions are known to show distress.

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Survival Communication Tools

Communication in emergency situations is essential to proper emergency survival planning. Being able to communicate in survival situations may mean the difference between injury and safety, or even life and death.

Emergency survival communication is useful in a variety of emergency situations. If you have to evacuate your home or work, you will need to communicate with your family. Also, the right emergency communication tools will help you contact emergency response personnel as well. Search teams may look for hours to find you but visibility may be limited due to obstructions such as mountains, buildings, weather, etc.

Multiple survival communication tool options exist today ranging from inexpensive to expensive and easy to more advanced.

A simple survival communication tool such as a fire is very useful in survival situations. The flames are easily noticeable from land or air, especially at night. The smoke can also be used to communicate with others. Keep in mind that green plant material will produce black smoke and will be more visible than white smoke.

Another simple technique for survival communication is to make a word on the ground that is visible from either the ground or by air. Find a clearing and dig in the dirt or organize objects to form HELP or SOS. Stay close to the symbol as help will be directed to that location if it is spotted.

Many emergency communication tools are small, easy-to-use and will fit in your emergency survival kits. Flares are an excellent way of communicating with others in an emergency. Gunshots are another way of alerting others to your location, though use discretion as your ammunition is valuable for other uses.

Survival radios are also an excellent choice for a emergency survival communication tool. Today survival radios are small with multiple powering options. Batteries are reliable as long as the batteries aren’t too old and don’t get wet. Hand-crank radios and solar radios might be the best bet because they have renewable sources of power.

It is important for emergency survivival to learn multiple methods of survival communication and communication tools. Emergency survival planning includes the skills and tools to contact others and get the help you need to survive any emergency.