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THE LAST LIGHT SURVIVAL GUIDE
EMERGENCY QUICK REFERENCE CARD
For full information, see the complete guide · June 2025
🆘 RULE OF THREES — PRIORITY ORDER
3 minutes without air / bleeding out
3 hours without shelter (extreme cold)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
🩸 STOP BLEEDING
Direct Pressure
Press cloth firmly on wound. Do NOT lift for 10 min. Most bleeding stops.
Tourniquet (limbs only)
2–3" above wound. Tighten until bleeding stops. Note time. Do not remove.
💧 WATER PURIFICATION
| Method | How | Wait |
|---|---|---|
| Boiling | Rolling boil 1 min (3 min at altitude) | Cool |
| Bleach (6–8%) | 8 drops/gallon clear · 16 drops/gallon cloudy | 30 min |
| Iodine tabs | 1 tab/liter clear · 2 tabs/liter cloudy | 30–60 min |
| SODIS | Clear PET bottle in direct sun (6 hours min) | 6 hrs |
🔥 BURNS
- Cool with cool (not cold) water for 10–20 min immediately
- Do NOT use ice, butter, toothpaste, or any home remedy
- Cover with clean non-stick dressing. Do not pop blisters.
- Airway burn (singed nose hairs, hoarse voice) → keep upright, emergency priority
🌡️ TEMPERATURE EMERGENCIES
Hypothermia
Remove wet clothes, insulate, warm core (armpits/groin/neck — NOT hands/feet). Handle gently. "Not dead until warm and dead."
Heat Stroke
Hot DRY skin + confusion = emergency. Cool aggressively: immerse in cool water, ice to neck/armpits/groin. Call for help.
🏥 START TRIAGE (Multiple Victims)
| Tag | Criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| RED | Not walking · respirations abnormal · no radial pulse · can't follow commands | Treat first |
| YELLOW | Not walking but stable — passes above checks | Treat after red |
| GREEN | Walking wounded | Treat last |
| BLACK | No pulse after airway open · unsurvivable injury | No resources |
🥄 ORAL REHYDRATION SOLUTION (ORS)
1 liter clean water + 6 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt → Give continuously in small sips. Adults: 200–400mL/hr. Prevents death from diarrheal dehydration.
📻 EMERGENCY RADIO FREQUENCIES
146.520 MHz FMNational VHF simplex calling
446.000 MHz FMNational UHF simplex calling
162.400–162.550NOAA Weather (7 channels)
121.500 MHzAviation distress (monitored by aircraft)
156.800 MHzMarine Channel 16 distress
7.200–7.300 MHz40m HF emergency nets (regional)
📡 DISTRESS SIGNALS
SOS (Morse)
· · · — — — · · · (flash/sound: 3 short, 3 long, 3 short)
Ground-to-Air
X = need medical · V = need help · → = going this direction · 3 fires in triangle = distress
Mirror Flash
Reflect sun at aircraft. Visible 50+ miles in clear conditions.
Signal Fire
Green leaves = white smoke against dark background · Rubber/plastic = black smoke against snow/sky
🧭 NAVIGATION
Find North (Night)
Big Dipper pointer stars × 5 = Polaris = True North
Shadow Stick
Mark stick shadow tip. Wait 15 min. Mark again. First mark = West. Second = East.
Lost? STOP
Stop · Think · Observe · Plan. Don't panic-move. Signal for rescue first.
Follow Water
Downstream always leads to lower elevation, civilization, help.
🍄 FORAGING SAFETY
Always safe (low ID risk)Dandelion, cattail, clover, blackberry/raspberry, plantain, lambsquarters
Mushroom rule100% certain or don't eat. No folk tests (silver, peeling) reliably work.
AVOIDWhite umbrella mushrooms, carrot/parsley family plants unless expert, white/red berries (high risk), milky sap plants
Universal testOne body part at a time. Fast 8hr. Test on skin → lips → tongue → swallow small → wait 8hr.
🏕️ EMERGENCY SHELTER PRIORITIES
- Insulate from ground first (most heat loss)
- Debris hut = best no-equipment cold shelter
- Interior should be just big enough to fit you
- 60cm+ debris layer = adequate insulation
- Block entrance when inside
- North wind = most dangerous; face shelter south
🛡️ IMMEDIATE SECURITY
Bug-In vs Bug-OutStay unless: immediate physical danger, confirmed safe destination, all routes viable. Movement is risk.
De-escalation firstMost threats are desperate people. Listen. Trade. Redirect. Force is last resort with irreversible consequences.
Firearm safetyTreat as always loaded. Never point at anything unwilling to destroy. Finger off trigger until ready to fire. Know your backstop.
OPSECDon't share: what you have, how many you are, where you're going, your vulnerabilities.
⚗️ CRITICAL RATIOS REFERENCE
| Task | Ratio / Formula |
|---|---|
| Bleach (6%) to purify clear water | 8 drops per gallon / 2 drops per liter |
| ORS recipe | 1L water + 6 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt |
| Wound irrigation saline | 1 tsp salt per 1 liter clean water |
| Brine (20%) for preserving vegetables | 3–4 cups salt per gallon water |
| Alcohol sanitizer minimum | 60% isopropyl or ethanol |
| Solar (SODIS) minimum exposure | 6 hours clear weather, full sun, clear PET bottle |
| Soil to sand ratio for cob walls | 1 part clay soil : 2 parts coarse sand + straw |
| Solar panel sizing (basic) | Daily Wh ÷ Peak Sun Hours ÷ 0.85 = Panel Watts |
· — MORSE CODE QUICK REFERENCE
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The Last Light Survival Guide · Version 1.0 · Public Domain · Reproduce freely · Full guide: open index.html