SURVIVAL PRIORITIES

Based on the combined expertise of many victims, experts, and authorities, the following are your priorities if you become lost in the woods:

1- STAY PUT. Wait for help; don't try to find your way out.

2- BUILD A SHELTER to keep you protected from the elements. Stay DRY and WARM. Choose a site where building materials are at hand and drinking water is available.

3- START A FIRE and KEEP WARM. Most wilderness fatalities are caused by HYPOTHERMIA (not starvation)! You need heat more urgently than you need water or food.

4- FIND WATER. Your body needs water more than it needs food, after only a few hours.

5- BUILD A SIGNAL. There are many types - do several.

6- FIND FOOD. Your body will need it after a few days. (Make a point now, beforehand, of learning what's edible in the wilderness!)

7- AVOID PANIC. Stay calm. Keep yourself amused and in a positive frame of mind.

8- SAVE YOUR ENERGY. Do not exhaust yourself. Exert yourself only as much as absolutely necessary.

9- WAIT FOR HELP. Don't get yourself lost even further and/or send your rescuers on a chase for a moving target.