SLEDsmart! USA Knowledge Base

Once you’ve met any required first aid needs for yourself and for your group, you should begin signaling for help. The obvious choice is to call for help with a cell phone. No service? No battery power?

Try one of the following solutions:

• Blast a whistle - you should have one in your survival kit.
• Fire off a flare (if you have one in your survival kit). They can be seen by planes and from far distances.
• Flash a signal mirror to reflect sunlight at overhead planes. The glare can be seen for up to 10 miles at ground level.
• Use your fire to create a smoke signal to attract the attention of anyone near enough to see it. Use white or black smoke, depending on your surroundings!
• Make an ‘X’, write a giant ‘S.O.S.’ on the ground or construct a large arrow out of the materials around you and point the arrow toward your shelter.
• Blast sound signals in groups of three to create the International Emergency Distress Signal for S.O.S. Use a whistle, your voice, flares or if you’re hunting and can spare the ammo, you could fire your gun three times.