SURVIVAL: Bubble boy at sea rescued — luckily

Friday, January 3, 2025

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14230841/boy-floating-inside-bubble-middle-sea.html

Moment boy, 8, is found floating inside a bubble in the middle of the sea
By ADRY TORRES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 22:56 EST, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 00:08 EST, 28 December 2024

*** begin quote ***

This is the moment a boy was found inside a bubble adrift in a Brazilian sea.

Video footage showed a person on a boat strapping a rope around the bubble and dragging it to the shore at Lázaro Beach in Ubatuba, São Paulo, where the child, who is around eight years old, was reunited with his parents.

Rafael do Prado told Metropoles news outlet that the child was in the bubble playing in the beach when its cable snapped and got dragged further out to sea.

*** and ***

The fire department official added that the bubble the boy was found in provides ‘a false sense of security.’

‘For every three deaths at sea, a drowning process begins with floating objects,’ Magalhães said.

‘Whether it’s a surfboard, an inflatable mattress, or these buoys, floating objects at sea are not safe.’

*** end quote ***

Hopefully this story makes an impression on all the beach authorities around the world.  

While I’m not a big fan of beaches in general, I have seen children of all ages on inflatable toys in the surf by themselves.  (Knowing how quick children can get into trouble, I’m never more than an arm’s length away from any that I’m responsible for.  Hate to lose anyone’s.)

Bubbles are for pools.  Elsewhere at risk of tragedy,

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SURVIVAL: Perhaps a review of the T-day frying turkey fails on YouTube might be required watching?

Saturday, December 7, 2024

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/weston-road-house-fire-no-injuries-19949303.php?ICID=ref_fark

Fire that destroyed CT home on Thanksgiving apparently caused by someone frying turkey, officials say
By Peter Yankowski, Brianna Gurciullo, Hana Ikramuddin, Staff Writers
Updated Nov 29, 2024 4:51 p.m.

  • Firefighters battled a large house fire in south Weston on Thanksgiving evening, officials said. 

  • A fire that erupted at a large home on Weston Road on Thanksgiving Day started in the garage after someone tried to fry a turkey, officials said Friday.

*** begin quote ***

WESTON — A fire that erupted at a large home on Weston Road on Thanksgiving Day started in the garage after someone tried to fry a turkey, officials said Friday.

*** end quote ***

I wonder if their insurance might deny their claim since they don’t insure against “stupidity”.  The pictures are spectacular.

I’ve seen many videos of these type fails on YouTube.  Some were even deliberate demonstrations by Fire Departments to educate “We, The Sheeple” about the dangers.  

Certainly doing it in a garage is only one tiny step smarter than doing it in the kitchen.

The explosive power of this type of “cooking” is really stunning.  What’s next firing it out of a cannon?  It just seems like a stupid way to singe your eyebrows off.

Well, I guess it is a way to earn a painful Darwin Award.

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SURVIVAL: Here’s a survival story that should have some details filled in

Thursday, December 5, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/11/28/world-news/missing-hiker-sam-benastick-found-alive-after-50-days-in-canadian-wilderness/

Missing hiker found alive after 50 days in Canadian wilderness where temperatures dropped below 0: ‘Unbelievable’
By Alex Oliveira 
Published Nov. 28, 2024, 7:57 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

A young hiker lost in the volatile Canadian wilderness for more than a month was found alive Tuesday after weeks of desperate searching, according to reports.

Sam Benastick, 20, was found hobbling down a service road in British Columbia’s Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, where he had been reported missing after failing to return home from a 10-day hiking trip on October 17, according to CBC News.

*** end quote ***

Is that a record of some type?

No details of what he did right and wrong.  Clearly, he was either very lucky or had some great skills. 

I’d like to know what he was carrying and doing while “lost”.   And, of course, who pays for the search and rescue?

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SURVIVAL: Bear spray! Are you kidding me?

Sunday, December 1, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14120385/wolf-pack-gray-spotted-california-Lassen-Volcanic-National-Park.html

Major warning for hikers as apex predator thought to be extinct for a century is spotted in California park
By ALEX HAMMER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 11:55 EST, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 12:51 EST, 24 November 2024 

*** begin quote ***

n the past 100 years, there have been fewer than 30 documented attacks by wild wolves on humans in not only the US, but North America as a whole – with only two dying after contracting rabies from bites suffered in Alaska in the 1940s, according to reports. 

Still, carrying a canister of bear spray is advised, officials said – as the animal can become aggressive towards parties it views as competition to its food source.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, meanwhile, has yet to release more information on the sighting.

*** end quote ***

While I’m happy that the wolves are back and I wonder what changes they will bring with them.  Yellowstone experienced a lot less moose damage by the rivers and streams when the wolves came back there.

But if, by some twist of fate, I went hiking in the woods, then bear spray be damned.  Too many two legged and four legged hazards for my taste.  I’d want at least 45 caliber sidearm for my personal protection.  If the varmints don’t like loud noises, I’d fire a warning shot.  If possible.  Otherwise, center of mass, baby.  And keep firing until the threat is no more.  Reload if need be.

No excuse for being unprepared. 

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SURVIVAL: How to NOT survive, don’t be ‘exhausted and ill-prepared’

Monday, November 18, 2024

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-search-team-rescues-hikers-19894482.php

Bay Area & State
Calif. search team rescues ‘exhausted and ill-prepared’ Mount Whitney hikers
By Sam Mauhay-Moore, Trending News Reporter Nov 7, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Inyo County’s Search and Rescue team has once again taken to social media to scold a set of hikers who needed assistance after being unable to summit Mount Whitney on Saturday. 

The two hikers began their trek on Friday evening with the intent to summit the mountain on Saturday, Inyo SAR posted on Facebook. Equipped with “150lbs of newly-purchased gear plus 5 gallons of water,” the pair made it 2.7 miles before stopping to camp on the trail at about 3 a.m. “They were exhausted, and one subject had two blisters and a bad headache,” Inyo SAR wrote. They later woke up to snowfall, with their shoes full of snow. 

The “exhausted and ill-prepared” hikers then called the search and rescue team for assistance, Inyo SAR wrote. 

*** and ***

Inyo SAR listed several things that went amiss before and during the incident, the first being the hikers “attempting Mt. Whitney without prior experience, proper preparation, or essential items such as a map, weather forecast, and bear canister.” Weather forecasts for that weekend predicted up to two feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada, and the U.S. Forest Service warns that fall conditions on the Mount Whitney trail often include hazardous pockets of snow and ice that require hiking with gear like crampons and ice picks. The Forest Service also recommends hikers train extensively before attempting to summit Whitney, as the 22-mile round trip hike is notoriously gnarly and includes over 6,000 feet of elevation gain. 

*** end quote ***

Did they say 150# of newly-purchased gear plus 5 gallons of water?

For the uninitiated in “survival”, 5 gallons of water is about 40#.   Go to your local supermarket and carry FOUR 10 pound sacks of spuds just to the checkout and you’ll get a sense of what that really means.

There’s a reason that USAF survival school, as well as private one, spend a lot of time talking about “weight”.  In a survival situation, you are urged to review everything you THINK you need and pare it down to what you must absolutely have.  Then take a short hike  —  in the military that’s FIVE miles  —  in the USMC that’s 20 or 30 miles  —  then reassess what you are carrying.  That’s why Amazon hawks “extra light weight” stuff of campling.

I’m glad the hikers survived and perhaps their story will educate everyone else.

Once again, I question “Who pays?”.   Certainly, it shouldn’t be the Taxpayer.  Perhaps, at these “attractive locations”, “rescue insurance” should be sold with big sign as to what an uninsured rescue will cost.  Maybe then we will have a lot less “rescues” needed!

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SURVIVAL: We can’t explain such animal behavior, but it pays to have a four leggeded companion

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/pets/2024/10/12/hero-dog-elderly-man-broken-hip-washington-forest/75589009007/?utm_placement=newsletter

This dog sat in a road until a car stopped, then led man into woods to save injured human

  • Keith Johnson, 84, could not move after he fell and broke his hip. But his faithful dog Gita sat in the road until a car stopped and she led a deputy deep in the woods to help her injured human

Saman Shafiq
Published 6:03 a.m. ET Oct. 12, 2024 Updated 9:38 p.m. ET Oct. 12, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Gita, 13-year-old rescue dog is being hailed a “true hero” for flagging help after her elderly owner fell and injured his leg in Washington state last month, Stevens County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputy Colton Wright was patrolling a rural wooded area in Stevens County when he spotted a dog sitting in the middle of the road. With no visible residences nearby, the officer assumed the dog had gone missing and tried to get Gita into his car so he could try to find the owner.

However, Gita firmly refused to get into the vehicle, prompting the deputy to check the surrounding areas.

*** end quote ***

Not sure how to characterize this story.  Not “heroic”; can animals be heroes?  More than “INTERESTING” or “INSPIRATIONAL”.  Maybe best as “SURVIVAL”.  

We can’t explain such animal behavior.  Like when a baby animal seeks out a human to help save the mom.  Or fish entangled in a net seek out a human to save themselves or another fish.  I know that it’s unusual enough to make me wonder  —  is there something we are missing?

I’ll just take note of it when I see it and someday maybe I’ll understand it.

Perhaps, in the after life, I’ll get some resolution.

Until then, everyone should have a loyal dog as their companion.  Make it a rescue; not from a puppy farm.

Dona Nobis Pacem

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SURVIVAL: Sometimes you just have to cut your losses; like in this case, your phone or your life?

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13985661/NSW-woman-gets-trapped-two-giant-boulders-dropping-iPhone.html

NSW woman gets trapped between two giant boulders after dropping her iPhone

  •     Woman slipped down three-metre crevice  
  •     Rescuers had to move 500kg boulder 

By Antoinette Milienos For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 23:49 EDT, 21 October 2024 | Updated: 01:08 EDT, 22 October 2024

*** begin quote ***

A woman who got wedged between rocks for seven hours after she tried to retrieve her phone has been rescued.

Emergency services were called to bushland in the Hunter Valley wine region earlier this month following reports of a woman being stuck between two boulders.

The NSW woman had tried to retrieve her phone from between the rocks but had slipped, fallen down a three-metre crevice, and was hanging upside down.

*** end quote ***

I’m not sure what the ill effects of hanging upside down trapped for SEVEN hours might be.  Humans aren’t designed for that challenge.  

I hate to be crass  —  or is it cravass  — but who pays for the rescue?  I’ll bet the Taxpayers.

Sigh!

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SURVIVAL:Hawaii man trapped in 15ft remote forest ravine gets very very lucky

Monday, September 16, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13827337/hawaii-man-trapped-forest-ravine-bridge-collapse-reveal-survive.html

Hawaii man trapped in 15ft remote forest ravine after bridge collapsed reveals ingenious way he survived
By James Cirrone For Dailymail.Com
Published: 16:53 EDT, 8 September 2024 | Updated: 16:53 EDT, 8 September 2024

*** begin quote ***

A 41-year-old father-of-two had to be put on a ventilator after he miraculously survived being stuck in a 15 foot deep ravine for multiple nights without food.

Ian Goodsell, who lives on the big island of Hawaii, was crossing an old bridge near a forest off Kamaili Road when it collapsed underneath him, KITV reported.

‘He fell into a ravine about 15 feet deep and was in there for three nights,’ said Garrett Goodsell, Ian’s brother. 

*** and ***

‘If you’re gonna go hiking, and this wasn’t necessarily a hiking trail, and even more so if you’re gonna go out there, make sure you stick to the trails, as much as possible,’ Volpe said. ‘Don’t hike alone, make sure you let people know where you’re going and kind of when you expect to be back.’

*** end quote ***

Seems obvious advice.

Where was his EDC, a daypack, and a phone? And, without his anti-seizure meds in his pocket!

It’s not “ingenious” to use a shirt to catch water.  

He was just lucky.

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SURVIVAL: A missing eight-year-old Maryland boy safe and sound

Saturday, August 31, 2024

https://www./news/article-13772993/Arizona-rescue-missing-boy-tzion-maron-lava-river-caves.html

Arizona park rangers’ dramatic rescue of missing boy who spent night alone in wilderness after getting separated from his family
By Alyssa Guzman For Dailymail.Com
Published: 09:43 EDT, 23 August 2024 | Updated: 11:45 EDT, 23 August 2024

*** begin quote ***

Park rangers and more than 100 volunteers worked together to find a missing eight-year-old Maryland boy who got separated from his family while visiting a cave in Arizona. 

Tzion Maron, of Baltimore, went missing near the opening of the Lava River Caves near Flagstaff on Wednesday after his family was unable to locate him in the immediate area, prompting search and rescue crews to be called around 6:15pm. 

*** end quote ***

No details about how he got lost or what he did  — right or wrong.  Would be good for an “after action  —  lessons learned”.

Watching children over the years, I’ve learned (the hard way) to never ever take your eyes off them.  They seem to be able to “disappear” in a heart beat.

Now there are things like Apple air tags and Angel Sense to help.

If you’re not holding their hand, then you better have your eyes on them.

Glad for the good result.  Great help from various groups.  And a lesson to all of us to watch “our” kids.  Even if they are not “ours”.

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SURVIVAL:All first responders need to know who and what they are dealing with

Thursday, August 29, 2024

https://click.iphonelife.com/ga/webviews/4-3550952-5-12372-15621-162251-2t8e02054d

Get Help in an Emergency with a Medical ID on iPhone

While a medical alert bracelet or a medical ID card in your wallet may help in an emergency, there’s one more tool you can use to ensure you receive the prompt care you need—your iPhone! Even if you keep your iPhone locked with a passcode or Face ID, it’s still possible to have your Medical ID visible on your smartphone so that bystanders and emergency personnel can assist you in a medical emergency. Let’s get started learning how to set up the Medical ID on iPhone.

# – # – # – # – # 

Not every “survival” situation happens in Death Valley, on the ski slopes, or in a national park.  

BUT, wherever they occur, first responders need to know who and what they are dealing with.

I have this “medical id” set up on my iphone. Suggest you should too. And, recommend it to anyone you know.

During my time on the First Aid squad, there were many times when this would have save time and prevented confusion. Often, people couldn’t communicate key info and we were stuck. Just had to scoop ‘n’ dash and let the ER sort stuff out.

I think this feature, along with what3words location pinpointing app, are two of the things that EVERYONE should have on their phones. I’m sure Android has a similar feature.

FWIW YMMV faiwwypfi (Free Advice Is Worth What You Pay For It!)

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