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SURVIVAL STEPS - 12018_513
MAN OVERBOARD - 12018_515

Basic Military Requirements (BMR) - Requirement for military advancement
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specially designed to maintain your physical and mental abilities and aren’t thirst-provoking. The ration is based on an allowance of one packet per person per day; but, you should eat only when you feel the greatest need. Don’t take any food or water the first 24 hours. Food is much less important for survival than water. With water, a person can survive for 4 weeks or longer without food. Nearly all forms of sea life are edible. Some fish are poisonous; for example, jellyfish (which you should never eat). Each lifeboat has a fishing kit for catching fish. All sea birds are edible, and practically the entire bird is useful. In addition to the food and liquid obtained from sea birds, you can fashion fishhooks and lures from the bones and feathers. In cold weather, a bird’s skin (with feathers) will protect exposed parts of your body. Birds  sometimes  settle  on  the  raft  or  boat,  and survivors have reported instances where birds landed on their shoulders. If birds are shy, try dragging a baited hook through the water or throwing a baited hook into the air. You can catch gulls, terns, gannets, and albatrosses by dragging a baited hook behind the boat or raft. You can attract them within shooting distance by dragging a bright  piece  of  metal  or  shell  behind  the  raft.  It’s possible to catch a bird if it lands within reach. Most birds, however, are shy and will settle on the raft out of reach. In that case, try a bird noose. Make it by tying a loose knot with two pieces of line, as shown in figure 15-9. Bait the center of the loop with fish entrails or similar bait. When the bird settles in the loop to eat the bait, tighten the noose around its feet. The  North  Atlantic  and  the  North  Pacific  have relatively few birds, and these are found mostly along the coasts. You may see many species of birds, often hundreds of miles from land, in southern waters. Exposure Exposure presents many dangers. Some dangers include sunburn, hypothermia, frostbite, and immersion foot.  Some  actions  you  can  take  to  survive  these conditions are as follows: MAN OVERBOARD All the information in this section applies mainly to ship disasters when your ship is sunk. Such events normally occur in wartime but rarely in peacetime. However, a mishap that can happen to you at any time, and usually without warning, is to fall overboard. One minute you are walking along the main deck; the next 15-12 Student Notes: Figure 15-9.—Bird noose. CONDITION ACTION Cold You can’t survive for any great length of time in cold water without a special exposure suit. In water cooler than 75E   F, you face a serious condition called  hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs when your body is exposed to subnormal temperatures. To overcome hypothermia, minimize heat loss from your head, neck, sides, and groin. Raise as much of your body as possible out of the water; wear a hat; and assume the fetal position or huddle in close, side-by-side contact with others. Don’t move about. Stay calm and encourage others not to panic.







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