Cheat sheets

First aid — the numbers

CPR (adult)

• Push 5–6 cm deep, 100–120/min, center of chest, arms straight
• 30 compressions : 2 breaths (untrained: compressions only, nonstop) · swap rescuer every 2 min
• Child: 5 rescue breaths first, ~5 cm · Baby: two fingers, ~4 cm, cover mouth+nose

Choking

• 5 back blows ↔ 5 abdominal thrusts (fist above navel, in + up) · baby: back blows + chest thrusts only

Bleeding

• Direct pressure, full weight, never lift the pad — add layers on top
• Tourniquet: 5–7 cm above wound, never on a joint, tighten till bleeding STOPS, write the TIME, never loosen

Burns

• Cool running water 20 minutes (works up to 3 h after) · no ice, no creams · cling film cover · palm ≈ 1% of body

Heatstroke

• Confusion + hot skin = emergency: cool by every means, target immersion; ice to neck/armpits/groin; nothing by mouth if confused

ORS (1 liter clean water)

• 6 level tsp sugar + ½ level tsp salt · taste: no saltier than tears · cup per loose stool

Recovery position

• Unresponsive + breathing → on their side, head back, top knee bent, hand under cheek

Water & food — the numbers

Rations

• Store 4 L per person per day × 14 days (family of 4 ≈ 220 L) · drink 2–3 L/day, more in heat
• Go-bag: 3 L per person · car: 4 L minimum (8 L desert) · calories: ~2,000 kcal/adult/day

Boiling

• Rolling boil 1 minute (3 min above 2,000 m) — kills everything biological

Bleach (plain, unscented, 5–9%)

• Stir, wait 30 min, faint chlorine smell = correct; none → repeat dose once · clarify cloudy water through cloth first

Fridge/freezer without power

• Fridge unopened: safe 4 h · full freezer: 48 h (half: 24 h)
• Perishables above 4°C: 2 h max — 1 h if room over 32°C · ice crystals = still cookable

Hidden water

• Water heater 30–80 L (power OFF first) · toilet cistern (not bowl, no tablets) · canned-food liquid · SODIS: clear bottle, full sun, 6 h

Emergencies — the actions

• Earthquake: DROP–COVER–HOLD ON · in bed stay there · never run out during shaking · after: shoes, gas check, stairs not lifts
• Home fire: shout, crawl low, back-of-hand door test, out in seconds, close doors, meet, NEVER back in · pan fire: lid on, never water
• Wildfire: leave EARLY · cotton long sleeves · lights on, recirculate · trapped in car: park clear of vegetation, stay in, below windows
• Attack/shelling: flat on the floor through the volley → interior room/stairwell/basement, away from windows · never touch munitions
• Chemical: crosswind + uphill away → indoors → AC OFF → seal interior room (upper floor) · cut clothes off, wash skin 20 min
• Dust storm: indoors before the wall · driving: fully off road, stop, handbrake, ALL LIGHTS OFF, foot off brake
• Flood: up, not out · 15 cm moving water knocks you down, 30 cm floats the car · never enter wadis in rain
• Heat + no power: one cool room, sun blocked, night-flush, wet skin + fan, watch for confusion = heatstroke
• Gas leak: no switches/flames/phones · open up, valve off, everyone out, call from outside
• Outage: fridge SHUT · unplug electronics, one light on · generator/charcoal OUTDOORS ONLY, 6+ m from windows — CO kills

Shelter & engineering — the essentials

Shut-offs

• Gas: quarter-turn, lever ACROSS pipe = off · shut after quakes/smell/before evacuating · never restore piped gas yourself
• Water: main valve clockwise until snug → open lowest tap · shut for bursts, quake, contamination warnings
• Electric: main OFF for flood/burning smell/evacuation · never touch electrics wet or standing in water

Safe spots

• Blast: basement/interior room, low floor, no windows · Chemical/dust: interior room, UPPER floor, sealable · Storm: smallest interior room, lowest floor

Sealing drill (target < 3 min)

• Door shut → wet towel under it → plastic taped over window + vents → AC off → radio on

Temperature without power

• Cool: block sun OUTSIDE glass · sealed by day, cross-vent at night · wet cloth on neck/wrists · fans only on wet skin above 40°C
• Warm: one small room, blankets on windows, layers + hat, insulation UNDER sleepers, hot-water bottles · NO charcoal/gas heat indoors — CO

Knots

• Bowline = fixed loop · square = join/bandage · clove hitch = pole · taut-line = tension tarp lines · figure-8 loop = strong clip point

Wilderness — the essentials

• Before: tell someone route + return time · 4–5 L water/person/day (8+ in heat) + reserve day · half-tank rule · offline maps downloaded
• Turn-back rule: ⅓ of water gone = turn around · stranded vehicle = STAY WITH IT
• Never camp in a wadi. Camp above the debris line, off ridge tops, away from lone trees and burrows
• Lost = STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan · kids: sit in shade, whistle in 3s
• Signals of 3: 3 whistle blasts · 3 fires/lights · V = help, X = medical, → = went this way (3–5 m, high contrast)
• Mirror: flash to V-fingers, target between fingers, sweep — visible tens of km
• Navigation: shadow stick: first mark = WEST · Polaris = north (via Big Dipper pointer stars ×5) · midday sun is due south, shadows point north
• Pace math: ~4 km/h flat, half on sand/hills · desert peak heat 2–4 p.m., coldest just before dawn
• Snakebite: still + calm, immobilize like a fracture, limb at heart level, NO cutting/sucking/ice/tourniquet, evacuate
• Storm: lightning-to-thunder seconds ÷ 3 = km · under 10 km → shelter (car is good) · distant rain floods your wadi hours later

Hygiene — the essentials

Hands (the keystone)

• Soap, 20 seconds, after toilet/waste/sick-contact, before food — always · sanitizer 60%+ when not visibly dirty · tippy-tap: bottle + cord + soap

Bleach mixes (fresh daily, never mix with other cleaners)

Toilets

• Sewer OK, no water: bucket-flush the bowl (3–4 L, fast pour)
• Sewer broken: double-bagged bucket + dry cover material each use, lid on · urine separate (extends everything)
• Latrine: 60 m from water, downhill, 30 m from kitchen, cover each use · handwash within 5 steps

Rules that stop outbreaks

• No dipping cups in the water store · vomiting/diarrhea = out of the kitchen until 48 h clear · food covered, flies fought · sick person: own room/corner, own dishes, one carer

Personal safety — the essentials

• Awareness: head up in car parks/entrances/ATMs · exits noted · baseline breaks (street empties, attention locks on you) → leave
• De-escalate: exhale, low voice, angled stance, hands visible · let them vent · agree with something true · apologize and LEAVE — lose disputes on purpose
• Robbery: property handed over instantly, never argue · never go to a second location — that's the line: noise, run to people/light
• Crowds: route around all demonstrations · caught: move WITH the flow, diagonally out · leave at the first crush-squeeze
• Checkpoints: slow early, light on at night, hands visible, documents ready, brief answers, no filming
• Home: 7–8 cm screws in strike plates + hinges · lock every time · door protocol: verify officials by calling their office yourself · never block your own fire exits
• Meeting points: ① outside home ② neighborhood landmark ③ out of area · wait 2 h → leave note → fall back · kids stay put at school until named adult comes
• Documents: grab-folder reachable in 30 s · 3 copies (original / relative / encrypted digital) · cash small notes, split 3 places · 2 numbers memorized per person

Communication — the essentials

• Network jammed: TEXT, don't call · out-of-area contact relays for everyone · one "SAFE at X" message, then radio silence
• Battery: low-power mode, one news check/hour, airplane mode in dead zones · car = phone charger + radio
• Radio: battery AM/FM is the lifeline · frequencies written in My Plan · listen on the hour, not continuously · AM/SW reaches far at night
• Walkie-talkies: agree family channel + backup · short boring messages, no addresses — anyone can listen
• Verify (SIFT): Stop → Investigate source → Find better coverage → Trace the original · act on official warnings, verify viral explanations · forward NOTHING unverified
• Offline maps: download region now, refresh every 6 months · GPS works without any network · paper map marked with routes in car + folder
• Stay vs go: official order = go · else: supplies, routes open, destination confirmed, household condition · doubt while threat approaches = go EARLY
• Leaving: tell contact route + ETA · load people → documents → go-bags → water → meds → power · utilities off, main routes, daylight

Remedies — the essentials

Fever

• Fluids hourly · paracetamol/ibuprofen by packet (children by WEIGHT, no aspirin under 16) · light clothing · no cold baths/alcohol rubs · baby < 3 months with fever → medical care, always

Diarrhea & vomiting

• ORS after every stool (adult 250 ml, child ½–1 cup) · vomiting: wait 10 min then a SPOONFUL every 1–2 min · keep feeding, keep breastfeeding · red flags: blood, high fever, 12 h nothing kept down, drowsy dry infant

Colds & coughs

• Honey for cough (NEVER under 1 year) · salt gargle: ½ tsp / cup warm water · saline drops for noses · no antibiotics for viruses · no cough syrups under 6

Panic — 90-second reset

• Exhale longer than inhale: in 4, out 6–8, ×10 · ground: 5 see, 4 touch, 3 hear, 2 smell, 1 taste · cold water on face · then give the person a JOB

Children

• Truth, sized to age, repeated calmly · routines kept stubbornly · jobs, play, closeness · regression = fear-language, answer with warmth not punishment · no disaster footage in earshot

Everyone

• Fixed sleep, rationed news, daily movement, nightly 10-minute adult debrief · weeks of sleeplessness/numbness/hopelessness = real injury → seek help