West Coast Groundfish Observer Program Manual, Part2 - NOAA

CHAPTER 8
4. Signals - Anything that attracts attention and
conveys a message is a signal. Radios, EPIRBs,
and flares are signals carried by vessels.
Immersion suits have lights attached. You may
have a signal mirror in your personal survival kit.
If abandoning ship, anything that can be tossed
overboard may help an aircraft spot your
position. Anything that makes you bigger,
brighter, or different from your
surroundings is a signal, so an attempt to
gather items, which float, from a sinking ship
should be made. In a shore survival situation,
three of anything (fires, buoys, immersions suits
on the beach) is an internationally recognized
distress signal.
5. Water - It is recommended that humans drink
two liters of water per day to stay healthy. You
can live without water for only a few days, and
will suffer dehydration from the onset of any
abandon ship emergency. Life rafts have limited
rations of water, so it is advised to gather as
much as possible before abandoning ship, if
time permits. Have a strategy for gathering extra
water in an emergency. Never drink seawater
or urine.
6. Food - A person can go without food much
longer than without water. Never eat food
without water—your body requires water to
digest food. Life rafts are supplied with limited
food rations. In a shore survival situation, many
types of edibles can be found near shore.
Almost any animals or green plants in the intertidal
zone are edible, but avoid mussels or
clams—they may cause paralytic shellfish
poisoning.
8-24 1/30/2004