As a normal human being and not an action movie character, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about how to survive life-or-death scenarios. But it’s worth knowing what to do if you’re pulled offshore by a rip current, your car stalls on the train tracks, or you need to file a missing persons report when there just isn’t time to wait 24 hours. Here are some tips that could save your life (or someone else’s) someday.
If a tornado looks like it’s standing still, it may be coming straight at you
When you’re in tornado country, it’s possible to see a tornado and not necessarily be within striking distance. Meteorologists will sometimes call this the left-to-right rule: If the twister is moving from left to right, it’s probably moving past you. You should still seek shelter, because it could still be close enough to do damage, and because there may be more than one tornado out there.
But if you can’t tell which direction it’s moving—maybe it looks like it’s standing still—then it is not moving past you. It may be moving away, or it may be in the midst of a rare standstill. But it’s also very possible that the tornado is moving toward you. Do not stop and take a video. Seek shelter immediately.
Don’t wait to file a missing persons report
Police officers in movies and on TV are always telling families to wait 24 or even 48 hours before filing a report about their missing loved one. This is a dramatic device, meant to increase the tension and buy more time for plot to happen. It is not an actual rule.
Actual law enforcement agencies want you to make your report as soon as possible, especially for a child or for anyone who may face extra danger if they aren’t found quickly, for example because of a medical condition. The first 24 hours can be critical ones in the search. Don’t wait.
Don’t put out a grease fire with water
Splashing water on hot oil makes it spatter, and that’s especially dangerous if the oil is on fire. While you can douse burning wood with water—as when putting out a campfire—this is not how to handle a grease fire in the kitchen. Don’t dump flour on it, either: Flour can be flammable.
If a small grease fire starts while you are cooking, the best way to put it out is to slide a lid over the pan to smother it, then leave the lid in place until the pan is cool. If you can’t do this quickly and easily, get out of the house and call 911.
Another good option is a fire extinguisher, which you should have in your kitchen anyway. Grease fires require a B or K extinguisher (K is for commercial kitchens, while B is appropriate for small grease fires in home kitchens) so an “ABC” home extinguisher is a good option.
Drowning is often quiet, not splashy
We may envision a drowning emergency as something loud and splashy that gets our attention. But people who are drowning often don’t have the energy or ability to shout or wave their arms. They may appear to be slipping under the water, moving their arms but not managing to swim anywhere.
Don’t drink your urine if you’re dehydrated
If you’re in a survival situation and running low on water, don’t drink your urine—it will only make matters worse. Your body needs to use water to get rid of salts and waste products via urine, and it uses as little as possible when you’re dehydrated. Drinking your urine will put all of that stuff back in, and require even more water to get rid of it.
But there is a way to use your urine to help you conserve water: Soak a scarf to make a cooling towel, or even slather the urine on your skin, where it can perform the same function as sweat: cooling you as it evaporates. Cooling your body with urine means you won’t need to sweat as much, and that does help you conserve water.
If you’re caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore
Rip currents can pull you away from the shore, a terrifying experience if you thought you were out for a nice beach swim. (By the way, even though they’re often called “rip tides,” they have nothing to do with tides.)
Instead of fighting the current and trying to swim to shore, experts recommend swimming parallel to the shore. NOAA says to “relax” and think of the rip current as a “natural treadmill” along the water’s surface. The rip current is a narrow band of water extending from the shore. Once it carries you past the breakers, it won’t have any more pull. Swim parallel to the shore as soon as you’re able, and then you should be able to swim or ride the waves back in.
If you fall through the ice, swim to the dark spot
You might think that a hole in the ice will look brighter than the area around it, but that’s not always the case. If you fall through ice, you want to get out the way you came (and then stay horizontal, sliding yourself back to shore instead of attempting to stand up and walk).
The hole you fell through may not always look darker than the surroundings, but in many cases it does. Snow and ice tend to reflect light and look bright. If there’s a spot above you that looks different from the rest, swim to it even if you’re expecting daylight but it’s dark.
Don’t pull a knife out of a stab wound
In a first aid situation, somebody who has been stabbed or impaled just needs you to call 911 and do your best to get the bleeding under control in the meantime. It’s not your job to remove the object, since removing it can make bleeding worse.
If your car is stalled on the train tracks, GTFO
Never stop a car on the train tracks. You should know this. But if it happens anyway, and a train is coming or you don’t know when it’s coming, get the fuck out of there. A speeding train will throw the emergency brake, as this Federal Railroad Administration PSA notes, but they’re not going to come to a full stop until about a mile after they hit you. Another PSA features an officer holding up a sandwich baggie and saying this is the size of bag they use to “collect what’s left of you.”