7 Free Survival and First Aid Guides
I’d suggest experimenting with many of the techniques found in these guides before you actually need to use them
To use these documents effectively, I suggest you filter out operational military doctrine and take what is most applicable to your needs. For those in a colder climate, the Canadian guides provide useful advice. I think each are good to print, fully read, bookmark with tabs, and store on a shelf.
Beware: storing as a PDF could be next to useless in an emergency situation, if the lights go out. Printing is key. Also consider storing your collection of vital knowledge resources in a waterproof box.
I’d suggest experimenting with many of the techniques found in these guides before you actually need to use them. Get your reps in now so you’re not figuring it out under the pressure of an emergency.
The seven guides below are just a sample of what’s available, but they cover the fundamentals. There are many other survival books worth obtaining, but most must be purchased. I suggest books on canning techniques, home repair, and food growing for example.
Finally, military-style survival guides are purpose built. They are typically written for the stranded soldier who is surviving until rescue. The knowledge from these military guides is indispensable, but for more of a homesteading approach the last publication, Survival Illustrated, is a must-have.
Here are the guides:
US Army FM 3-05.70 Survival Manual: This 600-plus page publication covers shelter construction, water procurement, primitive fire building, food foraging, poisonous plants, field-expedient weapons, and distinct biome operations across desert, arctic, and tropical environments.
US Marine Corps MCRP 3-02H Survival, Evasion, and Recovery: A quick-reference field handbook for navigation, evasion movement, thermal protection, signaling, and tactical camouflage.
US Air Force AFH 10-644 SERE Manual: Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) curriculum. It details physical survival physiology, psychological stressors, specialized signaling gear, and equipment improvisation.
US Military FM 4-25.11 First Aid Manual: A joint Army, Navy, and Air Force manual detailing tactical field care. It outlines emergency treatment for severe hemorrhages, open chest wounds, shock, fractures, splinting, environmental injuries (hypothermia and heat stroke), and field sanitation.
Canadian Armed Forces B-GL-382-006/FP-001 Survival Manual: Technical instruction for survival across temperate, tropical, and subarctic biomes, emphasizing shelter construction, improvised navigation, firecraft, and wild food harvesting.
Canadian Forces Down But Not Out Survival Manual: Canadian Forces wilderness survival handbook developed for aircrews operating in remote northern regions, it details extreme cold-weather survival, snow trench and quinzhee construction, signaling, and wild edible flora.
Survival Illustrated: Written by Jessica Wildfire, this survival publication provides comprehensive and practical survival guidance for homesteaders and average citizens. Everyone can benefit from this publication that Jessica so generously created.
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