The role of searching personnel is often misunderstood. The highest priority is not the health and well-being of the subject. The highest priority is the health and well-being of self, then the team, and then the subject. When these priorities are scrambled, the possibility of a rescuer becoming a patient increases, turning an asset into a liability. If a Searcher becomes injured, then it takes time and vital resources away from the original objective of the search.

The basic physiological requirements for a human to survive are air, water, food and shelter. It is commonly suggested that the average person can survive three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. The human body can do extraordinary things in its struggle to survive. Keep in mind the 3–3–3 rule when considering the possible survival of a search subject or if you yourself become trapped.

Depending on the time of year and your location a shelter may be the most important of the four basic physiological requirements to sustain life, with the exception of air. Whether in the desert summer or the alpine forest winter, shelter is the first thing needed in a survival situation.

Natural shelter

Nature often conveniently provides natural places of shelter such as a cave, rock outcropping, overhang, depression, tree or thicket. Be careful when using a cave. Do not enter a cave farther than the exit can be seen because it is easy to become disoriented and lost in deep caves or mines. Also, consider that other wildlife may already live in the convenient shelter nature provided. Trees and thickets can provide partial protection from wind and rain and they tend to keep radiated heat during the night.

Bivouac shelter

A bivouac is a simple shelter that is easy to set up. The main purpose of the bivouac is to protect the body from heat exchange via conduction and convection. Use pine needles, leaves, grass, reeds and other soft plant materials to make a mat. Cover the body with black plastic trash bags, a reflective space blanket, or natural materials that you might use to make a mattress.

A-Frame shelter

An A-Frame shelter is a little more substantial and permanent than a bivouac shelter. There are many ways to make an A-Frame shelter. Use a space blanket or black trash bags taped together with duct tape to form a large tarp. Use a stick and a piece of parachute cord to form a central beam and drape the blanket over the top forming a tent-like structure.

A Lean-To

A Lean-to is a simpler form of shelter. It is one side of a roof or wall to a structure that is open on the other. Typically, a lean-to is used to get out of the sun or wind. It can be used as an effective winter shelter if a campfire is placed in front of the lean-to, so the heat is captured in the structure.

Fire

After securing shelter a campfire needs to be made. The campfire does many things in a survival situation. It not only provides warmth, but it also provides companionship, which has positive physiological effects and helps the survivalist remain calm and better able to reason through a course of action. Fire can also be used to cook food, boil water, signal for help and keep predators away. Every pack should have equipment for making a fire.

Food

A Searcher may be expected to perform gruelling tasks in some of the worst conditions. They will need regular replenishment of energy to help prevent exhaustion and fatigue. Searchers should be able to sustain themselves in the field for at least 24 hours. They should always carry enough food for that period and have extra food for another 24 hours in a base kit. When selecting food, consider that the body needs food high in energy. Dried foods such as jerky, dehydrated fruit and vegetables, granola bars, and energy bars are great sources of energy with the added benefits of being lightweight and lasting a long time in a pack.

Water

The importance of water cannot be overstated. Searchers may run out. Don’t let this happen. If it does there are some options to try to find water. Look for lines of green vegetation such as cottonwood trees, fan palms and willows. These plants require large amounts of water and if they are surviving, then water must be within reach. If water is not on the surface in these areas, then try digging at the base of large shade trees such as cottonwoods. Water may be just under the surface.

Dry washes may have water still flowing beneath the surface. Find a place where the wash is forced to turn because of an area of granite rock. Finding vegetation growing at the base of the rock is a good sign. Try digging a hole a few feet into the sand and dirt on the outside edge of the curve. Water is forced nearer the surface as it is forced around the curve. Leave the hole for 15 to 30 minutes. If water does not begin to fill the bottom of the hole after that, then try a different spot.

After finding a hole that fills with water place a bundle of grass or reeds at the bottom to help filter out the larger pieces of sediment before collecting the water. The base of large granite cliffs and rock formations may also have some water. As water flows down through the granite it may exit at the base of the rock or just under the surface.