Outdoor Safety and Survival Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real CORE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Outdoor Safety and Survival Skills flashcards as text
What is the primary symptom that distinguishes heat stroke from heat exhaustion?
Answer: Altered mental status or unconsciousness
Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency characterized by altered mental status (confusion, unconsciousness), while heat exhaustion typically preserves normal mental function.
In avalanche terrain, what percentage of avalanche victims trigger the slide themselves?
Answer: About 60%
Approximately 90% of avalanche accidents involve the victim or a member of the victim's group triggering the avalanche, underscoring the importance of terrain awareness.
Which cloud formation most strongly indicates an approaching severe thunderstorm?
Answer: Cumulonimbus (anvil-topped, towering storm clouds)
Cumulonimbus clouds, which develop a characteristic flat anvil top, are the hallmark of active thunderstorms with lightning, hail, and high winds.
When treating a blister to prevent infection in the field, what is the recommended approach for an intact, painful blister?
Answer: Pop it with a sterile needle at the edge, drain it, and leave the skin intact
Drain the blister by puncturing the edge with a sterilized needle, then leave the overlying skin intact as a natural protective dressing to prevent infection.
A hiker is found with red, hot, dry skin, a rapid pulse, and is unresponsive. The PRIORITY field treatment is to:
Answer: Actively cool the victim using wet cloths and fanning while arranging evacuation
Heat stroke requires aggressive, immediate cooling—wet skin and fanning, ice packs to neck/armpits/groin—while simultaneously arranging emergency evacuation.
What is the safest color to wear during hunting season to increase visibility to other hunters?
Answer: Blaze orange (hunter orange)
Blaze orange is required by law in many states during certain hunting seasons because it is highly visible to humans but not to deer, which are red-green colorblind.
When encountering a black bear on a trail, what is the recommended action?
Answer: Stand your ground, make yourself appear large, speak calmly, and back away slowly
For black bears, you should stand your ground, make noise, appear large, and back away slowly—never run, as it triggers predatory instinct, and black bears are excellent climbers.