It’s a big, scary world out there.

And we can use all the help we can get in the safety department these days. I’m not trying to be dramatic, I’m just stating the facts, folks.

Do you know any facts that could potentially save someone’s life?

These AskReddit users sure do. Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Know the symptoms.

“The symptoms of a heart attack are slightly different for men and women. This is one of the reasons women sometimes get diagnosed too late.

Men: Cold sweat/ nausea; Chest pressure/pain; Shortness of breath; Pain in arm(s), back, neck, jaws, stomach

Women: Fainting/ extreme fatigue; Chest pressure; Shortness of breath; Upper back pressure; Light-headedness/ dizziness; Pain in arm(s), back, neck, jaws, stomach.”

2. Animal attack!

“If you EVER get bit by a wild animal, no matter how it acts…

Get. A. Rabies. Shot.

Rabies becomes a death sentence upon the onset of symptoms.”

3. FYI.

“Do not pick up a person that has fainted, instead lift their feet above heart level and keep at it till they wake up to make the blood flow back in their head to deliver oxygen.”

4. Be specific.

“In an emergency around any other people, be intentional and specific with people. Do not shout into the void “someone call for help!!!”

Make eye contact with someone, make sure they know you are talking to them, tell them what you need: “Sir in the blue shirt. Call an ambulance.” “Ma’am with the green jacket, go ask the barista for a clean towel.” “You with the hockey mask and machete, watch this baby!”

Studies have shown that the assumption that someone else will do something is ingrained within people and often they will not help without specifically being talked to.”

5. Don’t embarrassed.

“A lot of choking deaths are actually due to embarrassment. If you’re choking, fight the urge to save face.

Don’t go to the bathroom to fix it yourself, don’t sit silently and try to spit up the food yourself. Ask for help ASAP.”

6. Never thought of that.

“Mentioned this in another question before, but it’s important: If you hear about an active shooter situation near someone you know, DO NOT CALL THAT PERSON to see if they’re safe or okay.

If that person is in danger, they’re likely trying to hide from the shooter. Their phone going off – even just vibrating – can attract the attention of the shooter and give off their location. So do NOT try to make any attempt to contact them until the situation is completely resolved.

I know it’s absolutely wrenching but it’s much safer to wait.”

7. Just in case…

“If you have no other option than to fight someone with a knife, you will be cut.

Accept this fact, and just make sure those cuts are only on your hands/arms while you do everything you can to gain control of the knife/disarm the attacker or defeat him/her.

Your jacket or shirt is also a very valuable tool if anyone is trying to stab or slash you providing you have time to get it off.

You can hold it in between both hands and use it to effectively parry or trap and wrap up anything from a pocket knife to a machete.”

8. Lost in the desert.

“If you are stranded in the desert do not drink the “water” in a cactus.

It will induce vomiting which will dehydrate and kill you faster.”

9. Out in the cold.

“Cold related tips!:

If you’re ever stuck in the cold, please DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL. It is a very common misconception that doing so will keep you warm because it does make you feel warm, however it will only make you get colder faster.

When alcohol is consumed, it dilates the blood vessels near your skin, bringing more heat to the outside of your body, and this is why people get red and feel warm when they drink alcohol. This, however, will make you lose heat very quickly. Don’t do it.

Use layers, not a single thick layer. Hot air only stays permanently when trapped by multiple layers.

If start to feel hot, don’t take your clothes off! This sometimes happens with deep-onset hypothermia. Don’t go to sleep, and don’t take your clothes off.”

10. Dry drowning.

“If you almost drowned and you have trouble breathing afterwards you should go to the hospital.

You can experience “dry drowning”, where you die hours later due to inhaled fluid in your lungs.”

11. Car safety.

“The headrest on car seats can typically be removed and the little metal bars that connect the seat to the head rest can be used to break the car’s glass windows in the case of being trapped in the car due to an accident or any other situation that results in being trapped.”

12. Out in the woods.

“If you are truly lost in the woods, get ready to spend the night. Find yourself a little sheltered place and improve it the best you can. If you have the means, get a friendly little fire going.

Protect yourself from the elements, and everything is going to look better in the morning. People who stay put get found. People who keep wandering into the night end up freezing to death at the bottom of a ravine with a broken ankle.

If you’re only a little bit lost, turn around and go back the way you came! This sounds super obvious, but getting lost in the woods is a process–you realize you’re off the trail, but you know the car is “right over that hill”.

But when you get to the hilltop, the other side doesn’t look familiar, so you start following the creek down to the river–you know parked upstream by the river. But you’re actually headed up a different fork of the river, and there’s nothing up that canyon but a lot of slippery rocks to die on.

Whereas if you’d have just turned back around, chances are you’d find the trail in no time and be on your way back to the trailhead.

Also, I’d just go ahead and drink out of a creek in any survival situation. (this is very controversial.) But I figure, waterborne illnesses aren’t life threatening in North America (you’re not going to get cholera from a mountain stream), whereas dehydration can cloud your mind and kill you.

And even if you drank giardia (which is pretty unlikely if you’re lost in the woods, since it’s mostly transmitted through human feces), it takes a full week to incubate. Most people are found by then. YMMV.

Source: I was a USFS Wilderness Ranger, and I’ve spent a couple unplanned nights out in the woods, not quite certain where I was. It’s not that bad, really.”

Do you know any facts that could be real lifesavers?

If so, please share them in the comments with us.

We’d love to hear from you!

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