People have been sharing the survival tips that actually saved their life – 17 pieces of advice that could actually save your bacon

Everyone knows that first aid is useful to know in theory, but it’s not until you put life-saving advice into action that you realise how crucial it can be.

But what do you need to know to be prepared for all the deadly situations there are in the world? Well, you could do a lot worse than to brush up on the answers to this question put to r/AskReddit by user Key_Sheepherder_2546:

‘What was the “survival tip that will save your life” that actually saved your life?’

Here are the top tips to get you out of an emergency…

1.
‘Someone else’s life: I’m glad those Heimlich maneuver posters are everywhere. I was having lunch on a Monday in a neighborhood that’s mostly residential, so it was just me and one other person at another table. He choked on a piece of carrot and I successfully did the Heimlich on him. I have zero other emergency preparedness skills but I’m glad I had that one that day!’
-that_was_way_harsh

2.
‘Used to work in the fire service. Maybe not a glamorous tip, but a lot of people were saved by bystanders knowing basic first aid and CPR. In a rural place, we’re were arriving to a scene 30+ minutes after the stopped breathing. 30 minutes without new oxygen or circulation makes massive difference in survival odds. And for traumatic injuries, making an attempt to manage blood loss is always better than nothing.’
-Possible_Ad_4094

3.
‘Drowning. I saved my son from drowning in a pool. He had swallowed so much water that he couldn’t breathe. I put him on his back, rolled him to his side and hit him on the back. He ended up throwing up numerous times. His first words to me were, Thanks for saving me Dad. I still get choked up, 15 years later.’
-Courtaid

4.
‘I rehabbed aggressive dogs and learned how to act in a dog attack situation.

‘If it’s one dog, stay still. Don’t run, don’t fight. Put your hands up so it doesn’t grab your arms or nip your fingers, and don’t give it any stimulus.

‘If you run, it’s a game. If you fight, it’s a fight. Either way you’re going to lose.

‘Be prepared to fight if you have to, because running you’ll die tired. Hit it hard, hit it fast, and get ready to have a really bad day.

‘Then the day came, I was getting out of my car and my neighbor’s untrained pitbull that he was walking without a leash decided to charge me.

‘I did all the things, and as he got up to me he was confused because nothing was happening. It stopped and tried to goad me into doing something, leading to him trying to nip my leg.

‘So I took the bag of Arizona Ice Tea cans I had just bought and swung that shit downwards like a medieval flail.

‘Cracked it right between the eyes and on top of the nose and backed it off. I’m not sure it even knew what just happened.

‘And THEN the owner showed up, so who knows what would have happened?’
-Select_Entrance9311

5.
‘Woke up around 1am and went to use the bathroom. Started sweating profusely from what felt like every pore in my body. Then started feeling like I had to throw up. Individually, they were concerning. Together, they were not good.

‘Woke my wife up and said “I need to go to the ER…like right now”. Got there, told them what was going on and sent straight into a room. Wife was let in a few minutes later and we were told I was in the midst of a heart attack.

‘Asked my cardiologist a few days later what would’ve happened if I had just tried to sleep it off and see how I felt in the morning. He said “you wouldn’t have woke up”.

‘Don’t ignore the signs, folks.’
-ATHYRIO

6.
‘“Always let someone know where you’re going.” Many hikers, travelers, or solo drivers were rescued because someone knew their route and raised the alarm when they didn’t return.’
-ColdAntique291

7.
‘Not really a survival tip but “Do NOT swerve for deer in the road”.

‘I was coming home from college late one Friday (like 1AM) on a road bordering a state park. As I’m tooling along a deer jumps out in front of me, I hit the brakes but still hit the deer which goes tumbling off into the dark.

‘I limp up to the next point I could pull off and look, no real damage just a dent in the hood and some blood. Come Sunday, I’m heading back to school along the same route in daylight and get to the spot I hit the deer and realize that the road is running along a ridgeline with slopes going down about 75 feet on each side.

‘So if I had swerved for the deer and gone off the road there’s a non-zero chance I’d have been down that bank and invisible from the road if I was incapacitated. Moral of the story, don’t swerve for deer/animals that weigh less than your car.’
-greenmachine11235

8.
‘Give up everything without hesitation, was the lesson, when I was robbed at gun point…as the robber turned he fired the pistol out of panic – could’ve been at me.’
-canoisle

9.
‘Electrical fire smells like fish. Caught it before a fire even started.’
-A_Goddamn_Princess