Georgia Heinrich - Student ID: 2195078
Emergency Shelter at Deep Creek
A group may find themselves in a situation where they need to make an emergency shelter for an overnight stay. For
example, a group on a day trip may not make it back on time due to an injured group member, a navigation error or wild
weather. Constructing an emergency shelter could be a matter of survival in harmful weather conditions. The decision to
stop early to provide time and daylight to find the best and safest location for a shelter and to build it is the first step in
making an emergency shelter.
What to be aware of when choosing
a location for your shelter:
• Look up, look down, look all
around. DO NOT site your
shelter under dead fall, a branch
that could come crashing down
or a sick looking tree
• Do not site your shelter at the
very bottom of a hill or valley.
Cold air sinks and those areas
will be significantly colder.
• Allow for water run-off
• Do not site your shelter in dried
up creek or riverbeds. Rain a
long way away can cause flash
flooding and is very dangerous.
• In hot climates, try to site your
shelter in the shade
• Do not site your shelter too close
to water as many insects breed
in water. Running water will also
prevent you from hearing
predators or someone looking
for you.
Possible Shelter Material options:
• Lightweight tarp - a lightweight, waterproof tarp can provide some protection
from wind, sun, and rain.
• cord – used to design and construct shelter
• Garbage Bag – can be used to form shelter or for insulation
• Space blanket - A groundsheet or emergency blanket can provide some
protection from wet ground and can also be used as a “wrap” to keep rain off
or to form the shelter.
• you will need some form of insulation to sleep on to prevent heat loss through
conduction to the cold ground. Leaves, bracken, and bark can also be gathered
and used to provide some insulation from the ground.
• Natural environment tools such as sticks/branches, debris, rocks, caves, rope,
or cord can be made using fibres from trees.
Acronym PLAN
Priorities of survival and the best order in which to do things is by using the
acronym PLAN (Protection, Location, Acquisition, Navigation). It helps to prioritise
what is going to harm you first and to address those things first, it is adaptable to
your condition, environment, and your resources.
• Protection (first aid, clothing, shelter, fire)
• Location (attracting, holding, and directing attention, being found)
• Acquisition (acquiring water then food)
• Navigation (travel, orientating yourself to your surroundings)
Find a good safe location. Rock overhangs, large boulders, large hollow standing
tree or log or a large solid log may provide good protection and make it easier to
construct a shelter such as a lean-to or A frame.
• Garbage bag, large heavy duty garbage bags are one of the most versatile items.
Uses include: a raincoat (a hole cut in it for your head), a moisture barrier or
ground sheet, water carrier, filled with leaves for insulation on the ground,
water proofing, a flotation device or cut open and made into a lean-to shelter.
This can also be combined with a space blanket to make a heat reflective lean-
to to keep you warm and dry.
• Tarp shelter including, A frame, lean-to or connected with others (of the same
type) to make a larger shelter
• Natural material shelter
• Last resort everyone jumps underneath a large tarp, squish in together, put the
edges of the tarp underneath each person’s bottom or rucksack to hide
underneath and prevent the environments from entering until you can set up a
better shelter.