Shelter or Fire?

Ken_McCarty

Ken_McCarty

Joined
Aug 30, 2001
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358
I did an exercise in a business class that many of you have probably done before. you are given a list of items, and a scenario, and you have to list them in order of importance. I noticed quite a few things in the explanation that I disagreed with, including using cloth and crisco to make candles(does that even work?) but anyway.. the survival "expert" who wrote it went on and on and on about how fire was the most important thing in this situation, and shelter secondly.

the scenario is a downed plane in northern alaska, daytime temps of -25F and nighttime temps of -40F, and windy.

what are your opinions? fire or shelter?
 
Is the plane wreckage usable as shelter?? am I wet off the bat?

Normally I focus on shelter first as the right shelter can keep you warm enough to live..
but largely I think its a situation specific decision... depending on numerous factors beyond temperature
 
Is it windy?

Is it cold and or getting colder???

Am I wet???

You will not get re-warmed in a shelter if you are already Hypothermic-unless the shelter is already warm.It will slow the rate of Heat loss-especially if windy.

This is a VERY good question--but SO many factors need to be considered.

I'm sure MOST of us would agree finding a Shelter to build a fire in would be the best course of action---in MOST situations.

and exception would be falling through thin ice and getting soaked to the bone--

I want a FIRE--and as fast as I can get it started.
 
Fire is most important for many reasons.

1. Warmth
2. Keeps the creatures away. (wolves/bears/mountain Lions)
3. Chance of being rescued if a fire is spotted
4. Shelter is not important unless it is pouring rain or something like a dust storm. All you need to do is elevate yourself off the ground a little bit and you can sleep anywhere in the open as long as the weather is right.
5. Fire for decontaminating water and cooking

Fire is just a really important for one to survive.
 
If it was me I'd get myself out of the wind first, then start a fire and finally if I had the energy and materials I'd make a shelter !
 
Ken_McCarty said:
the scenario is a downed plane in northern alaska, daytime temps of -25F and nighttime temps of -40F, and windy.

what are your opinions? fire or shelter?
Click to expand...

Its not as simple as that.

You wont last long in northerh alaska with those nighttime temps. When i think downed airplane, im not envisioning full-blown winter clothing with parkas, gloves, winter boots and so forth. More like a light jacket, jeans and sneakers.

Because of that im going to say fire is the most important in this situation. But you also state that its windy, so a shelter will be necesarry for yourself and the fire. The shelter might be the wrecked plane or a lean-to of some sorts.
 
well.. the supplied items were a small axe, empty ciggarette lighter, can of crisco, quart of 100 proof whiskey, ball of steel wool, plastic flight map, 20 X 20 canvas tarp, newsapapers, and extra change of clothes, compasss, loaded .45 pistol and 1 other thing I can't remember because it was completely worthless.
 
Les Stroud also did an episode of SurvivorMan with the scenario you describe called "Plane Crash". They even tranported a real plane-wreck out into the woods for realism. Les also tried to only use one arm, to simulate broken arm.
 
I like the Survivorman episode where he simulates an Alsakan light plane crash.
 
Ken_McCarty said:
well.. the supplied items were a small axe, empty ciggarette lighter, can of crisco, quart of 100 proof whiskey, ball of steel wool, plastic flight map, 20 X 20 canvas tarp, newsapapers, and extra change of clothes, compasss, loaded .45 pistol and 1 other thing I can't remember because it was completely worthless.
Click to expand...

I take it this was some sort of charter/bush flight and not a commercial flight so a small plane is involved?

I'd definitely get to the fire as quick as possible myself for a number of reasons. One of them would be to have a way to warm myself, especially hands during working with the cold materials used to build a shelter. No gloves are mentioned so even using a spare pair of socks in -25 to -40 to protect the hands they are going to get very cold, even more so being wet from having thawing snow on them. Cold weather injuries can be very nasty.
 
It's really dependent on circumstance. When in doubt do both. :D

Of course you could just drink the whisky and then put a bullet in your head before you pass out. LOL:D
 
Just thinking of the great psychological boost it gives you, I'd crank up a fire first. The fuselage or what's left of it will serve as a shelter the first night out.
 
Seems like the plane wreakage, tarp and the extra set of clothes would take of the shelter part. I would worry about the fire.
 
At those temps I'd say fire first. There are so many variables given the scant information but you'd have a hard time generating enough body heat at those temps to keep working. A fire would give you the warmth to rest, thaw your hands, and keep working. It also gets you started on your other "top three" survival need, water. You can improvise shelter as you go. At minus 25 a shelter alone won't be much good without a fire. An important factor would be to site the fire well so you can construct a shelter that will make good use of it.
 
Shelter first, fire next imo. Not much good to try to build a fire out in the open where the wind is working you (and your fire) over. If your shelter is just something jury rigged with the tarp and the wreckage, so be it but once you have something good enough rigged up, then a nice fire will help keep that area warm.
 
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