By: Erin Murray, WOWT Channel 6
What would you do if you got lost or stranded?
Would you know what to do to survive or find help?
Would your child know what to do?
Experts tell WOWT 6 News everyone should know basic survival skills.
“The first thing that kids need to do and need to realize, is that they are lost. ‘Hey I am separated from someone, I don’t know where I am at,” said Terry Barney, Tactical 88 Instructor.
Barney is one of the leading minds in the country when it comes to survival. He recommends children as young as 4 to 6 learn survival skills.
“It takes practice, it takes experience, and it usually helps if you have someone who knows what they are doing, show you how to do it,” said Barney.
Out in Elkhorn Barney goes over some basic skills with a few kids, teaching them how to build an insulated seat from grass, a fire, and what small items they should take whenever they go out hiking. He also goes over how to think if they ever do find themselves in an emergency and/or lost.
“That is one of the biggest things we like to tell them is to stop right where you are at, if you have a water, take a drink. Relax. Calm down and analyze the situation you are in and see exactly what the problem is and how you can fix it,” said Barney.
Survival training for kids, Barney said is about teaching confidence and about able to think on your own.
For those who are unsure about how to teach their kids those skills, Barney said, “For adults and children, you can actually go through the Boys Scouts of America or a similar organization like that, they have basic outdoor training, it’s not always survival training, but it is basic outdoor training.”
