Need help right now?
If someone needs immediate help with buried in avalanche, use emergency mode.
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DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You or someone nearby is buried in avalanche snow.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Air space around mouth. Witness: mark spot, call rescue, beacon search.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Victim disappears in moving snow cloud.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Surface shows partial body, equipment, or hand sticking out.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanche snow sets like concrete — victims cannot dig themselves out easily.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Air pocket and calm breathing extend survival time.
Check the scene before you approach.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Witness: watch and mark exact last seen location.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Switch beacon to search mode and begin signal search.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Probe in spiral from last seen point at 25 cm spacing.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Dig downhill from probe strike — victims are below board.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Witnesses start organized search with beacons. Single rescuer avoids slope that may slide again.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call mountain rescue with GPS, party size, and beacon status.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Helicopter rescue may be required in remote terrain.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Extracted victims need hypothermia treatment even if conscious.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT send entire group onto same slope that just slid.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT assume unburied members are safe — check for trauma.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Swimming motions help you stay on top of an avalanche
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanche debris flows turbulently — fighting exhausts you. Create air space if buried.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Wasted energy and deeper burial from thrashing.
Other scenarios in the same family.
Aftershock
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — The ground shakes again after the main earthquake.
Avalanche warning
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanche danger is high on slopes where you are traveling or living.
Compound disaster
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Multiple disasters overlap — e.g. earthquake and tsunami, cyclone and flood.
Cyclone warning
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Official cyclone warning issued for your area.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Airway obstruction kills faster than cold — prioritize face excavation.