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Civilian Emergency Platform
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You are trapped in a cave or cavern by a rockfall, flooding, or becoming lost with no clear exit.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — NOT EXPERT REVIEWED — NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Passage ahead blocked by fresh rockfall.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Water rising in low sections.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — All familiar landmarks gone — multiple similar-looking passages.
Scene hazards: Hypothermia, Low oxygen in tight passages, Flooding, Rockfall, Darkness
Unfamiliar cave passages lead deeper. Rockfalls can continue in aftershocks or when disturbed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Sit down. Turn off headlamp except brief checks.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Count group members and inventory water, food, light sources.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Cover mouth if dust from recent fall.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Choose widest dry passage near known entry direction — mark with stone cairns if you must move slightly.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Signal every 15-30 minutes: three shouts or rock taps, then silence to listen.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Share layers for warmth and stay dry — wet clothing accelerates hypothermia.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If phone signal appears briefly, call 112 with cave name and entry point.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If surface contact possible: call 112 — give cave system name, expected exit time overdue, group size.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Surface party should report overdue time to local cave rescue organization.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Underground: periodic patterned signals for acoustic location.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Hypothermia and dehydration develop over 24-72 hours — rescue urgency is high.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Specialized cave rescue teams required — not standard fire department in all regions.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT use open flame for light — consumes oxygen.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT split group without communication plan.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT climb unstable breakdown piles.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT drink cave water without purification — infection risk over days.
MYTH: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You should keep walking until you find an exit
REALITY: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Lost cavers who stay put are found faster. Walking consumes light and leads to deeper disorientation.
DANGER: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Exhaustion, light failure, and hypothermia before rescue arrives.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Caves are maze-like with limited air in tight squeezes. Rescue is slow and requires cave-trained personnel.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Getting lost consumes batteries and caloric reserves faster than staying put.