A trip to the forest should be safe

To help citizens navigate the forest, rescuers have installed special arrow-shaped signs indicating the direction and distance to the nearest settlement. They are painted red and are located in places where people most often get lost.

These are forest areas near the villages of Yukhovichi, Zaborie of the Krasnopolsky Rural Council, Baidino, Rudnya of the Yankovichsky Rural Council, Marinitsa, Shchepernya. Seven such signs have been installed so far, under each of which there is a leaflet with recommendations for a lost citizen. Each arrow has its own number, knowing which, the Ministry of Emergency Situations employees can quickly locate a person lost in the forest by coordinates.

Recommendations before going to the forest:

1. Wear bright, comfortable, waterproof clothing and footwear;

2. Take a phone (navigator, compass), water, medicine, food, matches, a knife with you;

3. Do not go into the forest alone;

4. Pay attention to the weather conditions; it is better to postpone the trip in cloudy weather;

5. Inform your relatives about your route and return time.

What to do if you get lost:

1. Calm down, stop, and try to remember the way;
2. Provide your approximate landmarks (near which settlement, where you entered the forest from, from which village, road, river, lake, can you hear the noise of cars or a train, etc., is there a hunting tower nearby, a numbered power line pole, a numbered quarter post, provide the information indicated on them). Save your phone's battery charge. Use your phone only for calls with persons involved in your search;
3. Look around carefully. If you can clearly see a road, take it. It will be easier to find you here. But remember that you don't need to run around looking for it everywhere. Leave your location only if you can clearly see a road or railway tracks directly in front of you;
4. If you manage to reach a power line, railway, or forest road, you will sooner or later reach people;

5. If you have already informed relatives and acquaintances and are certain they have started searching for you, stay put. If you have matches, build a fire; it is better to light several small fires than one large one.
6. Head towards the sound of railways, vehicles, or barking dogs.
7. Go to a body of water and move downstream. A stream will eventually lead to a river. It will be easier to find you along the riverbed (you may also reach a settlement or a familiar area on your own).
8. Shout, bang sticks against trees; the sound travels far through the forest and does not create the same echo as a human voice. This will help you be found faster. Additionally, it will help deter wild animals that may be nearby.
9. If it starts to get dark, do not panic. Build a shelter for the night using fir branches. Build a fire. Keep it burning all night by adding thick branches.