Emergency Cheat Sheet
Edit on GitHubThe emergency version of the quick reference: the sequence, the signals, and the numbers, formatted for a crisis.
Emergency Cheat Sheet
In a crisis you do not read articles; you read one card. This page is that card: the emergency sequence in the fewest words that still work.
The sequence
- STOP. Assess. Is this an emergency?
- Beacon to EMERGENCY mode (see Mode Emergency).
- Confirm payload: identity and coordinates (see Config Payload Format).
- Report if any channel works: MAYDAY, who, where, what (see Mayday vs Pan Pan).
- Shelter, warmth, first aid (see Hypothermia Recognition).
- Stay put: a moving subject is unfindable (see Incident Command).
The signals
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SOS (Morse, repeating) | Distress, transmitted by the beacon |
| Six whistle blasts | Distress, for nearby searchers |
| Three whistle blasts | Reply: “we hear you” |
| Mirror flashes | Daytime long-range (see Mirror Signaling) |
The numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| The beacon’s channel | Written on the case lid |
| Your callsign | In the payload |
| Your contacts | On the emergency card (see Emergency Kit) |
The one rule
The beacon transmits on schedule without you. Everything you do afterwards (report, shelter, signal) adds to that baseline; nothing replaces it.
Related pages
- Emergency Response Minute by Minute for the full script
- Quick Reference Sheet for the routine numbers
- Emergency Use Legal for the law