What should you do if you become separated from your team?

What should you do if you become separated from your team?

• A. Run randomly to find your team.
• B. Keep moving regardless.
• C. Stop, call Mayday if needed, and attempt to locate the team using landmarks, walls, or a pre-planned search pattern.
• D. Ignore it.

Answer: (C)

When you’re separated from your team, the priority is to regain orientation and get help quickly. Stop to prevent moving deeper into the hazard and to conserve air, then immediately call Mayday to alert incident command and your teammates to your situation and location. After signaling, use fixed features around you—landmarks, walls, doorways, stairs—to orient yourself, and follow a pre-planned search pattern or a systematic approach to try to locate your team or be found by rescuers. This structured method reduces the risk of getting further lost and helps you re-establish contact with your crew more efficiently. Moving without a plan can waste air and push you farther from safety, and ignoring the situation leaves you vulnerable and unaccounted for.

When you’re separated from your team, the priority is to regain orientation and get help quickly. Stop to prevent moving deeper into the hazard and to conserve air, then immediately call Mayday to alert incident command and your teammates to your situation and location. After signaling, use fixed features around you—landmarks, walls, doorways, stairs—to orient yourself, and follow a pre-planned search pattern or a systematic approach to try to locate your team or be found by rescuers. This structured method reduces the risk of getting further lost and helps you re-establish contact with your crew more efficiently. Moving without a plan can waste air and push you farther from safety, and ignoring the situation leaves you vulnerable and unaccounted for.