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Code of Safety
Measures for emergency cases
Code of safety and measures for emergency cases stated below are quoted from "Safety Hints for Hiking in Country Parks", this pamphlet is freely distributed from Visitors' Centres of Country Parks or you can download it from AFCD website.
Getting Lost
It is easy to get lost during bad weather or when not properly prepared, choose only paths that are clearly marked and plan carefully before start can minimize accidents
| Safety Guidelines |
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Choose only paths that are clearly marked and plan carefully before start |
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Pay attention to the current weather report and avoid hiking if the weather is bad |
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Remember to bring all necessities including maps, torch, rain gear, radio, first-aid kit, whistle and mobile phone |
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Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is caused by one's inability to regulate body temperature through transpiration at high ambient temperatures. The victim feels hot, dizzy and uneasy, skin will be dry and flushed, breath and pulse rate will increase. In some serious cases, the victim will suffer from shock. Lower his body temperature and seek medical assistance right away.
| Safety Guidelines |
| Drink more water and have proper rest during the journey, void prolonged exposure to direct sunlight |
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| Emergency Measures |
| Let the victim lie on a cool shaded place and fasten his collar. Allow him to drink if he is conscious, crowd around will block airflow. If necessary, immerse in water, cover with wet clothing and blow by wind can help to lower body temperature quickly, until the symptoms of heat stroke disappear. |
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Hypothermia
Even in summer, if stayed in a cold place without sufficient clothing, or facing unexpected chilly wind or thunderstorm, it is easy to induce hypothermia. Symptoms are: fatigue, exhaustion, clammy skin, stumbling, shivering, muscle spasms, stammering and hallucinating etc.
| Safety Guidelines |
| Having sufficient sleep on the night before the journey. Proper rest during the trip never overloads in order to avoid waste of energy. |
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| Emergency Measures |
| Be quick to change for dry clothes. Cover your head, face, neck and body with clothing, survival bag or sleeping bag to keep warm. Take hot drinks and high-energy food to maintain body temperature. |
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Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the dengue viruses, its incubation period is 3-14 days, symptoms include high fever (prolong for 3-5 days), severe headache, muscle and joint pains, pain behind the eyes, anorexia, nausea and rash. Serious infection can cause bleeding, shock and even death.
| Safety Guidelines |
| Dengue fever is transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes. It cannot be spread directly from human to human. The mosquito which spread this disease, Aedes albopictus, love to bite during daytime, especially 2 hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset. Summer is the peak season to spread this disease. As no effective vaccine is available now, wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers, or apply effective mosquito repellent to the body and clothes to avoid mosquito bites. |
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Lightning stroke
Lightning normally strikes at the highest point of an object and the electric current is conducted to the ground via the least resistant path. Hikers attacked by lightning usually have the symptoms of scalds, muscle spasm, suffocation and cardiac arrest.
| Safety Guidelines |
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Pay attention to weather report from radio or television and avoid hiking when the weather condition is unstable. If thunderstorm-warning signal is hoisted, it is unsuitable to walk outdoor. |
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Wear shoes or boots with rubber soles in outdoor areas. |
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| Emergency Measures |
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Don't stand at hilltop or near any object with high conductivity. As trees and poles can easily be stricken by lightning, stay away from them. |
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After striking an object, the electricity current of lightning will spread through the ground. Therefore, don’t lie on the ground, especially wet surface. Squat and minimize the contact with the ground. |
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Don't touch wet object |
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Stay away from iron fences or other metal objects, remove gold ornaments any other metals from your body temporarily. |
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Don't touch any antenna, water pipes, iron mesh or other similar metal installations. |
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Don’t handle any inflammables in open mouth containers |
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Be particularly cautious if facing gale, as it may foretell the coming of thunder and storm |
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Take a shelter indoor whenever possible |
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Hill fire
Hill fire advances rapidly upward and windward on a steep grass slope in dry weather. Never underestimate its devastating power. As hill fire is difficult to spot in daytime, always pay attention to flying ashes or smell of burn. If hill fire is spotted, leave the scene of a fire right away.
| Safety Guidelines |
Highly cautious to fire. Never light up a fire beyond the designated barbecue sites or campsites, smokers should refrain from smoking; all cigarette-stubs or matches should be totally extinguished before discarding into litter boxes. It is difficult to assess the spreading of hill fire. Don't take risk by continuing your journey in case of a fire, even it is far away, you may get trapped in the fire. |
| Emergency Measures |
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Don't panic and keep calm whenever facing hill fire. |
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Never attempt to extinguish a hill fire, you should select a trail that is easy to escape with less plant |
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Avoid escaping in the same direction of the prevailing wind, cover your body with clothes to avoid skin burn |
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Escape to burnt area, never go to shrub land and bush, hill fire can spread rapidly in these areas with possible high heat |
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Take a shelter indoor whenever possible |
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It is easier and quicker to escape through existing trails |
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If the fire is imminent and there is no way out, you should cover your exposed skin with wet clothes and then escape to burnt area. This can minimize the chance of injury. |
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Landslide
It is common to have landslide after a heavy downpour or a few days of heavy rain, no matter it is a natural or artificial slope, a large amount of rainwater can penetrate into it.
| Safety Guidelines |
During heavy rain, avoid going close to or staying near steep slopes. The pouring out of a large quantity of muddy water from the base or the weep holes of a slope indicates that the slope is saturated with water. Existence of cracks or newly formed steps like structure at the top or middle of the slope, or an exposure of inner soil are signs of a landslide, keep away from such slopes. If road is blocked by landslide, never try to proceed by stepping on loose mud, you should retreat, seek for another safe route or stop your trip. |
| Emergency Measures |
Never try to rescue your teammate, who is buried in a landslide, by yourself to avoid further casualties. You should contact the organizer or call 999 for help. |
International Distress Signals
Send out six long blasts within one minute; pause for one minute and repeat the same signal until the rescue team arrives (keep on sending the signals even if you are discovered from a far distance such that the rescue team can identify your exact position).
Methods of sending signals:
- Blowing a whistle
- Reflecting light by a mirror or metal sheet
- Flashing with your torch light at night
- Waving colourful or shiny clothes
Protect the environment, care the nature
To protect the environment, the organizer recommends all participants follow the code below:
Walk on the designated route
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Your every step may destroy plant and soil, in order to avoid obstructing other participants, please don’t stop or rest in the middle of the trail. |
Carefully in handling rubbish
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Please leave your rubbish in the rubbish or recycle bin at the roadside, in order to avoid accumulation of rubbish in the trail. |
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Carefully prepare you lunch and necessary equipment, minimize one-off items to avoid creating rubbish. Take a good consideration of energy consumption of your team in preparing food, don’t waste. Keep your food in a recyclable box or bag, such that your gear is light and minimize polluting the environment. |
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Don’t leave battery on the trail; its toxic chemicals create hazards to animals and plants. |
Reduce waste
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Prepare your lunch with reusable lunch box and minimize food waste |
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Refill the water with your own water bottle in water stations |
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Please bring along with your own bag to collect the souvenirs |
Appreciate our nature
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Read the introduction about the culture heritage and landscape in the North-east area listed in the Participant Handbook and appreciate what you see during the event. |
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