 Coming up, what should you do if you get bit by a rattlesnake? Do not suck out the, try and suck out the van up. We've got the do's and don'ts from the experts and some of them may surprise you. Plus, let's say you're lost in the wilderness with no GPS and no compass. Can moss on the side of a tree really help you find your way back to safety? We're debunking some myths. After being lost for four days in some of California's harshest terrain, the dramatic rescue of this man and his dog and what we can learn from the mistakes he made, it's all coming up on this surviving the Wild West edition of Inside Look. Hi, I'm Brian May. Thanks for joining us. This is probably what most of us think about when we talk about the Wild West, but today we're talking about surviving the real Wild West. The one that we live in, we call it California. This time of year, especially, there are dangers lurking all throughout our beautiful state. So we're going to begin our show today talking rattlesnakes. Rob Mayberry spent some time with people who work around rattlesnakes on a daily basis and he joins Manel live. Rob, let's say we do actually get bit. What do we do now? That's right, Brian. Last week, our Inside Look focused on how to avoid rattlesnakes, but many of our viewers wanted to know what do you do if you get bit. Well, we found out that there was some confusion and myths out there. Even if we try to avoid them, rattlesnakes sometimes end up in the most unlikely places. The locations that park visitors will come across rattlesnakes are either in the restrooms, underneath picnic tables or near boulders near the water. And this surprise encounter could cause a rattlesnake to strike. So what do you do if you get bit? Well, the first thing you should do is stay calm. After you compose yourself, then call 911. It's important that we get someone to your location. And the reason being is you need to have medical care at a hospital for the antivitam. Despite what you may have heard, there are some important things you should not do. You should not, definitely not do a tourniquet. Do not suck out the, try and suck out the venom. You'll just misplace the venom. You'll have some venom in your, your, your mouth. And then try not to pour water over it. The best thing is just if you have a sterile gauze, just place a sterile gauze over the bite, the wound mark, and then wait for medical attention. I'm still going to do my best to avoid them, but this is definitely good information to have when you're out and about this summer. Just to remind everyone, make sure you hike with a buddy and always be aware of your surroundings. Rob, I just, I'm curious, was there anything that surprised you about rattlesnakes when you were doing that story? Actually, there was Brian. You know, I've always been cautious and went outdoors on trails around rocks, but it did surprise me to learn that they could be in restrooms, cooling themselves under the picnic tables. So just a reminder to make sure you check into the picnic tables and check out the rest rooms before you have a picnic or go camping. And you can get more information about rattlesnakes and hear from Ranger Lonnie and from a real rattlesnake wrangler on our All Hazards Podcast. All right, Rob, the ranger mentioned that you don't suck out the venom if you or someone in your party gets bit by rattlesnake and that's actually something that I was brought up being told to do. So we looked into a few other survival myths that are popular. Rob, I'll let you start the first one. Sure. So myth number one, drinking liquor will warm you up. While alcohol may make you feel warmer for a brief moment, it does dilate blood vessels chilling your body's core even faster. So the bottom line, stay away from any alcohol if you're in the elements. All right, another myth, moss only grows on the north side of trees. So if that were true in theory, you could really use it as a compass in the woods. Well, the truth is moss will grow wherever the conditions are most suitable all around the tree. So don't use moss on trees as your internal compass. Myth number three, you'll never get lost with a GPS. Well, there's no doubt GPS units are great. And if possible, you should always have one if you go hiking or camping. But any type of electronic device can get broken, lost, or the batteries can even die on you. So it's always good to have a map and compass and to know how to use them. Another myth, you can follow flying birds to find water. Well, the truth is birds obviously can be flying anywhere, including to a clearing just to spend the night. So it's never a good idea to follow birds to safety or to find water. And here's one myth number five rub two sticks together to make a fire. Well, that's kind of true. You know, friction is a way to start a fire. But the harsh reality is that while rubbing two sticks together to start a fire looks cool on TV. It's actually very difficult and requires a lot of practice and patience. So unless you're bare grills, it's always best to have some sort of fire starter with you like a lighter plant or waterproof matches. And our final myths, space blankets are useless. Look, we agree, they look a little silly, they're flimsy, they're no thicker than a garbage bag, but these blankets are thermal reflective. They actually do a great job of trapping your body heat. And since they're so small, they weigh next to nothing, and they'll just cost a few bucks. There's no reason not to pack a few of these into your backpack. And Rob, I know after we posted your snake video on our Calo ES Facebook page last week, we got a lot of great response, including a good question. Yeah, we heard from Merrill on Facebook who wanted to know if we could provide some preparedness tips for hiking out in the wilderness. Well, Merrill, to answer your question, first, always plan ahead. Make sure you know where you are going to be hiking or camping and let others know your location as well. Bring extra food, clothing, that's always good. And always bring a first aid kit in case you or someone in your party gets injured. One of the best examples we have are surviving in the wild happened in 2016 in Placer County, California. And our own Sean Boyd was there. Cody, Michael is back. And so is Bauer. This is the moment everyone hoped and prayed for. Strong on our faith all along, we have all the credit to God, glory to him. And he took care of our boy and the dog. So this is the trailhead. And when Cody and Bauer didn't return here on Monday, like they were expected to, his family and friends absolutely knew there was something wrong. The Placer County Sheriff's office jumped into action. They're the lead agency out here, but they quickly realized they needed help. And that's where Cal OES is Dan Daly comes in as the region for mutual aid coordinator. I responded up yesterday so that I could be on scene to make sure that we're getting the resources that El Dorado County and these other searchers need to successfully bring the search to a close. Mutual aid search and rescue teams answered his call. El Dorado, Contra Costa, Alpine and Marin counties have all been assisting pulling out all the stops to find any trace of the two. Today, SAR teams have grown to 44 searchers on the ground. Dozens of volunteers at Incident Command plus two California National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and crews without this kind of cooperation, coordination and ability to help each other out. These guys saved my life. Everyone's here is hero. The result of this search and so many others may have had a much different ending. You know, and Cody did not have either a GPS or compass, two tools that could have helped him return safely. He also said that if he had been wearing bright clothing, it's likely he would have been spotted on the first day by helicopter that flew right over him. Brian, good advice for all of us, Rob. Hey, before we go, we've talked a lot about surviving the Wild West today. We'd love for you to join us in the Wild West coming up in September. Our 2018 California Day of preparedness will take place on Saturday, September the 8th from 10 a.m. Until 2 p.m. in Old Sacramento. The theme once again, surviving the Wild West will have great demonstrations, booths, activities and food. It's for the whole family. It's a free event. We'd love for you to join us and you'll be seeing a lot more of this coming up on all of our social media platforms as we get closer to September the 8th. That's going to wrap it up for the show for all of us at Cal OAS. I'm Brian May. Thanks for watching. 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