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Sailing in the endless stretch of the vast blue sea surrounded only by calmness with no traces land nearby is undoubtedly an intensely rejuvenating experience. But just imagine when there is trouble – when you are in some emergency situation and suddenly you realize that you are too far from your home without enough essentials. The same smooth purr along the sea starts appearing like a peril if you are without rations in the middle of nowhere and your very survival seems impossible. The only thing that could save you here is the reserves you have planned for the times of need.

• How to Plan for Emergencies?

When planning for emergencies, plan in all possible prospects because you never know in what form an emergency awaits you. This way, you will force your mind to think about the potential ways out of a particular problem and will land up to all the lifeboat rations and other essentials to carry along. Let us consider and discuss the various scenarios:

# Scenario 1
Consider a situation where you are trying to rescue people and some lifejackets are not bloated to preventing the victim to floating. Together with this, you land up in a situation where you have to leave this lifeboat as well. What will you do then? The answer is to hold a few extra life jackets in the boat to accommodate all victims and ensure their life safety at all times.

# Scenario 2
Consider that some part of the boat is damaged, which forces you to jump into the deep sea. Never think that the sea might spare you. Hence it is better to be prepared for the worst. Obviously, you cannot wait for another boat to come and pick you up since it only takes a few minutes to drown if you are not a struggler. So, it is always sensible to carry your kayak equipment to help you when you need it most.

# Scenario 3
In case you are moving with a covered lifeboat and some kind of problem occurs which leads to drowning of the lifeboat, you will be tossed within while the lifeboat rapidly sinks into the ocean. For such a situation, you should have an oxygen cylinder with some masks to survive until the help arrives.

Through all these scenarios, the mentioned add-ons are important but more important are the food reserves that lifesavers carry for themselves as well as the victims to be used in times of crisis.

• Making a Wise Choice of Food Items

If you are floating in the open sea for the sole task of lifeboats – saving someone, you do not know how long it is going to take. So, carrying food rations along with you is a big need. Now, the question is what type of food items to carry along your journey? The key here is to get fresh food no matter for how long you are stuck somewhere. Home cooked meals are undoubtedly great but when you have to go for long, you should consider something that stays fresh for long. It is thus best to leave this part to the expert developers of packaged lifeboat rations.

Here are some points that should be kept in mind during selection of your lifeboat rations:

• High energy foods that should be low in weight but rich in the nutrition they provide.

• Generally, bars can be preferred as they take up less space than any other traditional food item and can easily fit into a lifesaver’s backpack.

• There are certain products that are too high in nutritional value but at the same time, too expensive. Don’t opt for those. Try to find a food item that offers a balance between price and nutrition.

• While buying packaged products for survival ration, always check the date of manufacture for the product. Try to buy as recently manufactured products as possible. This will ensure that they last longer.

• There are many food supplements that are baked and thus, easier to take as compared to supplements that are raw and difficult to swallow.

• It is always wise to carry food items that do not contain gas-producing ingredients.

• Food items selected should be such that you can easily take in water after having them, and especially ocean or sea water.

• Is Emergency Ration Safe for Everyone?

Most of the packaged food providers offer items that are within the quality standards as defined by the Government which makes them consumable by all. However, if a particular food item does not suit any person due to allergies or age or some for other reasons, caution signs are present on the wrapper.

The foods that we are referring to here are called MRE (Meals Ready to Eat). These foods are rich in lending energy for you to survive a tough situation. But the fact is that everybody cannot depend entirely on these food supplements. This is why your lifeboat rations should be well-placed in your meal bag. It is always better to have a mixed bag of natural and packaged products. Dry fruits can be carried along with energy drinks. Some fruits can also be carried to be consumed early so that the reserves can be taken only when required and not just for snacking.

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