Escape and evasion is the practical ability to leave immediate danger, avoid
being found, and reach a safer place without creating additional harm. It can
apply during civil disorder, unlawful detention, interpersonal violence,
disaster displacement, armed conflict, or any emergency in which remaining
visible or stationary creates a serious threat.
At A0, the emphasis is personal survival: observation, quiet movement, route
choice, improvised concealment, signaling judgment, and decisions that can be
made under stress without electricity or specialized equipment. This is not a
substitute for evacuation planning, rescue coordination, local law, or
professional security advice.
Before trying to hide or travel, identify the actual danger. Moving without a
destination can exchange a known threat for exposure, injury, dehydration, or
separation from help.
In many emergencies, being visible to rescuers is safer than concealment. Hide
only when observation itself presents a credible danger.
Good evasion begins with patient observation. Look and listen from cover before
crossing exposed ground. Identify movement, lights, voices, vehicles, animals,
smoke, reflective surfaces, open skylines, and routes that channel travel into
predictable places.
Notice how the environment changes with time. A route hidden in darkness may
be exposed at dawn. Dry leaves may be quiet after rain but noisy in hot
weather. Low ground may conceal movement while also collecting cold air,
water, or smoke.
Use short observation periods from more than one angle when possible. Avoid
repeatedly exposing the head and shoulders at the same point.
Camouflage reduces contrast between a person and the surroundings. Concealment
blocks observation. Cover provides physical protection. These are different:
vegetation may conceal a person without protecting them, while a solid wall may
provide cover but still reveal exactly where they are.
The main visual clues are:
Use dull local materials sparingly to break up an outline. Match the value
(lightness or darkness) and texture of the immediate background. Camouflage
that works in one place may become conspicuous after moving into another.
Quiet, dull clothing usually matters more than a specialized pattern. Cover or
remove reflective jewelry, glossy equipment, bright labels, and lit screens.
Secure loose objects that rattle or catch on vegetation. Avoid materials that
restrict vision, hearing, breathing, circulation, or safe movement.
Fresh vegetation wilts and changes color. Replace it when it no longer matches,
and do not strip a single obvious patch. Avoid toxic plants, irritant sap,
thorns, insects, and materials contaminated by fuel, sewage, pesticides, or
fire residue.
Mud and improvised pigments can irritate skin, carry parasites, interfere with
sweating, or make wounds difficult to inspect. Do not put unknown substances
near the eyes, mouth, broken skin, or airway.
Plan movement from one concealed position to another. Use terrain, buildings,
vegetation, darkness, weather, and ordinary background activity without
assuming they make you invisible.
Do not enter unstable structures, floodwater, fire areas, minefields, restricted
industrial sites, or unknown confined spaces merely because they offer
concealment.
Travel leaves more than footprints. Broken vegetation, displaced stones,
discarded packaging, disturbed dust, bent fences, smoke, odors, light, radio
use, and repeated routes can reveal movement or a resting place.
Use durable surfaces when they are safe and do not create a more exposed route.
Pack out waste. Avoid cutting vegetation unnecessarily. Do not rely on elaborate
track-hiding tricks that consume time, create a more obvious disturbance, or
lead into unsafe terrain.
A temporary site should provide concealment, an exit, drainage, ventilation,
and protection from weather. Before settling, look for flood marks, unstable
trees, loose masonry, animals, electrical hazards, contaminated soil, and signs
that the location is regularly used.
Keep noise, light, smoke, odor, and scattered equipment under control. Do not
use flames or combustion devices in an enclosed hiding place. Maintain a
planned way to leave if the site becomes unsafe.
Agree on simple rendezvous points, time windows, and fallback locations before
separation when possible. Written notes, maps, and memorized contact details
are valuable when phones fail.
Communication is a tradeoff: a light, radio, whistle, phone, or trail marker can
bring rescue or reveal a location. Base the choice on who is likely to detect
the signal. Once the immediate threat has passed, reconnect with trusted people
or legitimate emergency services and report hazards that could endanger others.
Practice in lawful, controlled settings:
Training should include children, older adults, disabilities, medication needs,
and the possibility that group members become separated.
FM_5-20A_Camouflage_of_Individuals_and_Infantry_Weapons_1944.pdf -10_A0_Survival_Baseline/Defense_and_Security/Escape_and_Evasion