Before entering any salvage site, observe it from a distance for at least 10 minutes, check the structure for lean, cracks and sagging, confirm there is more than one way out, and smell the air for gas, chemicals, decomposition and mould. If the building has shifted on its foundation, do not go in. Work in pairs when you can, with one person inside and one watching the exit.
Part of The Salvage Triage Framework
A site is judged from outside before it is entered: who is watching it, whether the structure has moved, how many exits it has and what the air smells like.
Three Kinds Of Risk, Checked In This Order
Other survivors, structural danger and contamination each call for a different check. Do the distant checks first, because they cost nothing and cannot be undone once you are inside.
Method: The Pre-Entry Check
Step 1: Observe from a distance for at least 10 minutes. Look for movement, fresh tracks, vehicles, smoke and noise. A site that looks empty on arrival may be occupied; ten minutes of watching is cheap against what it can reveal. Occupied homes and defended positions are not salvage targets.
Step 2: Check the structure from outside. Look for leaning walls, cracked foundations, sagging roofs and broken support beams. If the building shifted on its foundation, do not enter. A site that fails this check is not saved by good stock.
Step 3: Note every exit before going in. Never enter a structure with only one way out. Know where the exits are, and make sure they are clear.
Step 4: Smell the air at the entrance. Rotten-egg smell indicates a gas leak (mercaptan is added to give gas an odour), and the smell of chemicals, decomposition or mould means the interior is hazardous. If you smell any of these, stay out and ventilate from outside if you can do so safely.
Step 5: Work in pairs. One person goes inside; one stays at the exit watching. Agree a signal before entering.
Common Mistakes
- Treating a quiet site as an empty one. Silence is not evidence; observation time is.
- Using a flame or a spark to look around. In a building that may hold gas, use an electric torch or daylight. A gas smell means leave, not investigate.
- Entering for the one good item. If the structure fails the check, one item is not worth it.
Safety
Gas, collapse and contamination do not announce themselves twice
A gas leak can ignite from a spark, including one from a switch or a tool. Do not operate switches, strike matches or use powered tools in a building you suspect has a leak. A building that has shifted can drop further under the weight of someone walking in it. Disease and chemical hazards in clinics and laboratories are covered in Tier 2: Medical Supplies.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Tier 1: Immediate Survival Gear — the first things worth entering for
- Combine with: Threat Assessment — weighing human threats against the others you face