Ground Teams:Lessons Learned

[coudano]

Yeah we do task refreshers all throughout the year.
Infact it's one of the hip pocket lesson plans at the squadron anytime there is down time;
fresh up on a task...

Local training is the key though.
You can't wait around for sarex, or actual.

[ol'fido]

10) TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN TRAINING- Nobody has to be signing off tasks for you to be training. That kind of thinking will not make you proficient. It doesn't have to be a SAREX for you to train. Go out on a weekend and practice survival, or ground searches, or DFing. You don't even have to be ES qualified to go out and enjoy these types of activities. Have fun weekends for your whole squadron. Here in IL we submit a ILWGF 301 to hold a bivouac and then you take the whole unit out to the woods. Inviting other units to come and play is a great way to get to know people. For several years back in the late 90's, we would have three or four of these events a year at different locales throughout Southern Illinois. If you set back and wait for the training to come to you, you will be waiting a LONG time.

[ol'fido]

11)SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WOODS- It doesn't matter where your unit is located spend a lot of time in the woods( or desert, or bayou, or whatever your local "back of nowhere" terrain might be). The more time you spend there, the more confident you will be in your ability to operate there. One of the main reasons people die in survival situations is the inaction or panic brought on by the shock of being in an alien environment. If you are not woods savvy, the woods at night can be a scary place to be. I don't know how many times I have seen cadets who carried a flashlight like their life depended on it and shined it on anything that moved or made a noise. One of the things I used to do was to take cadets on their first bivouac out into the woods at night well away from camp and have them turn off their flashlights and make them sit there quietly for for an hour or so. It was amazing how quickly they lost their fear of the woods. But you must make sure they still respect the woods because the second you don't it will jump up and bite you in the butt.

[ol'fido]

12)DON'T CARRY THINGS IN THE CARGO POCKETS OF YOUR BDU PANTS- If you have to walk a distance of several miles, don't carry stuff in the cargo pockets of your BDUs. If you can avoid it all, don't carry anything in your pants pockets at all. While these pockets seem real handy for carrying stuff, they can be your worst nightmare if you have to walk any distance with them. This is because they will start to rub as you walk. Let's say you stuck a poncho or rain jacket in your cargo pocket. Because of its size and the design of the pants, it will usually start swinging back and forth as you move your legs. Walking across the parking lot? No problem. Walking several miles on a lost person search? It will rub just like having boots that are to big.

[Eclipse]

11)SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WOODS-

100% - we have units that do their compass tasking in a parking lot and then can't navigate their way around a rock or a tree.

Nothing beats real-world navigation practice.

We have an orienteering course up our way and I encourage people to do their learning there, and try to get there whenever I can to
shake out the rust as well.

[PWK-GT]

11)SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WOODS-

100% - we have units that do their compass tasking in a parking lot and then can't navigate their way around a rock or a tree.

Nothing beats real-world navigation practice.

We have an orienteering course up our way and I encourage people to do their learning there, and try to get there whenever I can to
shake out the rust as well.

+1  I make it there at least once a year, and last time brought the 'better half' and the youngster along. They got a kick out of seeing it work, and I got bonus points by making it 'family time'.

Win, Win.

[ol'fido]

13)DON'T PEE ORANGE- In other words, drink water. You can usually tell the state of your hydration by the color of your urine. The clearer the better. If your urine is dark yellow, you need some serious hydration. If your urine is the color of 40W motor oil, well, you won't be reading this post anytime soon if at all. Hydrate before, during, and after strenuous outdoor activity in high heat/humidity. Also, don't get all "hooah, hooah" and try to push through when the wet bulb temp gets near the 100 mark. Black flag it and get in the AC. Lastly, it is better to hydrate by SIPPING water over a period of time than by trying to chug a bunch of water all at once. This can be as dangerous as dehydration.

[SarDragon]

Regarding hydration, read this, too.

[HGjunkie]

With the water, I find drinking around a quart (1 canteen's worth) of water per hour keeps one pretty well hydrated. And hydration is just as necessary in cold weather as it is in hot weather, if not more.

[RADIOMAN015]

11)SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WOODS-

100% - we have units that do their compass tasking in a parking lot and then can't navigate their way around a rock or a tree.

Nothing beats real-world navigation practice.

We have an orienteering course up our way and I encourage people to do their learning there, and try to get there whenever I can to
shake out the rust as well.

Where in Chicago land do you even have any woods   I would think that parking lots are likely your 'woods' in your AOR (just use those dumpsters for way points).     I personally can't get excited with compass and pace counts etc, when a field GPS unit will be close to "spot on" in seconds.

What CAP should try to do is get one of the sporting retailers to give us a big discount or even get some of the GPS manufacturers to make some large "in kind" donations of GPS handheld units to CAP.
RM

[Майор Хаткевич]

11)SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WOODS-

100% - we have units that do their compass tasking in a parking lot and then can't navigate their way around a rock or a tree.

Nothing beats real-world navigation practice.

We have an orienteering course up our way and I encourage people to do their learning there, and try to get there whenever I can to
shake out the rust as well.

Where in Chicago land do you even have any woods   I would think that parking lots are likely your 'woods' in your AOR (just use those dumpsters for way points).     I personally can't get excited with compass and pace counts etc, when a field GPS unit will be close to "spot on" in seconds.

What CAP should try to do is get one of the sporting retailers to give us a big discount or even get some of the GPS manufacturers to make some large "in kind" donations of GPS handheld units to CAP.
RM

Chicagoland is bigger than some states...

[EmergencyManager6]

Check your Comms

Check your Comms.

and then

Check your comms!

[ol'fido]

14) DON'T WEAR YOUR FIELD GEAR AROUND MISSION BASE-Field gear is...well..for the field. It is not for trolling around mission base. Keep it in the back of your vehicle or some group rally point where it is secure. Don't be "THAT GUY" that wears his everywhere even to the latrine. If you want to look "hard kewl" buy a thigh pouch with leg strap or a pair sunglasses "just like the Navy SEALs wear". Let your body breathe and let your gear air out as well. The vests and LBEs that CAP GTs usually wear for missions are real good at holding in the heat. Also, give your back, legs, and feet a chance to rest and recover after lugging around and getting jolted every step by that extra weight.

To go along with that....

15) KEEP THE WEIGHT OF YOUR GEAR TO THE MINIMUM- I am not advocating cutting off the handles of your toothbrush or anything else that "ultra-light backpacking" enthusiasts do to cut out every spare ounce, but I am saying to critically examine every item you carry and ask whether or not it is really necessary. Yes, CAP puts out lists of what you are supposed to carry but a GI lensatic compass weighs a lot more than a Silva orienteering compass for example. If you feel you must have something that weighs more by all means carry it. Just be aware of what you re carrying. Go to the sporting goods store and buy yourself one of the scales used to weigh fish and weigh each item and your whole pack. A few items may not be used very much but should never be left out such as a first aid kit. Just don't try to hump half your body weight.

[ol'fido]

16) CARRY A BANDANA- When I go to the field, I carry a bandana. Usually, I carry more than one. A few years ago, I went out to Wally World and bought two yards of international orange cloth that was approximately the same weight and weave as a regular bandana or GI triangular dressing. I cut them into 1 yard squares and had them hemmed all around to prevent unraveling. Now I have two bandanas that can be seen for a great distance as a signalling flag or used as a head scarf, triangular bandage, wash cloth, pot holder, water filter, napkin, or a hundred other uses. Like 550 cord and GI ponchos, bandanas are definitely multi-purpose.

[3DigitSpaatz]

Your most important piece of gear is your BOOTS.

Actually, it's that gelatinous, 3-pound lump between your ears.

Try not to leave it behind when you're rushing out the door.  You'll survive a lot longer with it than you will without it, boots or no boots.

[ol'fido]

OK. Well....

17) LEARN TO DO THINGS THE OLD FASHIONED WAY FIRST- Today in SAR, we have a lot of technology that helps us do our jobs. Devices like GPS, cell phones, trunking radios, DF equipment, etc. have made our jobs a lot easier and quicker to do. But technology can fail and it usually fails when you need it most. Granted this will not happen every or even most times you go on a mission. As the technology develops, it will probably happen even less. But don't ignore "ANALOG" GT skills. Learn to use a map and compass to navigate. Learn to start fires with one(or none) matches. Learn to use basic radio receivers(i.e. the old Jetstream radios) to DF ELTs. But that will take away from time to train on other things you say. Yes, it will. However, the confidence level that knowing these skills provide will more than make up for it. Plus, these are things that you can train on yourself in your own time. You do train on your own don't you?

[ol'fido]

18) KNOW HOW TO FIND DRY FIRE WOOD- Even in the wettest weather, it is possible to find dry wood for fires. Fire is one of the key tools used in survival. It provides light, cooking, tool making, warmth, and it is a powerful psychological booster. Getting a fire going can sometimes be the difference between life and death. Standing dead wood is usually your best source for dry wood in damp conditions but you can also get dry wood from evergreen trees. Next time you are out in the woods look at the bottom of any evergreen tree or shrub. You will usually find several dead bare limbs that have been protected from the weather by the evergreen boughs. The old sourdoughs called this "squaw wood" because it could easily be gathered by women, kids, and the elderly. Like all pine it is soft wood and will burn quickly but it should burn long enough to dry out any of the hard woods you may find.

[arajca]

19) IF YOU BRING IT, KNOW HOW TO USE IT.
I have seen folks bring the latest whiz-bang equipment and not have a clue how to use it, but it's the latest and greatest technology.

[RADIOMAN015]

Here's a few more:
1.  IF you don't have to go into the woods to search don't.  Ensure the aircraft or IC has the area boxed in to a reasonable geographical area.   Maybe 6 square miles at most

2.  Your personal protective equipment should be functional rather than focusing on military related.   If you have a good pair of sorrel boots that are tan use them before your typical black combat boots (which likely are only good for in woods "on the path" searches in summer & fall (perhaps late spring).  Additionally CAP's typical BDU/Blue BDU uniforms and outer wear are potential killers in the winter time due to their high cotton content.  (That's why a simple vest with appropriate CAP name/command patch on both front & back is what we really need for a team), ALL other clothing should be functional for the anticipated/historical weather conditions.).
RM     

[Eclipse]

If you have a good pair of sorrel boots that are tan use them...

...while helping your local CERT team, however don't forget they aren't currently allowed for wear in any CAP uniform.