A while ago in another thread (that I can't find), I mentioned that I'm working on a course to get everyone GTM 3. Well, here is what I've written up so far..
Ground Team Member Level 3 Training Program
1. Will consist of 3 Squadron Meetings and 1 weekend training bivouac
2. Members will need to have Gen ES done prior to having any tasks signed off.
3. Members will need to complete the Continuing Education Examination (CAPT 117) for Ground/UDF Teams after all tasks have been signed off. Also, members will be required to complete this before getting the Mission Participation signed off.
The following tasks will be taught on the set dates, and may be retested on at the weekend training bivouac or another squadron meeting.
Week 1 (Apr 12th)
Natural Hazards, Field Sanitation and Hygiene, Prevent and Treat Fatigue, Conduct a Phone Alert
Week 2 (May 10th)
Prevent and Treat Hot Weather Injuries, Prevent and Treat Cold Weather Injuries, Exercise Universal Safety Precautions
Week 3 (May 17th)
BCUT, Basic Communications Procedures for ES Operations, Perform Radio Operating Procedures, Employ Appropriate Radio Frequencies and Repeaters
Weekend Training Schedule
Time What
1200 Staff Arrive
1700 Chow
1800 Trainee's Arrive
1815 Setup Camp
1845 Gear Inspection
1915 Introductions
1930 Actions if Lost
2030 DF Class
2045 DF Training
2145 Personal Time
2200 Trainee's Lights Out
2215 Staff Meeting
2300 Staff Lights Out
0600 Wake Up
0605 Personal Hygiene
0620 Breakfast
0655 Formation
0700 Stretcher Class
0745 Line Search - Scanning techniques on foot
0815 Land Nav Class
0845 Land Nav Course mark a route
1100 Signal Mirror
1120 Break Camp
1200 Lunch
1230 Refit
1300 ELT Search
1400 Identify Aircraft/MP search clues
1500 Conduct Actions on locating a clue
1530 Conduct Actions on locating a find
1600 ELT Search - Attraction Techniques
1700 Clean up area
1800 Leave
Comments?
I have but one question... and I'm not sure if I'm speaking from only myself.
As a GTL I'm expected to be able to rely on my team's knowledge, GTM3 is a building stage, granted, but how well will they know what they're taught each week and, moreso, on the weekend, in 1 Month.
The catch that true ground schools run into is that students don't retain knowledge. We can teach basics to be PSC's, but what we teach won't be remembered in a week.
On another note: I do LIKE the plan. We've been attempting to get everyone on the same page with our ES program, and our ES officer is doing an awesome job at keeping it together, but the catch is matching some of the levels to get full classes.
Well, I've actually scratched that idea, and moved it all to be done in one weekend. This is the new schedule...
1000 Staff arrive/setup
1200 Lunch
1630 Dinner
1700 Trainees Arrive
1710 Setup Camp
1740 Gear Check O-0001
1815 In Brief
1830 Nat Hazards/Survival O-0101, O-0601
1930 DF Class
1950 DF Training
2050 Comm Class
2110 Comm Exercise L-0001, L-0002, L-0003
2215 Personal Time
2230 Lights Out/Staff Mtng
2300 Staff Lights Out
0500 Wake/Personal Hygiene
0510 Breakfast
0530 Stretchers O-0502
0615 Line Searches Class
0625 Line, Wedge, Route 0403 0404 0406 0411 0412
0800 Land Nav Class
0915 Land Nav (individual) O-0201
1200 Lunch
1230 ELT Search
1400 ELT Search
1530 Hot/Cold/Fatigue/USP O-0003 0004 0102 0902
1800 Dinner
1830 Missing Person Search
2000 Night Nav
2215 Personal Time
2230 Lights Out/Staff Mtng
2300 Staff Lights Out
0530 Wake/Hygiene
0600 DF Course (individual) O-0301
0900 Land Nav/Line Searches
1030 ELT Search
1200 Lunch
1230 Break Camp
1300 Line Search-Trash
1330 BCUT
1430 Leave
1330 Staff pack trng material
1500 Staff Leave
Now then, this will present the same problems that the previous one did. You'll also have the same problems at NGSAR, Hawk and other SAR schools done at the squadron, group and wing level. No one will remember what they're taught. However, this is why we have Practice SAR's, to check and make sure we know what we're doing, and if we don't, well then we can get someone to show us how to do it.
The main tasks that people forget are the hot/cold weather injuries and the Fatigue. Which in reality they shouldn't need to really know, since we as GTL's should always be keeping an eye on the team members watching for the initial signs of the weather injuries.
So in reality, I've never seen someone complete all the tasks for GTM 3 or the old GTM, who was able to explain what every task was about. It takes time to let that info sink in, that and studying on your own time, and practicing what you've learned on SAREX's. If you're not being challenged on SAREX's to the point that all everything you should know is being tested, then you should tell your GBD you want harder taskings. Be aggressive to ensure all of your skills and your GTM's skills are being tested to keep you on your toes. Whether it be DF, Land Nav, Stretchers, or testing you as a GTL with maps, you should always be challenged and learning something new.
/rant from a GBD ;)
Quote from: Horn229So in reality, I've never seen someone complete all the tasks for GTM 3 or the old GTM, who was able to explain what every task was about. It takes time to let that info sink in, that and studying on your own time, and practicing what you've learned on SAREX's. If you're not being challenged on SAREX's to the point that all everything you should know is being tested, then you should tell your GBD you want harder taskings. Be aggressive to ensure all of your skills and your GTM's skills are being tested to keep you on your toes. Whether it be DF, Land Nav, Stretchers, or testing you as a GTL with maps, you should always be challenged and learning something new.
/rant from a GBD ;)
That's a great attitude towards training. So many finish their initial sign-off on something and think they know everything there is to know and make no attempt to keep up their currency nor expand their knowledge or experience.
Training never ends. :)
So, just so that I'm straight on this....
You have it planned so that they reach GTM3 in less time then before even though they aren't ready for the duties of a GTM since they're so new to the program, am I the only one seeing a hole in that plan?
I, personally, love SAREX's they are fun, but sadly, most aren't as challenging as they should be, it's depressing really.
And to counter your arguement about people not completing it all in one weekend, I have seen it.... It is quite possible, not in the younger cadets, but in elder cadets and some SM's can retain the knowledge gained and apply it again soon after. It's not a matter of throwing training at them, you can do that, it's HOW you train them that matters. No matter what, you will have those who don't retain what you have taught, for those, you go one on one.
In my opinion, like I've stated before, I don't feel that one weekend should be able to qualify you as a GTM.... Most of the Rating is not tasks, but rather skills, ability, knowledge, and adaptation. It's all a matter of knowing what to do in case something happens before it does happen; basically, countering Murphy's Law.
Pylon, I concur.
There will always be a downside with any plan. NGSAR is a week long course, and the key training that they need to know is done in 3 days. Hawk does their own thing, and not to long ago NBB gave out 4 specialties in two weeks. There is always the downside of not enough time. But I do know that the vital training they need, they will learn or it won't be signed off. The Nav and DF Course, will be done individually, not as a team. The tasks that take a while to memorize (hot/cold weather injuries) have 2 1/2 hours to get done, which is incredibly possible, providing they don't sit around and talk.
Any way it's done, there will be someone who won't remember it all. That is why they are supposed to keep that handbook on their person whenever they are on a mission, because no one will remember everything. And again I'll say it, as GTL's we need to tell our GBD's what training we need, and ensure that both our GTM's and ourselves are being tested. Just because we've gotten to GTL and I've gotten to GBD doesn't mean we know it all. I long for the mission when I can supervise 5 teams at once, because I know I will learn a lot from it, but we don't have that many GT's in the state of Delaware.
So if we aren't, and our GTM's aren't using some skill other than DF and shooting an azimuth on training missions, then we need to step up to the plate and say "hey, give us a challenge, this is old" or "Hey, my guys need practice in Line Searches and Litter carry's can we do that next time?". Lately, I've been the one setting out the targets for the training mission in my area, and I can say that the GT's that show up will learn something. The state of delaware is basically flat, except for the northwestern part of the state. Care to guess where I'm going to hide the next ELT? The GT's are use the simply find the ELT and go to McDonalds, this one, they will have to work as a team and with the Aircrew to find.
Do you see what I'm saying now?
Sure, it's hurry up and wait.
As for the flat ground, I do have some ideas if you want to hear them.... Other then the woods a little to our North, here in Milwaukee, it's not much better. There's a lot that can be done, DF-wise, out in the open. We've gotten REAL creative on what we do. McDonalds actually would be a good target, but it might be a little better sitting next to that garbage pile at the airport burried in some tires, plows, lawn equipment...
Right now, I'm in the midst of gaining about 20 cadets (we're merging 3 units) and I have to get some weekend plans together, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like trying your plan.
Next time I'm out that way, might stop by (have family out East). If you want some new ideas for hiding spots and tasking, drop me a line.... I have some decent generalized places to give GT's a challenge.
Matt
I'm always open to new idea's, and yes you can use the schedule, that's why I've posted it on here. :D
Quote from: Horn229 on August 11, 2005, 04:50:02 PM
There will always be a downside with any plan. NGSAR is a week long course, and the key training that they need to know is done in 3 days. Hawk does their own thing, and not to long ago NBB gave out 4 specialties in two weeks. There is always the downside of not enough time. But I do know that the vital training they need, they will learn or it won't be signed off. The Nav and DF Course, will be done individually, not as a team. The tasks that take a while to memorize (hot/cold weather injuries) have 2 1/2 hours to get done, which is incredibly possible, providing they don't sit around and talk.
...snip...
You mentioned the "Big 3" ES schools/activities. Anyone that has been to NGSAR or Hawk can chime in as they wish, but I'm going to focus on NBB, since I've been there two years running now. Personally, I believe that specialty knowledge is retained rather well from NBB simply because attendees use that knowledge on a daily basis. The initial training is given during the first 3 to 4 days of training and "partial" operations, and then the rest of the two weeks is essentially OJT.
The three qualifications that you can leave NBB with are FLM, MRO, and UDF. During the first phase of NBB, which is refered to as either the Training Phase, or Super High Intensive Training (that's an acronym spelled out, by the way), attendees get all of their classroom training done for these qualifications. Then come the first day of partial operations, flights are cycled through their duty stations, and any classes that were missed or need to be worked on are taken care of. Partial Operations is basically the begining of the On The Job training and the ending/wrap up of the classroom style training. Then, once NBB slides into it's fully operational schedual, attendees are actually working in their specialties and are mentored by returning Berets and SM staff on the little "tricks of the trade" and what not for the remainder of the activity until they become fully proficient in their newly gained specialties.
And that's pretty much the gist of that.
Also, there have been noises made about NBB adding GTM3 to the list of specialties available or replacing UDF with GTM3 and adding the DF skills in as a bonus. But keep in mind, those are only noises.
Welp, my bivouac ended today. Went pretty good, but it seems that either I set the nav up to hard, or they had no clue what they were doing (probably both :) ) as no one could finish their individual courses. Other than that and going over time to get them through the Nav Course I'd say it went pretty well.
I've been asked to run a GT training program at the wing level in Oct, Nov, Dec along side an Air Crew training push. So over the next few month or so, I should have some stuff typed up for GTM level 2, 1 and GTL.
Oh, and if you're going to do any sort of GT training, use the slides available on national's site. There's a lot of good info in them. 8)