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One
of the course participants lights a fire in his snow shelter.
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COMFORT
zones do not exist at Extreme Cold Weather Refresher courses.
Snow, wind, rain and limited supplies seem to conspire with the
body’s capacity to handle the physical and psychological
demands of the course.
There are no alpine chalets for participants, who have to craft
snow shelters with all the ingenuity and skill they can muster
after a slog through the terrain while evading enemies.
Many of the participants in the most recent courses – the
first run since 1998 – had never been at the snow. And even
Combat Survival Training School (CSTS) staff were challenged after
the islands, jungles and arid areas of north Queensland.
Two courses were run back-to-back in September at Dinner Plain
in Victoria. The first involved 17 members of No. 77 Squadron
and five ALSFITT support staff.
The second course involved 12 members from various squadrons and
units of the ADF. They were able to complete the two-yearly survival
training required by graduates of the Combat Survival Training
Course.
Logistic support was provided by No. 34 Squadron, RAAF Base East
Sale and RAAF Base East Sale SAR Flight.
Both courses involved classroom instruction revisiting combat
survival training and adapting these priorities to survival in
extreme cold weather before a practical exercise and survival
tasks.
The first course also involved an exercise where 77SQN members
evaded CSTS staff, who acted as enemy forces, before making contact
with friendly forces for recovery.
Flight Sergeant Tracey Moran said participants learnt much.
“The course not only gave students increased knowledge of
environmental survival concepts outside their normal areas of
operations, it also tested their fitness levels, tenacity, professional
knowledge and commonsense approaches to survival and aviation
in general,” FSGT Moran said.
“The difficulties of travelling even short distances through
the snow and evading an unknown enemy were especially highlighted
during the evasion phase.”
Participants were tasked to build a suitable snow shelter made
of timber and parachutes and to sleep in the shelter overnight.
They also had to light a fire using contents of the personal survival
kit, and procure and purify water using different techniques.
Participants were only allowed to wear items of normal issue kit
available to them. Survival and safety equipment were the only
other items provided. The weather started off crisp and clear
but degenerated by mid-week with sweeping rain and then light
snow.
“Many of the students commented that surviving in an extreme
environment was not quite as hard as expected, though many problems
had to be overcome while under the masked effects of hypothermia,
fatigue and dehydration,” FSGT Moran said.
Personnel interested in attending either the Combat Survival Training
Course (111709) or the Extreme Cold Weather Refresher (111710)
should phone FSGT Tracey Moran on (07) 4752 1502 or nominate through
PMKeyS.
