Methods for Laying a Fire-Ranger Handbook

14-16. METHODS.

There are several methods for laying a fire for quick fire making. Three easy methods follow (Figure 14-21):

a. Tepee. Arrange tinder and a few sticks of kindling in the shape of a cone. Fire the center. As the cone burns away, the outside logs will fall inward, feeding the heart of the fire. This type of fire burns well even with wet wood.

b. Lean To. Push a green stick into the ground at a 30-degree angle. Point the end of the stick in the direction of the wind. Place some tinder (at least a handful) deep inside this lean to stick. Light the tinder. As the kindling catches fire from the tinder, add more kindling.

c. Cross Ditch. Scratch a cross about 1 foot in size in the ground. Dig the cross 3 inches deep. Put a large wad of tinder in the middle of the cross. Build a kindling pyramid above the tinder. The shallow ditch allows air to sweep under the fire to provide a draft.

Figure 14-21

US Army Ranger Grub

k. Insects. Insects are the most abundant and easily caught life form on earth. Many insects provide 65 to 80 percent protein as compared to 20 percent beef. However you should avoid all insects that sting or bite, are hairy or bright colored, are common disease carriers (ticks, flies, and mosquitoes) and caterpillars and insects that have a pungent odor. Insects that have a hard outer shell such as beetles and grasshoppers should have their wings and barbed legs removed and must be cooked because they have parasites. Most soft shelled insects can be eaten raw. Insects can be ground into a paste and eaten or mixed with edible vegetation to improve or mask their taste.

l. Animal Food. Animal food contains the most food value per pound.

Anything that creeps, crawls, swims, or flies is a possible source of food, however you must first catch, kill, and butcher it before this is possible.

There are numerous methods for catching fish and animals in a survival situation. You can catch fish by using a net across a small stream, (Figure 14-6) or by making fish traps and baskets. Improvise fish hooks and spears as indicated in Figure 14-7, and use them for conventional fishing, spearing and digging.

Figures 14-6 and 14-7

ACCOMPLISHES MISSIONS CONSISTENTLY AND ETHICALLY

12-94. To be able to put strategic vision, concepts, and plans into reality, strategic leaders must employ reliable feedback systems to monitor progress and adherence to values and ethics. They have to find ways to assess many environmental elements to determine the successfulness of policies, operations, or a transformational vision. Like leaders at other levels, they must assess themselves; their leadership style, strengths, and weaknesses; and their fields of excellence. Other assessment efforts involve understanding the will and opinions of the American people, expressed partly through law, policy, their leaders, and the media.

12-95. To gain a complete picture, strategic leaders cast a wide net to assess their own organizations. They develop performance indicators to signal how well they are communicating to all levels of command and how well established systems and processes are balancing the imperatives of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities. Assessment starts early in each operation and continues through successful conclusion. They may include monitoring such diverse areas as resource use, development of subordinates, efficiency, effects of stress and fatigue, morale, ethical considerations, and mission accomplishment.