[StarVegabond]

How many of you have attended NCC or Scouts/Guides programs when you are still a student ?

More over how many of you still remember or practice the skills taughted or learnt during those days ?

This is a thread created to sensitise members about "Survival Skills", which might come handy anytime, anywhere, while on a travel or be home alone.

I thought of creating an inventory of must know skills even by a civilian and more over the skills i would like the children to learn for sure.

• Wallking and running barefoot and with footwear
• Crawling on the earth
• Trekking the hills, forest areas
• Tree and Rock climbing
• Obstecle jumping
• Swimming
• making a boat/float and kayaking
• Riding a bicycle
• Driving a two/four wheeler automobile
• Replacing a flat tyre
• Surviving a vehicle breakdown where no help is available
• Managing an accident situation
• Igniting a fire (without matches)
• estinguishing a fire
• surviving a fire situation
• Gathering food when none is available
• Cooking a meal with and without kitchen tools
• Tent pegging
• Ability to read maps, recognize n-e-w-s directions
• Ability to speak multiple languages
• Signaling with and without tools
• Food & Water Disclipline, Flexibility and Conservation
• Combat skills (unarmed, with sticks, with guns etc)
• Ability to plan, self motivate, mobilise other team members
• Ability to analyse and evaluate options and threat situations
• Ability to co-ordinate threat mitigation plan or a rapid response during a disaster
• First aid skills for self and others
• Ability to handle a heart attack or a serious breathing issue situation
• Carrying an injured person with you
• Overall Physical Fitness

there could be more..think over, are you equipped or ready for such a situation, certainly i am not equipped with many of these skills

Do you encourage your children to learn these skills ? especially the ones living in the cities

Remember..it is all about Survival of the Fittest.

[Daewood]

Thx for reminding us to teach these things to our kids as well as for ourselves.
Is there any other way to get acquainted with these if he or she doesn't have access to NSS/ scout in school.

Do any of the spots that have these paintball, obstacle clearing games teach all these?

[mooza]

Well, I could add "remembering important telephone numbers by heart" (without the use of a cell phone), which could help in emergencies !

I am teaching my little daughter to memorise my number.

[Wolfheart]

Guys, I strongly recommend that you get a copy of the US Army survival manual. You can use the knowledge from that book to survive in any situation in any part of the world.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Wolfheart

Guys, I strongly recommend that you get a copy of the US Army survival manual. You can use the knowledge from that book to survive in any situation in any part of the world.

Do you have a link for it? If so, do put it up. It would be helpful.

[StarVegabond]

Reading a book and manual is one thing, but practicing them regularly, keeping oneself fit is another aspect.

for the beginners..here is a link which explains basics about survival skills.

Survival skills - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Here is the US Army survival guide..

Survival Table of Contents

i don't think just reading it will be enough..

[Jaguar]

Thats an impressive list you have got there. But for a person living in a city how many of these would be really necessary? Many of the items would be required only for people who do regular treks into the wilderness alone or without proper guides.

Btw, does NCC/Scouts in India teach all/most of these stuff? Not just theory but practical as well?

[BlackPearl]

I did not know how to swim and enrolled in a class about 4 months back. Now I can swim about 30-40 Meters.

[akas_chauhan]

Two most important things
1. Tackling Hypothermia
2. Tackling dehydration
3. Understand the poisonous trees, if you need to rely on trees (Check Into the Wild movie/book, how the guy died)
4. Always carry Map if possible
5. Surviving Bear/wild animal attacks

List continues...

And watch out for "I should not be Alive" on discovery. You'll get a fair idea.

[aargee]

Thanks SVB. Though we'd NCC scout in our school, until I read your post, I did not understand the importance. Assured, it will never happen to my Son. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Thats an impressive list you have got there. But for a person living in a city how many of these would be really necessary?

I'd the same question, but I guess as TBhpians we do lots of travel, and, learning such things gives us more confidence in case of emergency during our travel.

Originally Posted by akas_chauhan

And watch out for "I should not be Alive" on discovery. You'll get a fair idea

And Man Vs Wild in Animal Planet? IMO, those are extremes & I once watched this guys eating some kind of insect or worm & it looked so horrible that I gave up watching such programs for ever.

[zaks]

Everything starts with a load of common sense and fair degree of physical fitness. The rest you can learn.

[COUGAR]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Btw, does NCC/Scouts in India teach all/most of these stuff? Not just theory but practical as well?

not in the air wing atleast. All we did was marching and making aeromodels! Not that I am complaining!

[StarVegabond]

There have been instances when some or many of these skills would come handy e.g. one might remember not so recent past situations

Mumbai flood like situation
Carlton towner like fire situation
Leh cloud burst situation
Mumbai terrorist attack like situation
Tsunami not so long ago

In Indian schools (not all, but some) following are for sure taught as a part of NCC or NSS

• Maintaining physical fitness (running, jumping, trekking, obstecle nagotiation etc)
• NCC camps (even junior ones) for sure cover firing at the target
• NCC senior camps for sure cover tent pegging, camping etc
• NSS camps also cover the trekking, camping etc.

I had attended Junior NCC (during 8th & 9th stds) and remember learning these.

over period of time, physical fitness has been ignored and along with its the skills as well.

I am sure for most of the 30+ Indians this is the case.

I agree, common sense along with physical+mental alertness plays important role in a crisis situation. Just common sense alone may not carry us long, fitness along with some (simulated) experience is key.

[Cooleo]

There's a lot that one can learn from the idiot box nowadays.

What with shows like "Man vs Wild" and "I Shouldn't be Alive" on the Discovery Channel.

For the rest, we have the Internet.

[KRRaj]

Nice Thread. wanted to join NCC when I was in school, but as I wear glasses, I was rejected. We should all be physically fit at the very minimum.