Survival school hosts honorary commanders
Members of public get lessons in making a fire, shelter
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE – Fairchild Air Force Base recently showed off its Survival School to members of the community who got to spend a day at the base as honorary commanders. The visitors watched parachutists of the 336th Training Group jump from a helicopter and learned about basic survival skills.
“It’s a real eye-opener as to what this base provides,” said Randy Brandt, who was among 10 honorary commanders at the base last Friday. Brandt, a Spokane County District Court commissioner, said that this was his third or fourth trip to the base. He was nominated by a friend who works on the base.
“I feel so honored to be able to participate in the whole program,” Brandt said.
Airman 1st Class Tiffany Zaloudek showed how to set up a two-person shelter using two ponchos.
The ponchos were tied to trees using string and Zaloudek explained that pine needles and boughs could be used as a mattress. She also explained that if they were in an arctic environment, they could scoop out the snow to form a windbreak around the shelter and keep pretty warm.
“This is our favorite shelter,” she said. “I slept in this thing for six weeks.”
She added that she could set it up in about 10 minutes.
The honorary commanders also learned about edible berries they could find out in the wilderness. They learned how to identify rosehips and what they called soap berries because they taste like soap.
Survival school members also demonstrated how to start a fire using a metal match. Airman 1st Class David Jones showed how to shave the match with a pocket knife to set off sparks and ignite kindling.
He explained that they could use grass, pitch and even lint from clothing as kindling.
One of the more creative ways to start a fire is to find a plastic spoon, make shavings from it and light the shavings to ignite the spoon. A person starting a fire this way could then stick the lit spoon in the ground around some grass or other kindling to make a larger fire.The honorary commanders spent about four 4 1/2 hours with the 336th Training Group learning about basic survival skills.
“It gives me an opportunity to thank those people who are protecting our liberties,” Brandt said.