Funny Outfits & YouTube Videos; The Rise of The Self-Proclaimed Survival Expert

There’s no doubt about it: survival skills and preparedness are big right now, and that means people want to cash in. More and more we see individuals and corporations alike with little to no emergency training, who are much more focused on the “cashing in” aspect than the survival one. Be they seeking fame or fortune, there is a massive rise in those claiming to be qualified to train others in wilderness survival tactics and techniques.

What you may not know is: there is no certifying body for wilderness survival skills. There is no “standard curriculum” for survival techniques and most “schools” have their own approach. This is just part of what separates wilderness survival from EVERY other form of emergency rescue training; from simple first aid, to swift water rescue, to ropes rescue… you name it; there is a certifying body and a recognized standard of training in the field. It is simply not so in wilderness survival, and there is no shortage of individuals who have never been in a life and death situation that have no problems telling you how to react in one.

In other words: I can name no other field of emergency training, or training in any dangerous task really, where the instructor’s experience is purely hypothetical. When I learned how to rappel out of firefighting helicopters as a “helitack” firefighter, the instructor who taught me had earned his title through not only performing countless helicopter rappels, but performing them before an individual “certifier” who watched his every move. Only then were the lives of young firefighters put in his hands, where he was to teach them the highly dangerous art of rappelling up to 200’ out of a hovering helicopter (very often in gusty winds) onto open and hazardous terrain.

This leaves it up to you. You will have to research and use your own discernment in choosing who to trust your life to and train with. It can be a very daunting task to those new to this field, so I’ve compiled a small list with some “common sense criteria” to assist you in the selection process. If you’re looking for real emergency training, not a “survival themed vacation” then you may want to consider these factors:

If you're looking for a survival instructor consider:

 It can be impossible to know how you will react in an emergency if you’ve never been in one. This is why training in real emergency skills includes systems and checklists for proceeding with action: the more you have been trained in coping mechanisms, in the common mental and physical stressors faced in said emergency, the more likely you are to react quickly, instinctively, and appropriately… in other words- you’re less likely to freak out and do the wrong thing out of panic/fear. These systems and checklists for taking action (i.e. rapid risk assessments) are essential for taking quick and appropriate action in a disaster, and must be included in your training. It is easy to get search and rescue experience. Most local teams are volunteer and will provide free training in tracking, ropes rescue, river rescue, and more. A "survival expert" should be aware of this. Does your instructor have actual training or experience in outdoor emergencies? Have they ever worked in a field where performance could mean life or death(fire, rescue, police, military, hazmat, etc), or have they simply "worked" in the outdoors?

*Field Experience. If you've never gone out and lived off the land with little to no gear how can you teach anyone else too? Exposure is the #1 killer in wilderness survival. Have they spent time practicing their craft in extreme conditions? Enough time to develop systems and methods for coping?

*Field Training. A survival course at a campground or park is absolutely NOTHING like a real field course. You may make the bow and drill fire quickly and easily in mid-summer, with the optimal materials the instructor dutifully harvested from several locations, in low humidity, on a full belly... now try to make one while you’re hungry and on the edge of hypothermia out of whatever is around you... see what we're getting at? If your instructor/school doesn't offer field training then they don't offer training.

*Reputation. Who do they attract? Is it mostly locals who signed up for the “groupon discount”, or families looking for a novel vacation? Or is it frequented by; outdoor professionals, guides, members of the military, and/or world travelers as well? In other words, where do the people whose lives may very well be on the line go for their training?

*Presentation. This one really gets me. I could care less how you like to dress, but when I see guys that are basically wearing costumes- clothing you would never see someone hiking the backcountry in- I know they are more about ego than info. They are every bit as much about cultivating an image/personality as they are about transmitting information. Does the instructor present themselves as an outdoor professional or outdoor personality? Do they don appropriate outdoor clothing for the day's purpose, or do they dress in a "survival" costume?

*Approach. Do they advertise survival "vacations”, “rites of passage”, and courses that will “get you back in touch with the earth” or do they offer “life-safety” training. Should disaster occur, you survival will not be a game. Take your training seriously and train with others who do as well.

About the author:

Thomas Coyne is the President and Chief Instructor at Survival Training School of California. He has worked in the outdoors, in all four seasons and weather conditions, his entire life. From 2001-2008 Thomas served as a highly specialized wildland firefighter and professional rescuer for such organizations as; The U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire(CDF), and Kern County Fire Department. During his career Thomas has not only responded to, but been among the first on scene of some of the nation's most historically devastating fires (California Firestorms). Thomas often served in leadership and other highly critical positions on his fire crews. and has been trained in: Training & Qualifications: helicopter hoist rescue, confined space rescue, ropes rescue, swift water rescue, HAZMAT, and more. Thomas has also served as:  a fire squad leader(squad boss), helicopter rappeller, Crew Emergency Medical Technician, and as a member of the rescue team for the first civilian space shuttle launch (2004 X-Prize launch)

I Can Do Anything

If you are ever in a survival situation there is something you must understand; you can do anything. Should you give it your all, there is nothing that can stop you. Check out the awesome human potential:

Why You Want To Work With The Best

The following is a recount of my experience on "The Esperanza Fire" in 2006:

The Esperanza Fire, Wikipedia:

The Esperanza Fire was a wind-driven, arson-caused wildfire started on October 26, 2006, in a river wash near Cabazon, California, west of Palm Springs, California. By October 29, 2006, it burned over 61 square miles (160 km²) and was 85% contained. On October 30, 2006, the fire was fully contained.

Five firefighters were killed defending a vacant house locally known as the "Octagon" that was ultimately destroyed by the fire: Jason McKay, Jess McLean, Daniel Najera, Mark Loutzenhiser, and Pablo Cerda."

It was ruffly 10 pm on October 26 when Bo and I got the call. Bo was a fellow firefighter on Los Padres National Forest Engine 16, and we had just arrived in Paso Robles for a few drinks at the "Tilted Kilt" when my cell phone rang. It was my Captain: "Coyne, you're with Bo right?"  Yes sir, fire? "Big one. It's already taken out a whole engine crew. All five were killed. We roll in a strike team at 0600 tomorrow." FYI: an engine strike team is composed of five, five person engine crews. This gives us a total of 25 men, approx 25,000+ gallons of fire fighting foam treated water, and over one mile of fire fighting hose. Not to mention the backfiring gear and the tools we carried which allow us to convert to a hand crew should water run short- which I have on several occasions. I have to say; I was a bit shocked by what my Captain had said. It's a dangerous job and every season far too many people are killed, but a whole engine crew at once is nearly unheard of. I wondered if I had heard right until I saw the television at "The Kilt".

We set out early the next morning and when we arrived to the incident all forces were on hold. This too, is also nearly unheard of. The winds we're blowing in excess of 70 mph, there was RAPID fire spread in ALL directions, and the column from this thing was so huge they thought it may collapse; which is the wildfire equivalent of a nuke going off on the battlefield. So for the first operational period- we watched... and I can't tell you how hard it is for a group of men desperate to throw themselves between the walls of flame and the whole neighborhoods they threaten to sit there and watch.

Day 2: We got our assignment, and it was a great one. It just so happened that my engine was a state of the art prototype model with exceptional four-wheel drive capability. We we're assigned to an area in front of the head of the fire, down a rutted dirt road, where the main column was dropping embers and causing spot fires that threatened to make this thing even worse. It was very steep terrain, in "light and flashy" fuel. After about three hours we got a call handed down from Air Attack; there was a spot fire within 1/4 miles of our location, and we needed to hit it. If you have not been in a field like this, I don't know how to relate the energy that courses through a twenty-something in shape male when these things occur. So we headed toward it.

The small smoke column came into view very quickly, and my normally exceptional Captain made a very stupid mistake. He got out and tried to get atop the steep short peaks and be our lookout as we continued on in the engine. The mistake: he misjudged the highly featured terrain and thought the fire was burning just over the first hill when it wasn't, and tried to get up a steep hill when we had perfectly good eyes in the sky. What was worse was that he left us with the second highest ranking firefighter in command, our Assistant Engineer, "The Prez", who had no business even being on a fire line. When you're the daughter of a union president and constantly threaten lawsuits however, you can be as poor and cowardly a "firefighter" you'd like and still keep your job. They just play "hot potato" with you, moving you from crew to crew every year.

We got to a right turn in the road and saw the spot fire for the first time. I knew what was going to happen: without the Captain present "The Prez" would exaggerate the situation over the radio and refuse to engage the fire out of fear. Irrational and overwhelming fear. I began to loudly parrot the ACTUAL size up of the fire to the Captain everytime she hit "transmit" on the radio, which fully met the requirements for engagement: the fire was burning off a dirt road which gave us an escape route, there was good black, we had lookouts, and the flame length was less than 15'. She still told the Captain she didn't feel safe driving the engine down the road to the site of the fire. The Captain responded: "send someone to check it out", and before he was finished speaking I was out of the engine- headed toward the spot fire with my pulaski (a specialized axe with a hoe on the back for scraping fire lines).

I walked around 100 yards down the dirt road "The Prez" was afraid to drive a fire engine on and got to the "heel" of the spot fire. I gave my engine crew the size up and told them the approach was safe, and then began a "direct attack" on the fire's edged. There were A LOT of helicopters on this incident and at least half were diverted to drop on this spot fire. So here's how it works: they come in with 350 gallons and drop, and after "tying into the road" I run in and cut a break on the edge before the smoldering fuel can re-ignite, simple. After about ten minutes of doing this solo I realized my engine wasn't coming. I radioed "The Prez" and she claimed a small patch of sand at the beginning of the road made it impossible for the engine to pass- our state of the art four wheel drive engine no less- and as lead firefighter; she felt it too dangerous to allow the rest of the crew to walk to my location and assist with fire suppression. I was enraged but there was nothing I could do.

My crew had abandoned me. The other two men in the engine did not share my motis operandi; they knew it was wrong, they knew it was safe to walk to where I was, but ultimately they were afraid to disobey and get in trouble- as if. So they sat, watched, and listened to the radio. The thought of disengaging never crossed my mind. I had a pulaski and a small fleet of huey's so I was going to fight this thing until someone else arrived. Which soon, someone very important did. You see; we were transmitting on a "squirrel channel", a radio frequency known only to our crew which was not in use for fire communications. It turns out however, that our local Battalion Chief was in charge of our Division of the fire, he was near our location, and he had our squirrel channel. He heard the whole thing go down... and he was pissed.

A loud engine revving combined with the noise of a truck "bouncing around" caught my attention. I looked over and saw our Battalion Chief Power sliding around the corner in a government pick up truck, right past our engine and over the "impassable sand patch". He got out, asked me where to tie in, and began cutting line behind me. A moment later he radioed my engine and asked if they were coming... this time they were. That's right, F*** Coyne's life, that's not a good enough reason to head toward the fire; avoiding an a** chewing from the Chief though... now there's a good reason. Of course, as the engine pulled up "The Prez got out and took "full control", ordering the crew into action. Also of course, they had to be "re-ordered" into different action, as she wasn't too aware of how to fight a fire properly.

End result: nothing. I was told by my Captain my size up was off, which I argued and won, and "The Prez" wasn't even so much as written up. She remained the Assistant Engineer until she became pregnant from another local fire chief and "retired". She got all the paychecks, all the medical benefits, all the paid vacation days (at tax payer expense), and all the "look at the hero firefighter" action from the public she "deserved" until then. My crew told me they wanted to assist me, that they asked, but were refused. The Prez told me she thought I was a dead man and didn't want to get the rest of the crew killed.

The moral of this post: if lives are to be on the line it's important to go with the best.The individuals in this incident were not solely to blame; consistently poor training and the "job culture" cultivated incidents like this. The incident spoke to state of the whole organization. Don't make assumptions based on titles and positions: there's all kinds of ways for people to connive their way into high levels. In this case it was a Union President and Fire Chief's daughter getting handed a job- but that's just this case. Instead, base your judgment on an individuals performance and reputation. Its bad enough in wildland firefighting, but if you are on any type of crew, you have received at least some level of guaranteed training, be it the best or not, and there is a system for earning titles, albeit corruptible. In wilderness survival however, literally ANYONE can open a school and refer to themselves as an "instructor" or "expert". Their experience is not mandated to be documented, and as with the case of one recent California survival school; you can claim your instructors have decades of experience and to be the state's "premier school" when you only opened your doors in July of 2012.

If you're looking for a survival instructor consider:

*It is easy to get search and rescue experience. Most local teams are volunteer and will provide free training in tracking, ropes rescue, river rescue, and more. A "survival expert" should be aware of this. Does your instructor have actual training or experience in outdoor emergencies? Or have they simply "worked" in the outdoors.

*Field Experience. If you've never gone out and lived off the land with little to no gear how can you teach anyone else too? Exposure is the #1 killer in wilderness survival. Have they spent time practicing their craft in extreme conditions? Enough time to develop systems and methods for coping?

*Field Training. A survival course at a campground or park is absolutely NOTHING like a real field course. You may make the bow and drill fire quickly and easily in mid-summer, with the optimal materials the instructor dutifully harvested from several locations, in low humidity, on a full belly... now try to make one while your hungry and on the edge of hypothermia out of whatever is around you... see what we're getting at? If your instructor/school doesn't offer field training then they don't offer training.

*Reputation: who do they attract? Is it mostly "earth child" types or "tacticool" guys raving about their training? Or is it; outdoor professionals, guides, members of the military, and/or world travelers? In other words, where do the people who's lives may very well be on the line go for their training?

*Presentation: Does the instructor present themselves as an outdoor professional or outdoor personality? Do they don appropriate outdoor clothing for the day's purpose, or do they dress in a "survival" costume? Do they advertise survival "vacations" or "life safety" training? It really speaks to approach as survival is defiantly not a game.

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