Acronyms and Aide Mémoires

[Steve M]

I taught PLAN (Protection, Location, Acquisition, Navigation) for years at Trueways, because that's the way it was taught there and it made sense at the time. Since then, I've been in contact with some of the old students and noted that they had mostly forgotten some aspect of it. I have found that those who have learnt PLAN and had it justified could often remember the order of priorities (Shelter/Fire, Rescue/Signals, Water, Food, Navigation/Escape) and reasoning, but not the aide mémoire in itself. I've heard a few others and I don't think that any of them have any real use and the time spent trying to learn them by rote is better served learning a little more about the human body, SAR and nature. That way, knowledge informs decision and we can be more dynamic.

I've written a little article on the matter.

http://blog.artandscienceofsurvival.com/2012/06/acronym-insanity.html

also available on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/survivalscool

 

[awarner]

Thanks for the write up, nice and simple to understand. Will certainly be using some of this at the weekend with my scouts. Mainly the STOP as you say its common sense so will fit into what the next camp is about.

 

[rik_uk3]

Aide Memoires are really handy, I'd forgotten all about them.

 

[Andy BB]

I always thought it was T-PLAN. Make a cup of tea, sit down and calmly and rationally figure out the rest

 

[mousey]

Reminds me of a thread on here [again] the 'survival is all about a good cup of tea' thread.

Never really seen the point in acronyms most of the survival points seem to be common sense related [the hardest part being to stop and think about what your doing properly rather than charging off and potentially making things worse]

Having said that I understand in stressful situations it can be very difficult to step back and be calm, but thats what practice is for...

Then again I've never been in a 'survival' situation, I've been lost a few times, and out in some pretty horrendous weather but nothing too severe or potentially life-threatening - still there's plenty of time left yet...

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

I've seen it expanded to PLAN-M (medical, overview of) too, which I always thought was a bit contrived.

Good blog post Steve - very interesting & informative. I'll be visiting again!

Cheers

 

[Wayland]

I always heard that the first casualty of any plan was the plan...

But really the one I learned was the rule of threes. Once you know that then it's easy to work out your priorities.

 

[santaman2000]

Reminds me of a thread on here [again] the 'survival is all about a good cup of tea' thread.

Never really seen the point in acronyms most of the survival points seem to be common sense related...

Acronyms like LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emmission of Radiation) That would be a mouthful if you had to say the whole thing. Or COP (Constable On Patrol)

I also remember the memory aids from Basic Training:

"How Many New Airmen Will Get Sore Feet?" as an aid t remember the top to bottom Air Force organization (Headquarters USAF, Major Air Command, Numbered AF, Air Division, Wing, Group, Squadron, Flight)

"Be My Little Girl" as an aid to rememebr the ascending order of general officxers' ranks (Brigadier General, Major General, Leutenant General, and General)

But as relates to survival or 1st Aid courses (and I've taught 1st Aid) I believe it's more of an aid to the instructor's ability to follow the lesson plan properly.

 

[knifefan]

PPPPPP - One of the few that I can remember "Proper Preparation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance"

 

[redandshane]

Small Men Hate Eating Oranges and ROY G BIV are two I can remember from school and in some ways not as entirely irrelevant as they may at first seem lol
And yes the rule of 3s seems to stick

 

[Wayland]

I still remember the first one I learned: Never Eat Shredded Wheat. N. E. S. W.

Don't really need it any more but I do still remember it after 40 years or so.

 

[spandit]

Gee, PAPA, Can't Fly Right...


... after start scan on a Boeing 737-800

 

[Steve M]

I don't think there is anything wrong with Dr ABC(DE) for First Aid as it prescribes a definite order of steps which initially rely on the previous one being complete. However, both the RNLI and my Advanced Remote Medicine training have added their own bit to it involving catastrophic bleeds and mechanism of injury.