The application of this unit in the workplace - the environments, complexities and situations involved - will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA00 Public Safety Training Package.

This text will be useful for the purposes of job descriptions, recruitment advice or job analysis; where possible, it will not be too job specific to allow other industries to import it into other Training Packages, where feasible.

Prerequisite Unit/s

Nil

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Preserve and cook flora and fauna

1.1 Testing procedures are applied to unknown vegetable flora to identify their fitness for consumption

1.2 Harmful components of animal and vegetable foodstuffs are excised

1.3 Animal and vegetable foodstuffs are prepared for consumption using improvised cooking techniques, to ensure items are sufficiently cooked to reduce the chances of acquiring parasites and germs

1.4 Improvised preserving techniques are applied to animal and vegetable foodstuffs to allow long term storage, to ensure that potentially harmful organisms do not spoil the foodstuff

2. Manage food resources

2.1 Energy management techniques are implemented to minimise unnecessary wastage

2.2 Foodstuffs are rationed in accordance with survival requirements

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Required Skills

cook

Required Knowledge

fire safety

food testing procedures

recognition of edible plants

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessment must confirm the ability to:

cook at least one animal and at least one vegetable foodstuff by two of the following methods on different meal occasions:

roasting (e.g. animal on stick over fire)

hungi (e.g. pit cooker)

boiling

grilling/frying (e.g. on rocks in fire)

sufficiently cook foodstuffs to destroy potential parasites and other organisms (e.g. for roasting, cooked right through)

not destroy the foodstuff through burning or over cooking

preserve at least one animal and at least one vegetable foodstuff (quantity sufficient for at least two separate survival meals (i.e. half rations) by two of the following methods:

drying

smoking

salting.

Assessment is to include attention that maggot or bacterial infestation does not spoil the foodstuff during curing or that the food is not actually cooked in the case of smoking. The preserved foodstuff should not suffer deterioration for two days (minimum) after curing, and must then be consumed by the survivor as part of their survival diet.

Consistency in performance

Competency must be demonstrated at least once in the test procedure for unknown flora, and as detailed, over a range of occasions for cooking and preserving that could be expected in a survival situation.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Competency must be assessed in a simulated workplace environment.

While a person can demonstrate the technical ability to cook and preserve foodstuffs, doing so in a survival situation is crucial; consequently it is recommended that holistic assessment be conducted with other associated survival units.

Assessment under simulated survival conditions should include:

food restrictions (food should be restricted to half the recommended daily caloric intake)

the absence of normal living conditions and amenities such as showers, beds and bedding (warmth to be provided by fire), kitchens etc. with the attendant levels of personal discomfort and fatigue

a significant period of time - the recommendation is four days.

Specific resources for assessment

Access to suitable assessment area.

Guidance information for assessment

Information that will assist or guide assessment will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA00 Public Safety Training Package.

The Range Statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Foodstuffs may include

Animals:

land-animals

amphibians

birds/fowl

aquatic animals

Vegetables

Testing procedures may include

Irritation to skin, lips or mouth

Smell

Taste tests

Excising harmful components may include

Removing dangerous glands

Removing venom sacks (snake)

Improvised cooking techniques may include

Boiling (e.g. in drum or can)

Grilling/frying (e.g. on rocks in fire)

Hungi (e.g. pit cooker)

Roasting (e.g. animal on stick over fire)

Improvised preserving techniques may include

Corning

Drying

Salting

Smoking

Harmful organisms may include

Bacteria (e.g. mould)

Maggots

Energy management techniques may include

Keeping cool enough whether resting or working to avoid perspiration

Loosening clothing and enabling air flow while avoiding sunburn

Maximising physical effort during cool of night

Minimal talking

Minimising physical effort during heat of the day

No smoking

Optimising cooling effect of shelter (e.g. through opening to breezes)

Rule of thumb: no eating if there is no water

Slow and deliberate nasal breathing

This unit contains employability skills.