Unit of competency details

Unit Descriptor 

This unit covers the competency required to preserve and cook foodstuffs in a survival situation.

The individual is not expected to be a camp chef, but rather, to possess sufficient skills and knowledge to obtain, where possible, a measure of sustenance from the environment through cooking, or preserving for longer term consumption.

This unit also covers the prudent management of food assets and implementing personal measures to minimise the expenditure of energy in order to enhance survival chances.

Application of the Unit 

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

Employability Skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a Unit of Competency.

Performance Criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the Required Skills and Knowledge and/or the Range Statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the Evidence Guide.

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

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

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.

RANGE STATEMENT 

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.

Testing procedures may include 

Irritation to skin, lips or mouth

Smell

• Taste tests

Foodstuffs may include 

Animals:

• land-animals
• amphibians
• birds/fowl
• aquatic animals

Vegetables

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

Co-requisite Unit /s 

Nil