Basic Ranger Skills Overview

Ranger skills are the techniques employed when encountering a situation that may need Rangering and include engaging in conflict mediation and resolution. This manual includes just a brief overview of skills - please see the additional resources linked below for more details.

This module was previously called "Mediation 101" in past years.

F.L.A.M.E.

F.L.A.M.E. is a useful acronym to help you remember the most basic and essential way Rangers approach and mediate an encountered problem.

FIND OUT about the situation.

LISTEN to all parties and sides.

ANALYZE the information using your understanding of the situation.

MEDIATE and help facilitate the parties reaching their own joint solution.

EXPLAIN the outcome to everyone.

Read more on the F.L.A.M.E page

Mediation & Conflict Resolution Overview

Mediation is an important tool used to help resolve disputes while Rangering. We can’t give you a formula for mediating conflict; rather, we can give you tools that you can choose to use, or not, as you see fit, depending on the situation and your own personality.

While Rangering most often we Do Nothing. Dirt Ranger pairs practice immediacy by being in the moment and noticing who is yelling, laughing and the other behaviors being displayed. As Rangers gain experience they develop their Ranger-fu which helps them in observing and taking in information about the world around them.

Read sections on FLAME COMMUNICATON

Rangers F.L.A.M.E the situation - sometimes more than once during an incident.

Remember that everyone thinks they have a good reason for what they do.

Use active listening skills.

Never tell someone to “calm down” - calm them down by your presence and actions.

When body language and words come into conflict, words will lose every time.

Use “we” and “us” to generate connection with people.

Separating arguing people if possible so that you and your partner can talk to them separately.

If you have separated participants, be sure to keep your partner in sight at all times.

The less ego you bring to the table, the more control you will have over a situation.

Be aware of your trigger words and your trigger issues.

Never lose self-control: walk away before you do and defer to your partner

Ask involved citizens to think about possible solutions (and give them time to do so).

You move a crowd one person at a time.

Treat everyone with equal respect.

Let involved citizens or passionate observers have the last word, as long as you have the last act.

Always keep our social capital in mind when dealing with participants, staff, and outside agencies.

More training on Mediation & Conflict Resolution

Transcending the Model

The tools and concepts taught in Ranger training stem from our department’s ideas about what makes up a “model Ranger.” However, it is not effective to have a “model” walking around the woods, thinking about all of their newly-learned skills and trying to use them separately and individually.

A Ranger is more than the sum of a set of tools and concepts. A Ranger rises above the prescribed model, integrating and surpassing what they learned in training. By transcending the model, you will live and work within the boundaries of the tool set provided while finding your own style shaped by your gut, heart, mind, and training. You will become even more than the model Ranger you aspired to be.

Transcending the model happens over time - it cannot be forced, and it takes practice. All you can do is be who you are and learn from the interactions you have. Be authentic, and ranger with curiosity and humility. Be relaxed, and don’t consciously think about every move that you make - integrate the concepts of rangering as your own. You are a Ranger, not a walking tool box.