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.

Using your notebook

You should always have a notebook with you. It will come in very handy when passing on information to Khaki. If you are going to take notes during a conversation with a participant, make sure to ask if it is okay! Using your notebook can help in all steps of FLAME.

Unless the participant is asking you to pass on personal information, do not record participant names: use initials. Even in our notebooks, we need to respect confidentiality.

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is a key part of the F in FLAME-Find out--and worth repeating. When entering a situation, always check for safety of both yourself and your partner.

What kind of dangers are there? Fire? Violence? Animals? Slipping or tripping hazards?

What is the mood/tone of the situation?

What reaction do participants have to your presence? Be aware that sometimes a Ranger presence can be triggering for participants.

One of you should always be able to monitor/use radio.

You should ALWAYS know where your partner is.

Know who is around that can be a community resource.

Self-Awareness: Trigger Issues

A trigger issue is something that you react to from a place of deep emotion instead of from reason. Triggers are not minor annoyances or “pet peeves.” Rather, trigger issues are things that make you lose objectivity and self-control, and therefore prevent you from Rangering effectively.

You can be triggered by:

• Words (e.g., “bitch,” “stupid,” “cop”)
• Actions (e.g., physical violence)
• Situations (e.g., lost children, animal abuse)

Practice self-awareness: learn to recognize when you’re being triggered and to acknowledge that you’re losing objectivity. If you are aware of the kinds of words, actions, and situations that might trigger you, share them with your partner during your shift. If you find yourself unable to look at a situation from an objective perspective, remove yourself from the situation by “kicking it sideways” to your partner or to another Ranger team through Khaki.

For more on trigger issues, see the section on Trigger Issues under Mediation

Kick it sideways

You may not always be the best person to handle a situation. Maybe the situation involves one of your “trigger issues”. Maybe you don’t feel you have enough experience or skills to handle a particular situation. Maybe the seriousness of the situation warrants asking for someone with more experience or skills to step in.

“Kick it sideways” means asking someone else to step in to handle the situation.

Remember, you are not alone! You can “kick it sideways” to: Your partner Khaki Another ranger, for example, the OOD Another volunteer core (for example, First Aid, Sanctuary, FAST) Another participant

More experienced Rangers, including Mentors and Khaki, can assist in critical situations or in helping you debrief from a situation that has left you with questions. “Kick it sideways” to a more experienced Ranger or a Khaki if you are uncomfortable or find yourself in an escalating situation when you feel it is beyond your scope. Expanding your comfort zone is an important exercise, but our commitment to the community and the participants takes precedence over your personal growth. There may be another Ranger better suited to handling that particular situation.

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.