Rural / Dispersed Sub-units

[DeV]

All this has been mentioned before, in a different thread,
but is a Saturday field day, once a month, in bks,
a runner here ?

I agree but they are frequently cancelled due to other unit commitments etc.

[Truck Driver]

In the shooting season we would normally attend the range two nights per week and this reqiures extra drivers and transport, now look at the draw on resources....

No wonder ye used to lean up in the All Army !!!

No equivalent sized unit in E Bde that I can think of, would get such an ammo
allocation, AFAIK

Not to say getting the committment from all concerned (shooters aswell as
Logs & Admin folks to assist)

[Truck Driver]

We just do what we are told - http://www.rdfra.ie/pdf/rdfrip/RDF_Map_final.pdf

I also note that from the above, DFTC is within your AO.

Yet, you don't have a sub unit there ?

Given the struggles with the two locations you inherited from 10 Inf Bn, I find this
most surprising....

[Truck Driver]

All this has been mentioned before, in a different thread,
but is a Saturday field day, once a month, in bks,
a runner here ?

This would have the bonus of being able to get hands on with stuff which
can't be brought to training posts, e.g; weapons.

Also has the benefit that approx 6 times more training time can be
utilised, compared to the "real" ~2 hrs on a training night
(factors in "hurry up and wait", issue and return of equipment, etc.)

Ollie, in the case of your Bn, presumably that means a commute to
DFTC/Kilkenny, but again, are there any roadblocks to this ?

[DeV]

I should say they we have personnel parading with us (and provide valuable assistance) from the 2 different training units.

[riflemangundy]

My unit is 'out of barracks' and if we want to bring weapons to our training location it means getting off work at 4 ,shit shower and shave for 5 the travel get weapons and travel back to training loc, then maybe 2 hrs trainin and back into wagon and travel back to barracks,,, your lookin at 7 hours for the escort and drivers!! doesnt matter how many hours you do NOW seen as it's classed as a parade night

[hptmurphy]

Not at all unusual . My former unit has three outstations we pick up from and bring people to bks,

However as all drivers are RDF members this causes untold problems as the designated drivers for each run can be required to put in double the hours anyone else is required to do on a week night..luckily there is sufficent transport available and a pooling system of drivers exists... but ties up aleast six drivers, three on the run and three standbys.

In the shooting season we would normally attnd the range two nights per week and this reqiures extra drivers and transport, now look at the draw on resources.

Average Tuesday night in April could be 8 drivers and at least 6 vehicles on the move ..all from one teeny weeny squadron...and you think you have problems!

[DeV]

Don't want to criticise, but that is not much more than a normal field day, maybe 1 hour extra.... but I'm not counting in travel time.

My experience is that country units that do not travel into Barracks for regular weapons training are doomed to failure.

Unfortually its our only alternative, unless we held a camp stayed at home and travelled in every day. We can't do overnights as no accomodiation, it isn't worth going into barracks for a training parade (people spending up to 4 hours travelling to get 1.5 hours hands on!). When you don't have access to weapons all the time you'd be surprised what can be covered in an hour.

I didn't mention it but we somehow manage to find some field days/weekends into the battalion/brigade planner, we are involved in something every other weekend between 1st Jan and April! We also have our applications refused/cancelled regularly due to other unit commitments! Even though around 2 weeks preparation has gone into it and the application has gone in at least 21 days in advance.

Ok, this might seem ignorant or rude or whatever but why the hell was this situation allowed to develop? Common sense dictates that you can't split up an RDF company without seriously damaging training.

I mean, I know there are rural areas and all that but surely there can only be so many measures taken to make it possible for people to parade?!

We just do what we are told - http://www.rdfra.ie/pdf/rdfrip/RDF_Map_final.pdf

My unit has a comparatively low number of locations (of the 12 locations in our AO, we only use 5/6).

With the reorg the coy I'm currently in gained another location from another brigade.

[ollie]

Ok, this might seem ignorant or rude or whatever but why the hell was this situation allowed to develop? Common sense dictates that you can't split up an RDF company without seriously damaging training.

I mean, I know there are rural areas and all that but surely there can only be so many measures taken to make it possible for people to parade?!

in our case we re 2 amalgamted coys each of which had its own hq and a few training centres scattered around the locale.

Not really madness , back in the early nineties most of our centres were triving and there was a great coy spirit. that vanished with the re org sady and the centres have suffered .

[johnny no stars]

Ok, this might seem ignorant or rude or whatever but why the hell was this situation allowed to develop? Common sense dictates that you can't split up an RDF company without seriously damaging training.

I mean, I know there are rural areas and all that but surely there can only be so many measures taken to make it possible for people to parade?!

[ollie]

We re spread between 2 main centres(former and current coy hqs) and 2 smaller parish centres. Getting the coy together is rarely done on a training night.

the biggest problem i see is the spread of resources , one centres has plenty of privates but few nco's while a second has nco's but few privates. As for the other 2 well if anyone turns up its a bous .

Theres little chance of access to weapons or terrain to practice tactics. As a result most nights involve footdrill and lessons ,which can lead to boredom and apathy .

[Docman]

Start in barracks at 1000, 45 minutes for lunch and work up untill 1700, have dinner and depart, with a couple of short breaks during the day. It means a LONG day for all

Don't want to criticise, but that is not much more than a normal field day, maybe 1 hour extra.... but I'm not counting in travel time.

My experience is that country units that do not travel into Barracks for regular weapons training are doomed to failure.

[DeV]

We have 3 centres in rural/urban areas. Since the reorg the sub-unit has increased massively in the standard of training, the amount of personnel, activities etc

We are extremely short of NCOs & officers (practically all having been transferred in at the time reorg (in most cases miles from our homes)), therefore we centralise in 2 locations. We parade on & off at the 3rd centre to justify it and keep a footprint in the area.

The parades in the 2 main centres are held on different nights.

Communications is extremely difficult - email (most of us, soon all of us) & texts are how the work is done

We sometime get 2/3 days notice of events that we are "required" to participate in.

One particular NCO has taken on the role of practically running the coy, making sure things happen etc - reason fustration over the way thinks were (actually were not) being done.

We have no cadre driver or minibus, we have a few drivers with restricted 154s & access to a Nissan.

We have no access to the intranet.

We have very little interaction with the other coys in the unit.

Our weapons are located 2-4 hours (round trip) from centres. We were looking into getting deactivated/airsoft weapons that could help with tactics, weapons handling, arms drill etc, No go! Therefore we went for weekends in barracks - little/if any accomodiation available. We also extended the working day on a field day. Start in barracks at 1000, 45 minutes for lunch and work up untill 1700, have dinner and depart, with a couple of short breaks during the day. It means a LONG day for all with constant attentiveness and usually a lot of new information/skills to gain, and having to compress or change the normal format of lessons. But in fairness to the troops they make the most of it and do learn.

[DeV]

Anyone from sub-units based in rural areas / sub-units based over a number of locations what kind of problems do you encounter and how have you attempted to solve them?