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Discussion: Minimum manpower needed to be effective

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Paladinlord06	Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 2:56 PM EST In a survial group, yes there are many different duties that need to be completed, right down to latrine trench digger, thank you ElDiaboloKid, that's your job easy. Check the other thread if you don't get it. :-) Seriously though, in a survival situation most families will tend to double or even triple up, not just to pool resources and raw manpower, but because there is simply so much that would need to be done, and done constantly. At minimum, you need at least two people on watch 24/7 to keep on alert for hostiles, and that's at a minimum. You probably are going to need at least 2 different guard checkpoints because most places have more than one avenue of approach. Then figure at least one individual for communications back at home base for the two separate sentries who would also have to be on call 24/7, a doctor or medic goes without saying, an armorer/weaponsmith, and a general quartermaster. So let's look at numbers here, maintaining 2 posts 24/7 with 2 people at each post, plus someone on comm back at the base also 24/7. We'll really go lean here, an ideal shift would be no longer than 8 hours but let's make it 12. So to keep everything guarded and in touch with home base for a single day, would take at least 10 people. This doesn't take into account the fact that during their 12 hours off would be spent sleeping, eating and whatnot, so forget them being able to do much else to help out around the retreat. So those 10 people would work a relentless shift with not even a day off, and should someone get sick or die, you're shorthanded, and even then we're talking a 12 hours on guard straight, that's LONG time to be freezing your a$ in the winter outside, and that's just to maintain only 2 sentry points. Post reply 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you? Keyword tags: communications cook corkyj419 defense engineer demolition expert diplomat drill instructor farmer leaders logistician lookout medic military leader and trainer pilot psychologist reconnaissance salvager soldier supply gather survival expert survivalist tacticion zombie survival resource
Paladinlord06	1. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 3:01 PM EST \| Post edited: Dec 19 2009, 3:07 PM EST So 10 people on guard, add on another 4 or 5 as various support personnell around home base, and you might be able to have something viable. Don't forget we're considering the fact that you'd be running nonstop on 12 off 12 shifts with no breaks in the routine, you might get away with a group around 15 people, and that's BARE minimum. To really be effective, to give people a break because we're human, and to have some additional manpower should someone get injured or whatever, realistically you're looking more at a platoon-sized group, around 20-30 individuals, give or take and you could be fairly comfortable. I don't see how it could be done with less because unless you're somebody who can stand guard 8 hours straight at 2 points at the same time, cook, clean and maintain weapons, do basic maintenance on the facilities, assist with any ongoing projects, fight off the occasional invasion, if you can do all that and still have enough time to eat, and get a reasonable amount of sleep, I have no idea how it would be done. As for what my duty would be, if I could pick anything, id probably double up as both the personnel officer in charge of schedules and duty shifts and who's doing what at any given time, and also communications at the base since I have a bit of experience with radios, repeaters, cellular technology and CB. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
DevilNuts	2. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 6:00 PM EST " we're talking a 12 hours on guard straight, that's LONG time to be freezing your a$ in the winter outside" 12 whole hours? In the cold? Boy, life sure is tough after the apocalypse.Good thing I'm not a vagina. Seriously - if standing sentry for 12 hours is too much for a person, that person needs to be scrubbing potatoes or something, and find a real man to put on the wall. That vag would only get everyone killed anyway. Post reply 1 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
byates	3. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 6:19 PM EST Why 8 or 12 hour shifts? Why not 2 or 3 hour shifts? Rotate people through positions, backup will be going on guard next have them monitor communications. People would have more time to attend to other tasks and get more rest. Navy uses 4 hour watches, or did for many years. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Paladinlord06	4. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 7:10 PM EST \| Post edited: Dec 19 2009, 7:11 PM EST "12 whole hours? In the cold? Boy, life sure is tough after the apocalypse.Good thing I'm not a vagina. Seriously - if standing sentry for 12 hours is too much for a person, that person needs to be scrubbing potatoes or something, and find a real man to put on the wall. That vag would only get everyone killed anyway. " Try it sometime and come back later and tell me how it went. You'll understand why the military keeps guard rotations to only a few hours, mostly it's endless boredom and the more bored you are, details slip and that gets people killed, not to mention being out in the elements for that long really is rough. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Conmiro	5. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 7:12 PM EST "Try it sometime and come back later and tell me how it went." DevilNuts is a Sergeant of the Marines, so that would probably be a walk in the park. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
AlexHigginbotham	6. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 7:19 PM EST "You'll understand why the military keeps guard rotations to only a few hours, mostly it's endless boredom and the more bored you are, details slip and that gets people killed, not to mention being out in the elements for that long really is rough." HAHA, shortest duty I've stood in 4 1/2 years was 24 hours long. Friends in the Air Force maybe, or does the air force even stand duty. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Bipp	7. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 7:45 PM EST Why not just use a 6 hour watch, that way your guards could sleep 4 to 5 hours and use 1 to 2 hours to eat, bath, weapon and gear maintenance and etc. then they will spend less time out in the cold, and be able to get more rest per day? Why not just use 1 person on guard duty at a time with a radio check every half hour with some one at the base command? I would think that 3 centuries on a 3 point watch, for 6 hour shifts with 2 extra to allow free time = 8 people Cook = 2 people Command = 3 people Maintenance, repairs = 2 people Supply = 1 person Supply gathering = 6 people Agriculture (farming + animals) = 4 people Medical = 2 people Water = 2 people Child care = 2 people Laundry, and Cleaning = 3 people So I figure at a minimum a decent long term survival camp need at least 35 people. Children of 7 and older can help with some of the work like cleaning, farming (pulling weeds, harvesting, planting), animal care (shoveling manure, feeding, watering). Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DevilNuts	8. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 7:59 PM EST "DevilNuts is a Sergeant of the Marines" Oops, owned. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
LWJ2009	9. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 19 2009, 11:09 PM EST "12 whole hours? In the cold? Boy, life sure is tough after the apocalypse.Good thing I'm not a vagina. Seriously - if standing sentry for 12 hours is too much for a person, that person needs to be scrubbing potatoes or something, and find a real man to put on the wall. That vag would only get everyone killed anyway. " I guess it would depend on how cold it was DN. 12 hours in below zero weather can be quite the stretch if you don't have a nice shack to stay in, or any protection from the wind. Then again I am sure it gets pretty damn chilly at Camp Kinser..... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
PedroAsani	10. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 4:09 AM EST \| Post edited: Dec 20 2009, 4:12 AM EST "we're talking a 12 hours on guard straight, that's LONG time to be freezing your a$ in the winter outside, and that's just to maintain only 2 sentry points. " "There is no such thing as bad weather: only wrong clothing" ~ Army doctrine. Yes, if you are doing a 12 hour stand in just a sweatervest, shirt and pants, then chances are you will freeze your bollocks off. If on the other hand you are dressed appropriately for the cold, you will not really notice it after the first hour, and spend the entire time unharmed. Post reply 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
PedroAsani	11. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 4:11 AM EST "As for what my duty would be, if I could pick anything, id probably double up as both the personnel officer in charge of schedules and duty shifts and who's doing what at any given time, and also communications at the base since I have a bit of experience with radios, repeaters, cellular technology and CB." That had better include a rotation of every position you have others working, or you won't be doing either for very long. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Iamz0rs	12. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 12:10 PM EST Well, people have survived alone in hostile enviroments for extended periods of time. So the minimum required is one I think. The problem with that is if you should get sick, get injured or something like that you're pretty much screwed. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DevilNuts	13. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 2:56 PM EST "Then again I am sure it gets pretty damn chilly at Camp Kinser..... " Dude I'm freezing my nards off. I had to actually put on a sweater yesterday. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
timberrattler	14. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 4:21 PM EST "Dude I'm freezing my nards off. I had to actually put on a sweater yesterday. " You're breaking my heart. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
LWJ2009	15. RE: Minimum manpower needed to be effective Dec 20 2009, 7:52 PM EST "Dude I'm freezing my nards off. I had to actually put on a sweater yesterday. " That is tragic DN, now all you need is some snow and the global warming crisis will go full circle. Post reply Do you find this valuable?