Maybe you should make a race out of it. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I taught a Wilderness First Aid course last October, mostly for a youth group but there was one adult volunteer who came because he wanted the certificate, and a couple of the youths were 16-18. One of the scenarios we did was based on a canoe trip where the canoes capsized and the occupants had "swum" to shore. Later, we took this a step further; I grabbed two volunteers and got them to lie down on blue tarps along the edge of the road (it was a fenced off back road and they were in no danger, just so you know). Then I split the remaining students into two groups and said "Okay, that exercise we did with the canoes yesterday? Well, you've just come ashore and realised that a member of your group is missing and has been swept downstream. Let's go look for them."

The casualties were instructed that they had a broken collarbone and could not move that arm; they were holding onto a tree by the side of the "river" and had been immersed in cold water for the past 5 to 10 minutes, so they would be suffering from hypothermia.

Sure enough, as I expected, the groups quickly found their missing members and began having a committee meeting to decide what was the best way to get the casualty out of the river. Suddenly I yelled "Your casualty is going to lose consciousness in 10 seconds - 9 - 8 - 7 ..." By the time I got to 6, both casualties were out of the river. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

For those adults who think they need 2 or 3 hours to build a "proper" fire, give them an emergency situation - a member of their party has fallen through the ice, the temperature is a few degrees below freezing, the casualty is in severe hypothermia and they have 15 minutes to get a fire going or he/she will DIE! - then stand there with a stop watch ticking off the minutes in a very loud voice. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> If you have members who really know their stuff and you don't want them taking charge, make them the casualty; or give them another injury (e.g. a broken leg) so they can shout instructions but can't physically assist.

It sounds like part of the problem is that, for most people, this stuff isn't *real*. If adult volunteers are taking over an hour to build a campfire and then not lighting it, maybe they're really afraid that it won't work and they'll look foolish in front of their kids. Or maybe it's just that "lighting a campfire" is seen as boring, when compared to making your own snowshoes or building a lean-to. Maybe they just need a little adrenalin - and maybe a little friendly competition - to make it seem exciting.

I noticed that even after getting their casualties out of the "river", my students' attitudes remained at a heightened level for the remainder of the scene. It was no longer "we have a problem to solve, what's the best solution?", but "we got a friend who's not going to make it, let's get moving!"

I don't know if this will work, or if you've tried it already, but if you decide to do it, then make sure your scenario is realistic, and that it rules out solutions you don't want them to come up with (e.g. the guy who went through the ice was carrying the camp stove and he jettisoned his pack when he went under, so they can't simply fire up the stove to keep him warm).