01. Following the Statute, no Instructor or FISSS Consociate member shall damage the Federation’s image or act in a manner inappropriate to its principles and rules, or contrary to deliberations by its Assemblies.

02. All members and Consociates shall concur in strengthening the FISSS image, visibility, formation and growth; together with the concerned members and Consociates, they authorise the FISSS to use their actions, activities and undertakings that are noteworthy in the discipline field, by communiqués to media and information to members. In return, they shall receive the authorisation to dispose of the collective image being reported in their cover documents. They have the further duty to identify themselves as FISSS members in their external relations and press, TV or web releases.

03. Within their time limits, all members shall cooperate to the activities directly incumbent on FISSS (examining sessions, training courses for instructors and Public Bodies, secretariat, supervision of mutual utility events); they accept that the Executive Board choose at discretion the most qualified representatives, the intervention modalities and the entity of the individual reimbursements according to the available FISSS budget.

04. All internal decisions by the Assemblies and every information about FISSS initiatives and know-how shall remain members’ exclusive knowledge; the same applies to all informative materials, above all the ones concerning training, courses, competitions and examinations. The FISSS Secretary shall distribute official documents only to its Members and whomever may be concerned.

05. About information to the press or external agents, the only disclosable output shall be considered the agreed upon document Surviving Since 1986; this document contains Federal principles, history and curricula; it includes the Rules & Norms, the Register of Consociates and Instructors, modalities for association and the minimum rate tariff for personnel, operations and activities. Only these documents may be inserted in the web-sites and used for external communiqués; FISSS members shall authorise the disclosure of personal data and the concerned image rights, unless written reservation be required for privacy.

06. No FISSS Member or Instructor shall criticise, dispute or diminish, outside the Federation or in the presence of third parties, any action by the Consociates or other members and Instructors. The right of criticism shall be safeguarded only within the framework of the President, or the Executive Board, or the Assembly. Towards the external bodies or to the media, it is necessary to portray a classy image of wholeness, homogeneity and style, preventing excessive self-promotion, conceit, boasting, as well as exaggeration, alteration and credibility of facts in one’s actions and undertakings, plus the despondency and debasing of other Consociates’ ones.

07. All Schools and Federal centres shall mandatorily (at least one month in advance) communicate to the FISSS Secretary their activity programmes (courses, competitions, events concerning the discipline) and state their modalities, costs and calendar, in order to obtain the approval and possible verification by the concerned Federal Commission. For Preparatory courses and contests (not implying FISSS direct intervention and responsibility), it is mandatory to have at least one Federal Instructor (all levels) inside the operative staff. In advanced training courses and contests for Federal Instructors, Public or private Bodies (of national importance), the presence of Master or Expert Instructors and at least one executive from the Board is mandatory, as per the Federal Rules & Norms. Only in this case the Federation shall assume co-responsibility in the event and ask for the mandatory citation in press-releases, together with the organising Consociate’s one.

08. The economic contributions due to the Federal employees by the entrepreneur Consociates shall correspond to at least the minimum applicable fees; in derogation for more than two days, the Instructor shall subscribe his/her participation as a reimbursement of expenses for the due amount. At its discretion, the entrepreneur Consociate or the Federal School may choose the available more qualified personnel, as long as FISSS qualified and compensated according to norms; in case of non-gainful or partially compensated participation, the Board shall approve its motives and assignment to training activities. Excuses for non-gainful jobs under the Federal aegis or unjustified cost increases of training and qualifying courses for aspirants shall not be accepted. If the case, aspirants have the right to choose another FISSS school and/or report the situation to the Executive Board.

09. The technical or intellectual property and the know-how of every Consociate or member can be adopted only by FISSS (for communal and internal activities), but not by others without a written authorisation by the property holder.

10. These Rules of Ethics forbid any un fair impairment, direct or indirect, in the assignments of paid appointments by all Instructors and Managers getting in contact with external agencies or organisations. They shall mandatorily charge their customers at least the minimum current fees, in order to discourage any downwards low-balling that may jeopardise the Federation’s image and/or lead the customer to an economic choice that may penalise other members and/or the quality of services. No Federal member shall damage the activity and image of Federal Schools or Instructors while replacing or represent them in all territorial contexts.

11. The Federation may not grant to FISSS Schools or Instructors any territorial exclusive for courses, even if organised by alien customers; by Statute, it may not interfere with the Consociates’ economic choices and their legitimate and correct competition. In any case, an appropriate cooperation among neighbouring Schools shall be promoted and encouraged, with the outfitting of common Campuses and/or by specific agreements in the organisation of courses that propose different programmes and timing. Being this impossible, the first-coming Campus or School in a specific territory may ask the competitor to deal with a different ‘catchment area’ sufficiently far from its pertinent zone and/or look for a different target.

12. The FISSS shall not claim, besides its members’ fees, any profit-sharing for events or realisations that are managed by Consociates through the Federation. It is possible to bestow the Federation only with free contributions, always respecting a minimum tariff, to assist its administrative costs.

13. The Federation is obliged to assist its Consociates in public relations and to support with its prestige their performances and achievements. Whenever this help may lead to extraordinary costs and burdens, the Executive Board shall determine their amount and ask the organising Consociate for an extra contribution.

14. The Consociates and federal Schools are required to accommodate in their centres, whenever feasible, the Safety Commission members In charge of the supervision and to make available their locations or Campuses, outfitted for federal courses, at a favourable price for FISSS Instructors and their participants.

15. The Schools with Federal outfitted centres (Campuses) and their Instructors are obliged to comply with the safety regulations by the relevant local and national bodies and with the FISSS protocols for activities; besides, they shall be provided with an apt insurance, both for civil and accident liability.

16. All operative Federal Instructors and course managers are obliged to have an insurance, to show their qualifying cards to whom is concerned, and to visibly exhibit their FISSS badge on an item of their clothing.

17. All possible complaints and problems (foreseen or unforeseen in the FISSS Statute, Rules & Norms and this Code of Ethics) shall be privately forwarded by the concerned persons to the Board’s referent Councilman; first; he/she shall consult the deciding Commission for Ethics, and then (in case of failed solution or arrangement) officially to the Executive Board itself. Ultimately, all complaints may be forwarded to a Federation’s Ordinary or Extraordinary Assembly, whose judgement is undisputable and definitive, after consultancy with the Arbitrates.

Every Federation’s member or Instructor not complying to this Code of Ethics, at the discretion of the Board with ascertained evidence provided, may be suspended by the Federation and lose all rights of representation and/or qualification until the next Assembly that, at the written request of the concerned persons, may deliberate about the confirmation of the applied penalties or their amendment or acquittal.
The Executive Board is the chairing and monitoring body for the application of the Code of ethics by a dedicated Commission; furthermore, the Board takes decisions by simple majority upon possible penalties, i.e.: written warning, default, censure, downgrading or expulsion.
Penalties may be imposed both for not complying with these ethic norms and for indignity or serious breaks of criminal and civil laws, or because of behaviours bringing the Federation into disrepute.
In case of expulsion, no damage compensation is granted for the concerned persons and they shall not lay any claim originated by this measure. Against the expelled, the Federation may take legal actions for material or moral damages against persons or properties due to his/her responsibility. The Federal chair shall be the competent court.

Guidelines in 10 points about how to distinguish and orient him/herself for a good survivalist and, above all, a Federation’s Instructor.

1. Resourcefulness and initiative – Abilities in improvisation and adaptation – Attitude to problem solving, positive action and eco-dynamic practices.
2. Assertiveness, optimism and a mission – Enthusiasm in acquiring and transferring knowledge and know-how.
3. Elasticity of mind and pragmatic thinking – Critical look against illegality, stupidity, superstition, superficiality, non-scientific lore, untested and unreliable fake-facts.
4. Determination and conscious courage (prudence controlled) in dangerous situations – Responsibility in tackling emergencies and persistence in pursuing the objectives.
5. Dexterity and good craftsmanship – Care for health and psycho-physical fitness – Disposition in experimenting, getting involved in multi-disciplinary performances, risking in the game and exploring the unknown, not out of unawareness, but because of knowledge.
6. Vast competence and preparedness, even if not specialised, beyond privileged limits – Confidence and seriousness in practice and dissemination of the discipline, without posturing or pedantry.
7. Self-sufficiency, openness to cooperation and delegation of power at the same time – Full agency, both in autonomy or in a team, without complains or petty animosity.
8. Reliability, fairness and accountability in taking initiatives as a leader – Respect for leaders and diligence when compliant – Efficiency in managing and mediating social complexities – Resistance and resilience capacities to discomfort and stress.
9. Parsimony and frugality, being austere but looking for the maximum comfort within the available resource economy or the optimum cost-benefit effort to obtain them.
10. 10. Eco-sustainability, lay and not maximalist, human ecology oriented for the protection of the individual, the group and the species, all being constituent and non-alien parts of nature – Rejection of all ideological, political, racial or religious intolerance, of every discrimination and violence aimed at the abuse of individuals, peoples, cultures and environments.