Operational safety at reenactments

[maple_leaf_eh]

Start with the 5 senses - sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. The humour will keep peoples' attention.

Sight - vision blocks; blind spots

Sound - shouting doesn't always work, except to raise people's blood pressure; squeaky parts are moving all the time, don't become part of the grease they need.

Touch - pinch points; three points of contact when climbing; where to NOT stand inside

Taste - stay in the real world! Don't lick the paint even if you are having an erection just being near a .....;

Smell - diesel exhaust, fumes and smells can be overwhelming;

[Chuck Anderson]

Great topic Jim!

Two offerings.........

1. Have a designated POC to communicate with the driver. When you're "in the hole", you have no way of knowing if everyone has mounted up safely or not and everyone in/on the vehicle is yelling, laughing, not paying attention. If you generally ask if its clear, you'll get 20 different answers from 20 different people. The POC would be the only voice the driver should rely on to move the vehicle. He would also be the decision maker as to when the vehicle is "full". I've been told that all was clear and as soon as I stated to roll, everyone is freaking out yelling "STOP!!!". I didn't know if I just killed someone or what.... it turned out that someone really wanted to ride after we were moving and tried to jump on. The riders on the back were "guests" and didn't feel they had the right/responsibility to tell that person "no".

2. No leaning equipment/weapons against the vehicles. This may not be a "safety" issue per se, but it can lead to a major safety concern. Whether armour or soft skins, I've seen rifles get driven over and troops panicking to grab their gear from falling into the road wheels.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Something I find I have to do with my HMV is remind people that just because it is painted green and has lots of steel, that doesn't mean it is indestructable.

I tell them my M151A2 is a 40-year old collector's car and it is surprisingly fragile. Parts for mine are easy to get on the internet, but if you have a post-WW2 Czech made half-track, chances are good if something breaks it will take weeks or months to find and get the parts.

So, don't slam the doors! Don't drop the hatch covers! If it doesn't open easily, don't force it! If it looks breakable, for FU@K's(!!!) sake don't try to find out!

Finally, appeal to people's sense of ownership. One event I went to, a visitor was really shocked that everything was privately owned. (He must have thought the Army has a warehouses of WW2 British, Canadian, American and German history pieces.) Remind the reenactors that these are personal vehicles that you are sharing with the community. The golden rule applies. Don't abuse your generousity!

[Frank v R]

As a former CF member , very long time vehicle collector , living history type I have seen many things that did not need to happen , just this past year in the hobby 3 high profile deaths with tracked vehicles, bottom line not properly trained, I have seen parts of M1's fly past me , wrong ammo, I have a real problem with people that do not take this seriously , tracked vehicles KILL people , you must have intercomm systems, kids are NOT crew commanders, vehicles must be safe ! , there is no room for stupid! , ground guides ! , all you former CF types know what I am talking about and we must police our hobby to keep the hobby and everyone safe from the stupid ones,

[rob love]

Echo what Frank says. Trained ground guides. Also, 20+ tons of steel is not a play thing for a novice to drive, no matter how young and pretty she may be. I also don't let anyone climb on armour. Unlike a soft skin vehicle that has a little give, armour does not, and it will only be teeth coming out if the "climber" is lucky. I provide work platforms for the public to view the vehicles from higher, with suitable ropes to prevent climbing in.

[Jason Ginn]

This is a great topic with much good info already!

I can say for me the following points were key.

- 0 booze before or during vehicle ops

- full vehicle checks before daily ops. Inc. fire ext, comms, fuel leaks and levels, track or tire condition, battery hold down, brakes steering and lights. Gas fires in armoured boxes are really bad!

- functional comms for CC and Dvr.

- ground guide(s)!!!!! Not just anybody that can flap about like they are trying to fly, but a TRAINED person that uses the same signals that the driver and Cc are trained in.

- when a vehicle moves it has a ground guide and or commander. Anything in public spaces and for loading should have a GG at all times.

- never fuel in public spaces

- all crew should be trained on how to safely enter and exit the vehicle, particularly in an emergency.

- no matter who owns the vehicle the CC is in charge! The driver does make decisions unless there is a safety concern.

- driver and CC should have and understand each other's commands. Real emergency stop vs stop when you have a chance comes to mind.

- never reverse a arms vehicle without a guide.

- do not let public into vehicles without supervision. They flick switches fall out and bang into things. It's a fact!

-crew and passenger rule. if you are sitting in a vehicle stay sitting. Standing , stay standing. People get hurt moving around in a moving vehicle.

- don't let people sit on a vehicle. If they are in it they should have a seat.

Probably lots more but this is all I can think of now.

Hope this help.

[Edwin Wand]

Do you have a picture of the type of work platform you use. Its an interesting idea. Indiscriminate climbing on soft skins can be dangerous, especially for children whose parents are not with them or just don't think.

We never though of platforms but it might be an idea whose time has come; but falling off a viewing platform can be as equally bone breaking as falling off an armoured vehicle.

Good point about ground guides; people who think they can run a carrier with everyone safely sitting down even with a ground guide need to find another outlet for their interests. No Cdn unit would allow carrier codrivers to be seated when the carrier was in motion. After all, the co-driver is the vehicle commander. He may also be either the convoy commander or the signal relayer to the carriers behind.

[rob love]

Ed

I don't have a photo handy but I'll snap one tomorrow when I am at work. Basically they are steps with a platform on top and guard rails surrounding the upper platform with handrails for the stair portion. They are available from 3 feet to around 16 feet in height.

I managed to pick up 8 brand new platforms from the tax department in Winnipeg on a crown asset sale. They cost the government around $450 each, and cost me around $50 each. Previous to that I bought 3 from the Germans when they left Shilo for $10 each. Now there was a bargain.

Here is a shot of one from the internet. They are available commercially from places like Acklands.