Unofficial Safety Day this Weekend

[PhillyKev 0]

Recent events have definitely been weighing on me and I have a suggestion. This is something I personally plan to do first thing tomorrow morning when I get to the dz. Give my self a personaly safety day. I'm going into the training room, practicing emergency procedures and studying malfunction pics until I perform the correct action, every time, flawlessly. Then I'm going to perform my 3 ring maintenance and thoroughly inspect all my equipment. Then before I get on my first load I'm going to find out what the winds are for each of the altitudes for which they are posted. Then I'm going to watch a load or two land, and plan out my landing pattern, and plan the adjustments I would make based on a change in the wind.
Then I'm going to gear up, and have someone give me a full gear check before boarding. On the plane I'm going to review whatever my planned dive is in my head and review what my emergency procedures are. With 2 minutes to exit I'm going to get a pin check.
These are all things that I should do every weekend, but take some of it for granted or do some of it half assed because it has become routine. After the past week, I'm reminded that nothing in this sport is routine, and everything must be viewed as a brand new, unknown experience, because that's exactly what could happen.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[ChromeBoy 0]

Instead of doing it just this weekend how about making it a prerequisite?

[skreamer 1]

Post deleted by skreamer

[diverdriver 7]

Safety Day should be every day. You think gravity takes a day off? That other days are somehow different after this weekend? I know what you are saying. You want to redouble your personal efforts to make yourself safe. But you really need to do this all the time. Not just last weekend. Not just this weekend. ALL weekends. Everyday you jump. And even days you don't jump you can still go to the DZ and learn something.
Not a flame.....just a perspective adjustment maybe.
Chris

[diverdriver 7]

Uh, a week and a half ago a jumper at SDC went in with nothing out and a Cypres most likely off. There are other things out there.
Chris

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

You want to redouble your personal efforts to make yourself safe. But you really need to do this all the time.

I know that, and do do all these things, but I also know that I've gotten on loads without having checked immediately before loading what the winds were doing, and I've asked others in the boarding area what they were doing and they didn't know either. I think about and practice my safety procedures, but I know that I and the majority of jumpers aren't in the mock harnesses every weekend. I sometimes forget to get a pin check on jump run, and see a majority of the plane load also not getting them. Let's face it, everyone gets complacent with some safety aspect at some point or another. If you're someone who does all of these things all the time, that's great, and that's what you should do. I'm just reminding myself and others that we should all be doing this.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[skreamer 1]

I stand corrected, Chris. Shit, what is the total for skydiving fatalities in the last 2 weeks?
"Look before you jump, don't die until you're dead"

[skybytch 273]

Quote

apart from a suicide

There is absolutely no proof that fatality was a suicide. Please don't start or perpetuate rumors - it does no good for anyone and it is extremely painful to the jumpers family and friends to read that kind of speculation.
pull & flare,
lisa
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda sez

[skreamer 1]

Because of not having my facts straight and not thinking before posting I have deleted the original post.
My apologies to Chris, Lisa and anybody who might have been offended.
Will
"Look before you jump, don't die until you're dead"

[skreamer 1]

Yes, but the only way to avoid complacency is to follow safe practices all the time until they become habits. For example, after cocking my pilot chute I check it (both window and that it inflates), I then check the window twice more in the course of the pack job. I have made this a habit so that now a pack job just wouldn't feel *right* if I didn't do it. Make your safety practices into habits.
"Look before you jump, don't die until you're dead"

[diverdriver 7]

Skreamer...I took no offense. Sometimes the correcting of a post can bring more attention to the issue/topic and will be highlighted in the minds of others.
In about two weeks time in the US I know of two BASE fatalities maybe three and 5 skydiving fatalities.
Heads up out there.
Chris

[ChrisG 0]

I dont know about the whole day, but I'll definitely have a couple safety meetings in my van this weekend. ;-)