Our latest blog was about pre-season prep for drivers and cars...this one is directed at safety teams. Yes, pre-season prep is required for the safety team!
For simplicity, pre-season prep should be divided into several logical areas:
1. Training and policy/procedure review/update
2. Vehicle maintenance
3. Equipment maintenance and replacement
This blog will deal with the first area, training and policy/procedure review/update.
It is important to have a comprehensive review of policies and procedures that relate to safety team operations. Sitting down with track management to go over policies/procedures is a great way to spend a couple hours. You should be able to work with management honestly enough to go over incidents or situations from the previous season and see how they could have been handled better by the entire organization. It is also a good idea to touch bases with medical control (if applicable) and your EMS provider to firm up plans for the coming season and make any necessary adjustments.
Having a training sessions for all personnel, not just the new folks, is a necessary practice. Going over policies and procedures before you have a situation is crucial to making things go well when the stuff gets deep. Having a real car for immobilization practice is a great training tool! If you ask around, you might even find a trashed chassis that will allow real cutting/spreading to be done...unless you ask, I doubt you will find one. The entire range of team responsibilities should be dealt with via training activities. You know the old saying about "assume."
It is a great idea to invite the EMS provider for your track to training sessions held by the safety team...it is a great team building opportunity and gives everyone a chance to work from the same "song sheet." Little things learned in joint sessions make for better interaction when tested.
The next entry will deal with vehicle maintenance.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Pre-season Safety maintenance
Time to be getting your ride ready for the 2009 season...no time like the present to make sure you do a thorough look-over from the safety perspective. Here are some thought-provokers to help you make sure you have your car/truck as good as it can be.
1. Make sure your restraints are clean, no fraying, mounted correctly and within date. SFI
suggests only 2 years from the manufactured date...3 years is as far as I would go.
2. Fasten yourself into your seat...extend your arms all around...any firm object you can stretch
and touch with even your fingertips should be padded with the rollbar padding material...use
the good stuff (SFI spec)...pipe insulation or swim tubes are not good enough...if you are not
willing to useyour fist to hit the rollbar with your fist using your current padding, make the
step up...fractures cause way more pain and cost more than good padding materials. Also,
while you are there, look for any sharp edges, blunt edges, or anything else you do not want to
hit with your extremities...look for problem area around your feet and legs too.
3. See previous blog about clearance between your helmet and halo bar...enough said.
4. See previous blog about high-quality seats...they make a huge difference for a modest price.
5. Check out your fire system...although they are seldom used, if needed, it can make the
difference between the burn unit (or worse) and just changing underwear. Make sure the
cyinder is properly charged, disconnect the cables from the bottle and make sure they are
move smoothly, look for debris in the discharge nozzles, examine all the tubing and assure no
kinks or other damage...remember, before you go on-track, pull the pin so you can operate it!
6. Closely examine your front and rear firewalls and all the crush panels. Holes of any kind in
any of these areas are a problem. Using silicone to plug the tiniest ones are ok...in my opinion,
if it is bigger than a penpoint, it needs to be welded or patched. Crush panels are there for a
reason...make sure they have not been damaged and seal well...sealing a close-fitting gap with
silicone sealer is acceptable...filling a larger gap with sealer is a terrible idea.
Let's prepare to have a safe and winning season!
1. Make sure your restraints are clean, no fraying, mounted correctly and within date. SFI
suggests only 2 years from the manufactured date...3 years is as far as I would go.
2. Fasten yourself into your seat...extend your arms all around...any firm object you can stretch
and touch with even your fingertips should be padded with the rollbar padding material...use
the good stuff (SFI spec)...pipe insulation or swim tubes are not good enough...if you are not
willing to useyour fist to hit the rollbar with your fist using your current padding, make the
step up...fractures cause way more pain and cost more than good padding materials. Also,
while you are there, look for any sharp edges, blunt edges, or anything else you do not want to
hit with your extremities...look for problem area around your feet and legs too.
3. See previous blog about clearance between your helmet and halo bar...enough said.
4. See previous blog about high-quality seats...they make a huge difference for a modest price.
5. Check out your fire system...although they are seldom used, if needed, it can make the
difference between the burn unit (or worse) and just changing underwear. Make sure the
cyinder is properly charged, disconnect the cables from the bottle and make sure they are
move smoothly, look for debris in the discharge nozzles, examine all the tubing and assure no
kinks or other damage...remember, before you go on-track, pull the pin so you can operate it!
6. Closely examine your front and rear firewalls and all the crush panels. Holes of any kind in
any of these areas are a problem. Using silicone to plug the tiniest ones are ok...in my opinion,
if it is bigger than a penpoint, it needs to be welded or patched. Crush panels are there for a
reason...make sure they have not been damaged and seal well...sealing a close-fitting gap with
silicone sealer is acceptable...filling a larger gap with sealer is a terrible idea.
Let's prepare to have a safe and winning season!
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