livendive 8 #1 May 12, 2005 QuoteSafety & Training Newsletter A Bulletin for the training community Vol. 5, Issue 4 May 12, 2005 Spectator Safety Many drop zones attract spectators, whether it is a group of students waiting to jump, family and friends of one of the students, or maybe local residents who just want to come out and watch the parachute landings. Most spectators would not think that they are at risk of injury just from hanging around the drop zone in a spectator area. Most of them have not signed a waiver, and most waivers probably do not account for spectator injury. With these things in mind, why would any S&TA or drop zone owner allow skydivers to swoop over the top of a crowd of people? Unfortunately, USPA receives many reports of close calls regarding spectators and landing canopies. Several years ago a skydiver misjudged his high-performance landing and struck a spectator hard who was sitting in a section of seats next to the landing area. The collision severely injured both the spectator and the skydiver, resulting in an insurance claim and legal action. That drop zone then began enforcing a new landing pattern, which required all jumpers to fly their parachutes over a clear area during final approach and landing. DZOs are always looking for ways to make skydiving safer and avoid accidents, and we can learn from each other. Encourage jumpers to follow landing patterns that make sense and improve safety for all concerned. S&TA Updates By March 31 after each USPA two-year election, USPA Regional Directors have the duty to review all the Safety & Training Advisors appointments from their regions. This term’s S&TA appointments for each region have been updated on schedule. The current list is available online at http://www.uspa.org/contact/sta.htm. Each S&TA should check the listing to make sure the contact phone number and email address is correct. Changes to the contact information should be requested via email at safety@uspa.org or by phone at 703-836-3495 ext. 314. Proper Forms Course Directors for all rating courses are reminded that each candidate is required to bring his or her own copy of the Instructional Rating Manual and Skydiver’s Information Manual, dated within two years of the course. The IRM contains all of the ground and air evaluation forms necessary for each rating course. The IRM also contains the proficiency card for each rating, which is necessary for processing at USPA Headquarters. Rating applications received on forms older than two years must be rejected, creating an unnecessary delay and burden on the member seeking the rating. Make sure your candidates have the proper manuals at the start of the course. Many course directors stock additional copies of the most recent manuals in the event a rating candidate arrives unprepared. USPA Forms Available for Download Current forms for accident reports, membership and rating renewals, A-D license applications and awards are available as an Adobe file download at http://www.uspa.org/publications/forms.htm. Make sure you have the most current forms and destroy all older forms, which may be lying around the drop zone or tucked away in filing cabinets. Accident Reports USPA S&TAs, instructors and drop zone owners are reminded to file incident reports at USPA Headquarters. Supporting the incident reporting program is vital to safety education and skydiving’s self-regulating status with the FAA . Using the latest accident report form will keep the reporters and accident victims anonymous. Names and locations are only requested in the event of a fatality, and that part of the form is detached from the report and destroyed once the name of the deceased has been coded in the USPA database. New Store Item for DZs Based on a suggestion from a USPA Group Member, the USPA Store has created exciting skydiving post cards for follow-up promotion to your students who have recently jumped. The front features some great photos of students jumping, and there’s room on the back for a short note of encouragement and a welcome to return from the student’s instructor. Post cards cost only 23 cents to mail, and USPA is pricing the actual cards to be affordable. Look for a promotion at www.uspa.org/shop soon, as well as some samples in the mail of these and some other important products the USPA Store carries for drop zones. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
