March Safety Briefing Quiz

This is the monthly safety briefing required by CAP National Headquarters; it is the prelude to the 10 minute discussion to follow Monday evening. This is also the introduction to ORM (Operationa Risk Management). Why ORM? Since risk has always been present on planet Earth, mankind has always dealt with those risks through intuition and memories of past experiences. Success, using this method, has always been, and will continue to be, hit and miss. The ORM process allows systematic risk decision-making that manages risk as part of the whole operation, reduces mishaps and improves the cost-benefit ratio by lowering risk. The end result is that we are safer, our resources are conserved and our operational capability is optimized. What is ORM? It's a logic-based, common sense approach to making calculated decisions on human, material and environmental factors associated with any type of activity. Simply put, it's a methodical, six-step process to manage inherent risk.

Automotive Safety Well, we are just about through winter, spring is just about here. That means we can crawl out of our igloos & become a little more active. Many of us find ourselves driving more. So, let's review how to safely get us from Point A to Point B. The first and best thing is to make sure your vehicle is well maintained. Aircraft have well documented maintenance and have check lists which are used before flight. Trucks, SUVs and Autos do not have these requirements. It is easy to just let something go, not check something, or just forget about certain maintenance items. Be sure to have your vehicle routinely serviced. We do monthly safety inspections for our CAP vehicles; why not do them for our POVs as well. Especially be aware of the condition of your tires. Make sure that your tires are inflated properly. Three out of four autos have at least one tire which is not property inflated, is your auto one of them? Make sure you are safe to drive. Don't drive tired. Take a break if you have to. Be sure to have something to eat and drink. Last, ALWAYS wear your seat belt! It has been documented over and over that seatbelts save lives. In a 25 MPH accident, a 180 pound person has the impact force of OVER 1,000 pounds. Aseat belt will prevent that. Also, airbags are a supplement, they will absorb some of the impact, but you will still be a projectile if a seat belt is not worn. An airbag will not prevent you from being thrown from a vehicle in a severe accident. Over 50% of vehicle ejections are fatal. So ALWAYS wear your seat belt. Have a good spring and drive safely!