PRACTICING SAFE SIX - Lessons learned from extreme sporting event

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Charles Meyer
  • AETC Safety Functional Manager
RANDOLPH AFB, Texas --  
  1. Arrive with a plan and stick to it. Altering the plan on the fly probably means you are not prepared to do the activity you are considering.
  2. If something seems like a bad idea, it probably is. Listen to that sixth sense and make sound decisions.
  3. Use the right tool for the job. If you're not equipped for the task at hand, stop what you're doing and walk away. I have already started my Iist of up-grades I can make that will allow my Bronco and I to safely try more climbing at next year's event.
  4. Peer pressure can be hard to resist, but ultimately you decide your own fate. Don't let people talk you into things beyond your ability.
  5. Seat belts only work if you wear them. And I have a new appreciation for five- point safety harnesses.
  6. Risk management doesn't have an age limit. Even a 6-year-old can apply it -- like my son proved with a reality check and a raised eyebrow aimed at his old man.