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| To: |
All IDPA Members |
| From: |
Joyce Wilson, Executive Director, IDPA |
| Date: |
April 2, 2015 |
| Re: |
Safety: Our Highest Priority; Rules Q&A Tool; New Area Coordinator Liaison; SO Recertification Information |
Many of our members saw
a video on social media last week in which a competitor was allowed to
shoot much of a stage while another competitor was downrange collecting
brass. This video was not filmed at an event in our sport, but it
provides for us an opportunity to remind our members, Safety Officers
(SOs), Safety Officer Instructors (SOIs) and Match Directors (MDs) that
safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Safety, and the process
for ensuring the range is clear prior to Load and Make Ready, will
continue to be stressed in SO classes, and I encourage Match Directors
at all Tiers to remind SOs of their process. Many of our SO Instructors
have already expressed an interest in using this video as part of their
teaching toolkit, not as an indictment of the match official, shooter or
bystander, but as a learning opportunity and a reminder that safety is
our highest priority.
Our Safety Officers
have a big responsibility in ensuring that shooters will not be in
harm’s way while running a stage. It has always been standard protocol
that the Chief Safety Officer (CSO), Primary Safety Officer (PSO) or SO
be the last person off the stage to ensure that no one is downrange.
This event serves as a reminder that complacency is the enemy of safety.
Look for more communication from us in your in-box! We are working to provide a weekly newsletter for our sport called The Tactical Brief.
It will contain updates from the industry, any legal or regulatory
items that impact us, and a listing of that week’s sanctioned matches.
The first issue will appear in May - please let us know how you like it.
In partnership with our
friends from RangeLog, the new Rules Question and Answer Tool will be
rolled out Monday, April 6th. This tool will be very similar to that
used during the member suggestion period. Located on www.idpa.com,
members can log in with their IDPA number, then fill in or select from
drop down menus to ask a question. Questions will be posted and answered
each month. If the question is addressed in the current rulebook,
members will be directed to look there; if a question has already been
asked, a pop-up notice will alert the member to the duplication. Each
question will go to a submission queue and be approved for posting so
that all members can see the question/answer. Questions that are
constructive and professional will be addressed.
In the past several years, Robert Ray has been the HQ
liaison with our Area Coordinators and has done a great job. With recent
changes at HQ, Robert has taken over several new areas of
responsibility that demand more of his time. Effective March 30, Kitty
Richards will be the liaison for ACs. My first task for her is to revive
the annual review for Area Coordinators, so that we may fill any
geographic gaps and make changes if needed. Any changes will be
reflected in our weekly IDPA weekly newsletter beginning in May.
As mentioned in an earlier eblast, Safety Officer
Recertification will begin in mid-April. Look for an eblast in the next
week or two with specific details, links and timelines.
Have a safe and happy Easter!
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