Emergency Response Planning

During my career in the airborne forces, I did a Free Fall Dispatchers Course (the equivalent of a Skydive Jump Master). Along with the theoretical and practical tests, there was one big challenge: the Accuracy Test.

To pass the Accuracy Test, you had to execute 10 consecutive, pre-declared, stand-up landings in a 10m radius circle on the DZ (the accuracy spot); right in front of the DZSO (drop zone safety officer).

If you botched one, you had to start from the beginning on zero. On a beautiful clear-sky winters morning, my counter was on 6 but time was running out. 

On jump number 7, I assessed the wind on the ground, declared my intent, and went up to do the jump. I was jumping with a 300sqft tactical parachute - not the perfect precision sport rig - but very reliable. 

The wind had died down a little since my declaration decision and at approx. 200m above ground on final approach, I realized I was going to overshoot the accuracy spot. 

So, I did what every committed paratrooper would do, I pulled the brakes down into an almost full flare to stop my forward movement. 

This tactical chute was not built for such aggressive braking maneuvers and when the wing stalled, it instantly collapsed into a ball of useless material above me.

In a tenth of a second, mountains of repetitive emergency drills training and practices flashed through my mind and as the emergency procedures dictated, I immediately released the brakes to allow the chute to inflate again. And it did. But I was now about 120m closer to mother earth, facing 180 degrees away from the accuracy spot and flying downwind. 

My consecutive sequence of accurate jumps was finished but thanks to my emergency drills training, I could land safely and jump again.

As an H&S trainer, I often use real-life examples from my past to illustrate what good (and poor) H&S practices look like. My military experience offers me ample of those. 

Probably due to the nature of the core business of the military, some find it hard to believe that it implements such strict H&S practices. But in any military unit, safety is enforced in everything you do from the first day you start basic training. It is not something you have to spend extra time thinking about it – it is part and parcel of everything you do, and safety always comes first! 

Irrespective of how good your H&S Management is, one of the biggest, or rather the most unpredictable hazards will, however, always be present – the human factor. The only way to control the risks associated with this unpredictable hazard is to ensure that any and all possible scenarios have been considered and emergency procedures planned and trained to ensure the best possible outcome.

Important take-aways: 

1.  You can never plan, teach or practice enough emergency procedures/drills, because;

2.  Even though you have done all the training in world and you know exactly how to do the job safely, there will always be that one time, usually when you expect it least, when the human factor causes you to do something stupid, whether it be complacency, overconfidence, lapse of concentration, pushing the boundaries of the equipment beyond limits, or something else.