Anytime we're staring a long weekend or block leave in the face, military personnel receive a Safety Briefing at least the day prior. It's a reminder to stay safe whatever we're going to be doing, so we can all come back with all our fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and nose in the same place as when we left.

As big of a holiday weekend as the 4th of July is here in the US, I figured it probably wouldn't hurt to pass along some of the items my CO included in today's Safety Briefing to my fellow Pimps and Pimpettes.

Travelling to Visit Friends and Family:

Some people like to spend the 4th weekend with friends and family. My parents spend theirs with my sister and her husband, since it's her birthday anyways... If you're going to be driving any long distances this weekend, maybe consider the following:

Make sure your car/truck/SUV is in good operating condition. It's frustrating to have it break down on you halfway through a 300-400 mile trip to Grandma's house because you haven't changed the oil or changed out the coolant/antifreeze...

Having an emergency roadside kit in the trunk is a good idea. Some flares, maybe a small but decent set of tools, emergency blankets, and maybe even some food could come in handy.

Even if you've made the trip hundreds of times, take a map along. You might encounter some roadblocks (accidents, construction work) along the way, so you can use the map to find a quick alternate route.

Don't drink and drive

Barbeque/Grilling Safety:

July 4th weekend is one of the best times of the year for gathering the fam and friends and having yourself a good little time out in the backyard, with plenty of barbecued or grilled animal flesh (PETA people should probably lock themselves in a closet and chant to themselves, to block out the images )

Check your grill or smoker beforehand and make sure it's in good working order. The same goes for your grilling tools/utensils, and the charcoal/propane tank.

Make sure that the meat/poultry/whatever is still fresh. Food poisoning kinda throws a damper on the festivities...

Even if you've managed to not burn the house down in the past, make sure your grill is at least 5-10 feet from the building. You can rent and set up a little tent/awning to keep the rain off if you like, but how much better are you going to feel about having that 12-oz ribeye in your stomach, and your place burned to the ground?

Don't drink and grill. Once the chef is all done cooking, turn off/put out the grill, THEN enjoy some beverage of choice.

Fireworks Safety:

Check your local ordinances about the use of fireworks inside city/county limits. If you just gotta have them, don't get caught.

Keep fireworks out of the reach of small children, and away from animals. The 4th of July is supposed to be a festive, happy occasion, not a painful memory.

You DO NOT need the biggest, baddest bottlerocket/mortar for your backyard celebration. Let the idiot next door blow him/herself up, then YOU get to watch the show as the paramedics try to rush them to the local burn center...

Don't drink and play with fireworks. For some reason, fireworks have a shorter fuse (as do some of us around here) when you've been drinking...

Bottom Line:

Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, everyone. If you're going to be drinking, make sure you have a designated driver, grill chef, and explosives expert on hand to assist in your celebrations. Stay safe, and we'll all see you back next week.

If you have some safety tips to share, please do...

I remember those......(damn, that was awhile ago).........Good things to think about when enjoying the weekend.......

Myself........I'm helping out at a local car show here in Augusta.........

Last 4th I got food poisoning. It was not fun. It was so bad that I vomited until I passed out. I dont even remember throwing an m80 in my friends trunk *lit of coarse*. Beware of the food illness guys, it can happen to you. If someone is grilling watch them, just see what they are doing and ask yourself "would I trust this person with me weiner'ss?"

Thanks to GrandpaNoob72 we can now all have a safe 4th.

Quote: Originally Posted by GrandpaNoob72 Don't drink and play with fireworks.

Seriously, that sums up 70% of problems I know of on the 4th.
Drunk driving being another 30%, and honest accidents another 5%.

Hmm 4th of July....work from 8am to 5pm, nothing special happening...well with the ammount of fireworks going off over there I should be able to hear them from here. As always you lot - have a good and safe 4th July.

I work with civilians where the average age is about 50, and we started to get a safety briefing on fireworks. I said "Excuse me... I spent over 20 years in the Army and have gone to multiple deployments all over the world where bad guys wanted me dead, played with all kinds of weapons and munitions, and brought myself and all of my soldiers back home safely every single time. I made it this far, I doubt a firecracker will kill me this weekend." After the laughter died down the speaker looked at me, set the briefing paper on the podium and sat down.

The ONLY reason that they wanted to give a safety briefing to a bunch of civilians is to cover their ass. Every long weekend they give a safety briefing to cover their ass. I have listened to some people actually brief "Don't travel if your tires are too worn out" and I look around the room at the older folks who have grandchildren and wonder what they think about that. I wonder if one of them were to die in a car accident their last thought would be "Crap, I should have checked those tires!" Or if the people in the office would say "I bet he started a trip with worn tires."

Yes, the briefings are good for the young and inexperienced, I used to give them to my soldiers myself. But mine went something like "If one of you dumbasses gets busted for DWI this weekend, I will personally pick you up from the police station and kick your ass. If you die this weekend, I promise that I will visit your grave every week for a year and piss on it. ARE WE CLEAR?" That seemed to get my point across.

I don't agree with giving the safety briefings just so that if someone dies or gets in trouble over the weekend the command can say "It's not our fault, we told him not to!"

Quote: Originally Posted by GrandpaNoob72 Bottom Line: Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, everyone. If you're going to be drinking, make sure you have a designated driver, grill chef, and explosives expert on hand to assist in your celebrations. Stay safe, and we'll all see you back next week. If you have some safety tips to share, please do...

Please, so we do not have to hear about your drunken escapades, and expected deliveries in April '06...for the love of Pete...USE A CONDOM!

Seriously, good tips GPN

Quote: Originally Posted by BigAkita But mine went something like "If one of you dumbasses gets busted for DWI this weekend, I will personally pick you up from the police station and kick your ass. If you die this weekend, I promise that I will visit your grave every week for a year and piss on it. ARE WE CLEAR?" That seemed to get my point across. "

That sounds like my old 1st Sgt.........except with the Puerto Rican accent.........

Quote: Originally Posted by Highperf15 That sounds like my old 1st Sgt.........except with the Puerto Rican accent.........

I had one like that... His safety briefings were the funniest thing, and they stuck with you...

"...MIRA, just beecos joo are in Bravo companee, dosen't meen joo are booletproof, ockay? MIRA, don' doo anyting stoopid, and make shoore joo are in formashon on time nex Toosday, ockay? MIRA, I'm no keeding, joo crazee vatos!"

I even had one unit where we received printed, laminated cards with the unit rules on them... My fav was the last one... "#10: Don't do dumb sh1t. If you think that you could get in any level of trouble for doing it, in any way, shape, or form, it's dumb sh1t."

Foe, the quick, down, and dirty version of that one was "If you must engage targets, make sure they are in YOUR lane... If they are in your lane, make sure you're in MOPP level 4."

Quote: Originally Posted by ÃœBER<>POOP Seriously, that sums up 70% of problems I know of on the 4th. Drunk driving being another 30%, and honest accidents another 5%.

well i see that to come out to be 105% so i'm going to drop the last 5 and just say dumbass+fireworks+beer= Medical bill.

I got a good one for yah Gramps........1st Sgt gives us this safety brief regarding "the criminal elements" around Fayettville (Ft. Bragg) and the fact that it was payday..........now this was on a thursday, cutting us loose for a 3-day weekend.......I got a call at 3am on monday morning (2 hrs before PT formation) from one of the guys in my squad (my ammo bearer) to come to this motel just outside of town to pick his ass up..........and to bring some clothes for him...... I left a message for the CQ to tell the Top what was goin on just in case I didn't make the PT formation..........So, I get there at the hotel room (with clothes in hand) and he opens the door...........Damn.......his face was beat to a pulp with blood all over (he had wrapped himself in a bedsheet when he met me at the door.......I asked him WTF happened and he said that he was "ridin" this lil filly and she smacked both of his ears and pounded his face until he was knocked out cold.........she took all his money (whole months pay), his Rolex watch and.....all of his clothes...........I told him to just jump in the shower to clean all the blood off and we'll go and see Top.........Well, by the time we got back, PT was over with .........and of course.....Top was pissed and wanted to see the both of us......Oh Boy!!!!..........So, we go into Top's office and Top (in his Puerto Rican accent) say "WTF happened to you?".......by now his face is pretty swollen and blood was coming out of his ears......(so he tells Top the ugly story......and Top is shakin his head laughin) then Top says take him to the TMC........This guy ended up with BOTH of his eardrums busted, a busted nose, 8 stictches in his lip and both of his eyes blackened............well, we got back to the barracks and noon formation came around.......and Top calls him to the front of the formation and of course the topic & example was all about the safety brief that he gave on the prior thursday.....poor guy.........Top told ALL the nasty details to the troops while callin this guy a dumb **** every other sentence.....it was sad and funny all in the same moment..........and the last statement that Top made to him was "You muther-f**ker, your bad azz paratrooper self got you azz kicked by a bitch cause you were thinkin with yer lil head instead of listening to your 1st Sgt.'s safety brief"

Quote: Originally Posted by GrandpaNoob72 Anytime we're staring a long weekend or block leave in the face, military personnel receive a Safety Briefing at least the day prior. It's a reminder to stay safe whatever we're going to be doing, so we can all come back with all our fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and nose in the same place as when we left. As big of a holiday weekend as the 4th of July is here in the US, I figured it probably wouldn't hurt to pass along some of the items my CO included in today's Safety Briefing to my fellow Pimps and Pimpettes. Travelling to Visit Friends and Family: Some people like to spend the 4th weekend with friends and family. My parents spend theirs with my sister and her husband, since it's her birthday anyways... If you're going to be driving any long distances this weekend, maybe consider the following: Make sure your car/truck/SUV is in good operating condition. It's frustrating to have it break down on you halfway through a 300-400 mile trip to Grandma's house because you haven't changed the oil or changed out the coolant/antifreeze... Having an emergency roadside kit in the trunk is a good idea. Some flares, maybe a small but decent set of tools, emergency blankets, and maybe even some food could come in handy. Even if you've made the trip hundreds of times, take a map along. You might encounter some roadblocks (accidents, construction work) along the way, so you can use the map to find a quick alternate route. Don't drink and drive Barbeque/Grilling Safety: July 4th weekend is one of the best times of the year for gathering the fam and friends and having yourself a good little time out in the backyard, with plenty of barbecued or grilled animal flesh (PETA people should probably lock themselves in a closet and chant to themselves, to block out the images ) Check your grill or smoker beforehand and make sure it's in good working order. The same goes for your grilling tools/utensils, and the charcoal/propane tank. Make sure that the meat/poultry/whatever is still fresh. Food poisoning kinda throws a damper on the festivities... Even if you've managed to not burn the house down in the past, make sure your grill is at least 5-10 feet from the building. You can rent and set up a little tent/awning to keep the rain off if you like, but how much better are you going to feel about having that 12-oz ribeye in your stomach, and your place burned to the ground? Don't drink and grill. Once the chef is all done cooking, turn off/put out the grill, THEN enjoy some beverage of choice. Fireworks Safety: Check your local ordinances about the use of fireworks inside city/county limits. If you just gotta have them, don't get caught. Keep fireworks out of the reach of small children, and away from animals. The 4th of July is supposed to be a festive, happy occasion, not a painful memory. You DO NOT need the biggest, baddest bottlerocket/mortar for your backyard celebration. Let the idiot next door blow him/herself up, then YOU get to watch the show as the paramedics try to rush them to the local burn center... Don't drink and play with fireworks. For some reason, fireworks have a shorter fuse (as do some of us around here) when you've been drinking... Bottom Line: Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, everyone. If you're going to be drinking, make sure you have a designated driver, grill chef, and explosives expert on hand to assist in your celebrations. Stay safe, and we'll all see you back next week. If you have some safety tips to share, please do...

Good info to pass along bro.....
Well said...

i dont see your risk assesment or how you plan to mitigate those risks.

I don't know what everyone's plans are... Maybe I should start a thread about properly conducting a Risk Assessment, with all the charts, graphs, and anything else I can find... I can even provide links to the appropriate forms (in .pdf, .doc, or xls.)

lol,


maybe we should have noobs do a risk assesment and post it before doing any kind of modding.

make sure they add in alot of pointless point, like NBC, or moving down range, or wearing your kevlar while in a car

Or we could even have them conduct a Risk Assessment with regards to posting inane (or insane) threads/replies on PR, then submit it to an Admin or Mod for approval...

In all seriousness, folks, stay safe and have fun this weekend, whatever you're doing, wherever you're going...

my risk assesment is to drink lots of beer and let the wife drive me around or do things for me.


i will mitigate that by sitting on my couch
drink plenty of fluids ( beer)
radio in for help ( wife )
and aviod bodily inury to eyes,legs, arms and upper/lower torso by using remote to change channels.
i will aviod heat injury by having wife turn the AC on and off as needed.

Now, THAT, Pimps and Pimpettes, is a recipe for a SAFE AND FUN weekend...

Notice how he has a safe way to mitigate any risks of property/bodily damage (remote control, wife on call).

We should all be so safe this weekend. We should all hope to still have a wife after said safe weekend, too

EDIT: Before we start a flame war on being PC on a PC, let me amend that last statement: We should all hope to still have a SPOUSE after said safe weekend...

Quote: Originally Posted by TCG_Modder my risk assesment is to drink lots of beer and let the wife drive me around or do things for me. i will mitigate that by sitting on my couch drink plenty of fluids ( beer) radio in for help ( wife ) and aviod bodily inury to eyes,legs, arms and upper/lower torso by using remote to change channels. i will aviod heat injury by having wife turn the AC on and off as needed.

See....this is where you let SOMEONE else do the assessment......

If you follow your guidlines and stay off the roads (at least while drinking) here are your risks:

1. You get too drunk and fall (stay seated, still the risk of falling when you have to pee so....have wifey insert cathater and empty bag as needed.......heh).
2. You get sick from food poisoning (make sure the food is fresh, cooked proper and delicious.......heh)

Now, remember.....the best laid plains can go to $hit real quick even if you follow the above recomendations:

1. Your sittin in your favorite chair, rigged to a cathater, drunk as a skunk......and your wifey falls outside and breaks her hip...........that means your too drink and bound by a cathater to help her.....
2. Your wifey gets food poisoning........your still hook-up to the piss bag, drunk as a skunk....and can't help her.......

So what does this all boil down to???...........
Be responsible, have fun........and most of all.......look out for your family.