The following is a note that was from the Sea Scout Net (similary to our beloved RangerNet). I am trying to decide how I can tie this into a safety lesson for my Trailblazers and how to be Ready For Anything. While this may be a somewhat comical event after the fact (looking at it from the vantange of not being there), having spent years in Sea Scouts as a youth taught me respect for all the tools on board our boats. Mark O'Connell Commander, Trailblazers Outpost 193 Southpoint Christian Sacramento, CA To all who will listen, this just came in from a friend of a friend. He is a professional yacht captain, who also does surveys. He had conducted a "Yacht Safety" 3 day course at MarineSafety, a shiphandling simulator that you may be familiar with. How do you prepare for this situation? "Just when I thought I had seen just about everything, I am surveying a boat and checking the bilge. I have the owner onboard and he is puttering around with the flare pistol. I am not paying attention but answering random questions as I am poking around. How many flares should I carry? Are they still good after the date? How long do they burn? How high do they go? I should have turned around when I heard "How do I load this thing". The next thing I remember was hearing a large bang, now picture this-as I look up I see this bright streak which proceeds to bounce around every conceivable bulkhead at least a dozen times. The ricochet effect is unbelievable in a 8 X 12 cabin. Add to this two people trying to get out of the way and bouncing into each other each time this rocket from hell comes around for another pass. I swear this thing had more guidance then a SAM. It finally came to rest in a corner. Now this thing is fueled by magnesium so even though it has stopped it's flying assault it is still burning at about 1000 degrees on the floor. Mistake number two, when using a dry chemical extinguisher in a close space remember the key word sparingly when pulling the trigger. I don't know what was worse-the adrenaline rush from playing dodge with a searing projectile or trying to clear my lungs of dry chemical. At any rate I estimate this little incident cost the owner about $4000.00. All the cushions were burned, heavy burn spots on most of the interior as well as a hole burned into the cabin sole directly into the bilge plus the clean up from the extinguisher and the charge for a new pair of undershorts for yours truly. This whole thing went from an insurance evaluation to an insurance claim in about twenty seconds. Definitely one for the emergency presentation session, but not one I would like to run in the simulator." Is there a lesson here for everyone? CapnJim James A. Umberger Captain, USCG (Ret.) National Committee Sea Scouts, Venturing, BSA _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC! http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
