Operational safety at reenactments

[Andy Mitchell]

hi guys, some of you will know me from W & P. I have been running the Arena there for 25 years involving vehicle displays and reenactments - I am glad to say without any major injuries during that time.
Its very refreshing to see this subject aired on "social media" - we always strive to keep everyone as safe as possible (particularly my team who are in the thick of it) and try to improve things every year whilst keeping the show "interesting". Always happy to learn and adopt safety that has common sense behind it !

Andy

[motto (RIP)]

This is more of a 'heads up' than a cardinal rule but safety of passengers/riders does not only apply to armoured vehicles. I had a passenger damage her shins when thrown out of the troop seat of a military cargo truck and on to a set of vehicle loading ramps on the floor. The truck had lurched from side to side when crossing a gutter at an angle. Ever since then I advise passengers riding on troop seats to half turn to the front and grasp the seat back if there is any likelihood of rough conditions. I was also made aware that cargo and passengers may not mix.

Another issue is that of attitude. We can only work on the assumption that all owners/drivers/participants are willing to listen, learn and accept advice but this is not always the case. When carefully approaching a fellow I believed to be driving his truck too fast through a camping ground I was promptly told to mind my own business. These are the kind of people that bring on regulation and enforcement. Fortunately they are few and far between in this movement (it seems to be mostly populated with older guys) so hopefully a set of suggestions may be enough.

David