[CTSARA] Field Day Personal Safety

[Jon Perelstein]

In my roll as resident overprotective mother, it's time for the annual
reminders about personal safety during Field Day.

1.  It's going to be warm and humid, so drink plenty of fluids!!!  Warm and
humid is almost worse than hot and humid because the lack of blistering
heat lulls everyone into a false sense of not needing fluids.  We saw that
at the Fairfield Half Marathon this past Sunday because the relatively mild
weather resulted in more runners having to drop out due to heat problems
than is normal for that race.  Why?  Because it felt comfortable and they
didn't load up on fluids.  DRINK.

2.  And no, alcholic beverages are terrible in the heat.

3.  Wear sun protection.  It should be mostly sunny - so a hat with a wide
brim is best.  Full-brimmed hats are better than baseball caps.  Use
sunblock - especially if you're going to be doing set up or take down work.

4.  Much as some of us look more manly in tank tops, you're better off in a
tee shirt for sun protection.  You will feel much more comfortable
operating without sunburn than operating with sunburn.

5.  Wear long pants, closed toed shoes, and socks.  There are big clumps of
poison ivy and sumac.  There are lots and lots and lots of bugs (we are at
the Nature Center).

6.  Bring gardening gloves, work gloves or latex-like gloves to wear when
dealing with antennas, antenna feedlines, and ropes so that you don't get
urushiol on you.  What is urushiol?  That's the stuff in poison ivy, poison
sumac, and poison oak that causes all the problems.  Remember, you can get
urushiol on you by picking up a tool or feedline or rope that has been
contaminated with urushiol - you don't have to actually touch the plant to
get the urushiol.

7.  Bug spray.  Lots and lots of bug spray.

8.  Our location covers a lot of ground.  Unknown to most hams, there is
this invention called radio.  It enables you to talk into this box thingie
and have your voice come out anywhere else in the location without your
having to hike back and forth in the heat and sun.  We will use 146.580 for
comms within the location.

9.  We will not allow the consumption of alcohol during our Field Day
activities.  Our insurance policy prohibits it, and more importantly we
don't want to have to take time away from operating to drive you to the
hospital or attend your funeral.  Do whatever you want when you get home,
but while you're at the Observatory, behave!!

10.  We ground our equipment for a reason.  Do not operate ungrounded
radios.

11.  Do not refill generators while the generators are running.  Turn off
the generator before you open the gas cap.  Let the generator cool a couple
of minutes before opening the gas cap.

12.  NO smoking around the generators or gas cans.

13.  Make sure that the generator has oil before you start it.  We don't
want to be picking pieces of generator out of your hand - especially if
it's the hand you use when operating.

14.  110V produced by a generator is just as lethal as 110V coming out of
your wall outlet at home.  Treat it with the respect it deserves.

Jon