The next Safety Day will be Saturday, March 8, 2008. USPA encourages all jumpers of all experience levels to attend USPA Safety Day, hosted the second Saturday in March at all participating drop zones. USPA Safety & Training Advisors and other drop zone staff members plan and coordinate this special day of seminars, updates, and review training.

USPA encourages every drop zone to host Safety Day. Safety Day promotes safety programs and helps inform jumpers of new developments and review important information and procedures.

Safety Day was the idea of a soft-spoken but enthusiastic woman named Patti Chernis who approached the USPA Board of Directors with the concept in 1996. The board applauded and endorsed her plan. Preparations for the first USPA Safety Day were well underway when, ironically, Chernis was found dead after landing apparently unconscious under her open main parachute on New Year's Eve 1996. She died before learning that she had just been elected USPA's Northwest Regional Director. Patti Chernis' idea survived, however. A majority of DZs now report Safety Day activities each March.

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1. Announce to your jumpers that your DZ is hosting a Safety Day.
You may want to offer incentives to boost attendance. Many DZs offer free or discounted jump tickets, free food, discounted reserve pack jobs, door prizes, or any combination. And plan a party for afterward.

2. Select a suitable location.
Think comfort. If the hangar won't be warm or large enough, consider a restaurant, school gym, motel, or veteran's lodge. Anticipate a good turnout and be sure you have room for lectures, training-harness drills, and rig inspections.

3. Put a training syllabus and staff together.
Feel free to use the training ideas included here, which involve the four modules or stations below, with just some ideas on content.

Gear Check and Review — Have jumpers inspect their rigs with a rigger. Check closing loops and flaps, pilot chute snugness and condition, velcro, three-ring condition, RSL routing, AAD compliance with battery and factory check, etc.

Skydiving Emergency Review and Drills — Review all types of problems, reinforce altitude awareness, discuss disorientation, practice in a suspended harness.

Canopy Flight and Landing Patterns —Use aerial photos to show acceptable and unacceptable outs, review hazards, establish or review landing patterns, and discuss canopy handling toward preventing low-turn accidents.

Aircraft Procedures and Emergencies —Review exit order and loading procedures, seat belt and weight and balance concerns, spotting procedures, visibility minimums and cloud clearances, air traffic control requirements, and aircraft emergency scenarios.

4. Don't forget the PR.
Give recognition to those who turn out and those who teach. Remember that many local news organizations may want to provide news coverage. Take pictures and send them with a brief write-up to Parachutist. And consider that the skydivers who don't participate may need more of your staff's attention when the season kicks in.

Like skydiving, Safety Day is also about fun. It certainly won't be hard to encourage jumpers to get together at the end of the day's activities for some mid-winter socializing. Make sure to include that in your Safety Day plan, too!

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Safety Day Planning and Procedures
2008 Safety Checklist (handout)
Canopy Risk Quotient (quiz and handout)
2007 Fatality Summary (PowerPoint presentation)
Congratulations! You Got a Judy - February 2005 Parachutist article about the origins of the Chesley H Judy Award

Fly to Survive

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Unless otherwise stated, Safety Day will be held on March 8, 2008. Click on a state to locate participating drop zones or scroll down.

 

Alabama
Emerald Coast Skydiving Center
Skydive Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California
SkyDance SkyDiving

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware
Skydive Delmarva(March 29)

Florida
USSOCOM Parachute Team @ Skydive City

Georgia
Chuting Star Rigging Loft
Skydive The Farm

Hawaii

Idaho
Skydive Idaho

Illinois
Archway Skydiving Center

Indiana
Indiana Skydiving Academy

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky
Skydive KY

Louisiana

Maine
Skydive New England (April 5)

Maryland

Massachusetts
Jumptown/MSPC, Inc.
Pepperell Skydiving Center (March 1)

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska
Crete Skydiving Center
Lincoln Sport Parachute Club

Nevada
Skydive Tahoe

New Hampshire

New Jersey
Freefall Adventures, Inc.

New Mexico

New York
Blue Sky Adventures (April 19)
The Blue Sky Ranch (March 29-30)
Frontier Skydivers (April 13)
Rochester Skydivers (March 15)
Skydive Long Island

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio
AerOhio Skydiving Center
Start Skydiving & Tri State Skydiving @ Start Skydiving (March 15)
Tri-State Skydivers

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania
Chambersburg Skydiving Center
Freefall OZ Skydiving (May 3)
Kutztown Skydiving Center, LLC (April 5)
Skydive Pennsylvania
Sky's The Limit (April 15)

Rhode Island

South Carolina
Skydive Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee
Skydive Smoky Mountains

Texas
Skydive San Marcos

Utah
Skydive Utah

Vermont

Virginia
Skydive Orange, Inc.
Skydive The Point

Washington
Jet City Skydivers @ Bremerton Airport
Kapowsin Air Sports (March 29)

Wisconsin
Green Bay Skydivers
Sky Knights Sport Parachute Club

Wyoming

Foreign Listings
Fallschirm-Sport-Zentrum Hassfurt-Germany (March 23 & March 24)
Megara-Greece
Skydive Lillo-Spain (March 15)

 

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