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Zia Range Officer/Shooter Responsibilities and Procedures

1.  The first shooter on a range is the Range Officer and retains that title and the duties thereof until that shooter either delegates them to another or is the last shooter to leave the range.  RO is a serious responsibility.  If you are not comfortable with, or cannot fulfill the duties of the job, delegate it to another as described below.

2.   Every shooter shares responsibility for knowing, following, and enforcing the safety rules.

a.   Do not allow others to ignore the rules.  If you see a potential problem, it is your duty to correct it. 

b.   A polite reminder in time may prevent an accident.  If the individual(s) involved become agitated or offensive, leave that range and report the incident as described in the Code Conduct.

c.    If someone reminds you of a rule, he/she has done you, and all of us, a big favor.  Respond with a smile, a “thank you”, and then correct the problem.

3.   When leaving the range, the RO must clearly delegate the job to another shooter (unless the RO is the last to leave the range) and obtain a clear acknowledgement from the designated individual.

4.   The RO declares the range “hot” “cease fire”, and "cold" as applicable.

a.   This is done in a loud and clear manner and the RO should establish eye-contact and obtain acknowledgement from all shooters on the line. Use of hearing protection on the line can easily lead to missed or misinterpreted commands.  The RO must insure that all commands and acknowledgements thereof are unmistakable.

b.   Only the RO may declare the range “hot”.  Prior to doing so, the RO must insure that:

·         All personnel have returned from down range and that it is safe to continue.

·        He/she has advised all personnel to don ear protection (this also assumes that all will already be wearing eye protection)

·       It is safe to proceed.

c.   All shooters should acknowledge RO commands.

d.   Upon “Cease fire” each shooter must immediately:

·         Stop shooting.

·        Remove magazines from the firearms or empty the cylinder.

·       Remove rounds from the chamber, i.e., remove all ammunition from the firearm.

·      Lock the bolt or slide back, swing the cylinder out on revolvers, or break the action open, as applicable. Firearms that do not lock open should be propped open with some device that makes the condition of the firearm obvious to others.  Use of an NRA style “bolt open indicator” tab is recommended.  In any case, it should be possible for an observer to insure that the firearm is unloaded and in a safe condition from a distance (note:  while you are shooting one firearm, all others should be maintained in this safe condition on the bench.  It is recommended that all firearms except the one in use remain in a case or pouch).

·         Place the safety on, if applicable.

·         Ground all firearms on the bench, muzzle down range (as always).

·         Step away from the bench so that the RO can easily ascertain that all firearms are safe and so that he/she can monitor the condition.

·         Confirm visually with the RO that you are “safe”.

·        Do not touch the firearms in ANY way during a cease fire or when the range is "cold" (Cleaning, sight adjustment, repair, etc. are obviously forbidden). Stay well clear of the firearms so that it remains obvious to the RO and those around you that you are complying. TOUCHING A FIREARM DURING A CEASE FIRE IS A SAFETY VIOLATION.

·         Monitor others on the line to insure that they are also complying with the requirements.  

5.  Once the RO has ascertained that all shooters have complied with the “cease fire” he/she declares that the range is “cold”.  Do not step forward of the line, even after a “cease fire” until you have confirmed that is safe to do so and the range has been declared “cold”.  When returning to the line from down range, make sure the RO is aware of your location and the location of others in your party.

6.  The RO should be considerate of all shooters on that range and make every effort to accommodate all.

a.   Coordinate with other shooters and call cease fire periodically so that shooters that have come to the line while it was hot may go down range to set targets and so that others may paste, score and retrieve targets. On the other hand, allow time for shooting.  The balance is best accomplished by application of common sense and courtesy.

b.   Be polite but do not compromise safety rules.

 

Safety is not just the  Number One Issue, It is THE  MORAL ISSUE!

 

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Last modified: February 08, 2006