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Briefings and Safety Considerations
Hazard briefings
Emergency procedures will vary from drop zone to drop zone to fit local conditions. There may be
trees, rivers, power lines, hostile neighbors, prisons, highways or a girls’
school. In fact, those DZ’s lacking certain hazards may touch on the corrective
action for every emergency but lightly. Therefore, when visiting a new DZ, it
is imperative that you get a briefing on the area.
Alcohol and drugs
In order to achieve
the greatest enjoyment from your skydiving experience, you will want to
approach it with an unfogged mind. This means going to bed early the night
before and going easy on the booze. Even the common cold will trouble you due
to the changes in atmospheric pressure. If your mind and body are not operating
at 100%, you will react with less efficiency in an emergency and you will enjoy
the jumping less. Remember, the lower pressure at altitude amplifies the
affects of alcohol and drugs.
Health concerns
Jumping with a head
cold can lead to ruptured sinuses and ruptured ear drums. The inner ear and the
Eustachian tubes do not take kindly to large pressure changes when they are
plugged. Infections in these areas can produce debilitating pain under normal
jump conditions. In a few words — if you are sick or under the weather, don’t
jump. Loading up on antihistamines and decongestants can cause other medical
problems. There is always another day to enjoy a jump in good health.
Scuba diving alert
There is no problem in descending into the water within 24
hours of jumping or flying, however, there is trouble waiting in doing the
reverse. Scuba divers know to stay away from air travel for a period of 24
hours after their last descent below 30 feet (one atmosphere’s increase in
pressure) so as to avoid the bends (nitrogen bubbles forming in the joints and
blood stream). Since skydiving involves air travel, the same rule applies.
Some fear is good for you
It has been
said that the difference between fear and respect is knowledge. Most people
fear skydiving because they don’t understand it. Fear is the result of
ignorance and it is part of nature’s protective mechanism; it warns us to
beware when we are on unfamiliar ground. The best way to cope with problems is
to prevent them in the first place. The key is education. It is unfortunate
when someone is injured while engaging in sport, but it is tragic when a second
person is hurt for the same explainable and preventable reason.
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