Coping With The Overload

A few of the things I need to remember for the crew leader course and call outs/hazard reductions in general.

SMEACS
S.M.E.A.C.S

Situation > Mission > Execution > Administration > Command/Control/Communication > Safety

What is the situation/problem?
What needs to be done?
How will it be done?
What is needed?
Who is in charge of what? How will communication be handled?
LACES check list.


LACES
L.A.C.E.S

Lookout > Awareness > Communication > Escape Route > Safety Refuge

Everyone looks out for everyone else.
Everyone is aware of the currant and predicted situation, hazards & precautions.
Everyone speaks up about their concerns & everyone listens.
Everyone has a planned and agreed "Out".
Everyone helps everyone else to survive and get clear of a hazard.


IMSAFE
I.M.S.A.F.E

Illness/Injury > Medication > Stress > Alcohol/Drugs > Fatigue > Expertise

Am I healthy enough?
Am I affected by any medication?
Am I under severe pressure from work or other worries?
Am I under the influence or badly hung over?
Am I adequately rested?
Am I competent?

Wanna know more ask, teaching is a good way of learning after all :)

CARS

Cash Accumulation Removal Service.

I currently am in possession of a white automatic 1994 six cylinder Ford Falcon ED money pit. I am at the stage where I want someone to either buy it from me or crash into me so I can get the insurance money to go and buy a more versatile vehicle. I've decided to take time in finding exactly what I want instead of what other people think is a good idea for me. Partially because I like big vehicles with a lot of room to stretch inside, but mostly because my previous cars have turned out to have problem after problem.

In the last 3 years over 2 cars I have had to buy a new muffler, air box, brake pedal, side mirror, seat belt buckle, alternator, IAC motor, power steering pump, petrol pump, petrol cap, radiator cap, ash tray, steering rack, 2 sets of brake pads, wiper blades, radiator, 3 sets of new tyres, MAG wheels, suspension, hydraulic lifters, CD player, hand brake cable, and how ever many light bulbs. Let's just say I want my next car to be road worthy before I buy it.

Here's what I want:

Manual
4WD
4 Cylinder Diesel
Ute (tub not tray)
5 seater (2 or 4 Door)
Tow Bar, Bull Bar, Roll Bar
MP3 CD Player (Jack/USB input)

NOT FORD, HOLDEN, OR MAZDA.

Prefer Toyota or Nissan.

So perhaps a Land Cruiser, Hilux, or Navara.

See what happens.

The Green Machine

OK so here's the deal, the Canberra Raiders have not won a Grand Final since 1994 when they had the majority of league's top players; Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Brett Mullins, John "Chicka" Ferguson, and Steve Walters to name a few.

Who have they got on the field today? Captain: Alan Tongue. Who? And several other names that are far from being classed as "household" simply because they aren't delivering the goods. Yes they do win games here and there but they're not showing us anything we haven't seen before. I blame it on the way the game is played. It's no where near as exciting as it once was thanks to hindrances such as Occupational Health and Safety, and also - let's face it - wimps. Meninga played several games with a broken arm, now a player will go off field for a sprained finger.

My opinion is the Raiders have got this series won if they man up, harden up, and run through the gaps instead of into the crowd of opposition players (every team's players do it, I'm constantly screaming at the TV screen because they were wide open but decided to run into a tackle) the idiots.

So come Raiders - this year play the game as if your lives depended on it and bring home the great big trophy at the end!!!
Then you might have made a name for your selves instead of being stuck in the shadow of the former dream team.

War

Open wide the gates of Hell
and sally forth the rebel yell
Take up arms don't hesitate
the reaper grim he shall not wait
Men and boys defend their lot
never shall it be forgot
The charging soldiers one by one
to the thunderous clap succumb.

Normal You Say?

There's some weird people around and they're closer to home than one might expect. There are weirdos, oddballs, and nutjobs everywhere you look. Can't people just be normal? Well... no.

Individuality has robbed us of our normality. For something to be normal it must be like the group it is a part of. Show me a normal person and I'll show you a contradiction in terms.

Come On

Doing nothing is the most tiring excersise there is. Sitting idly and doing your best to pay attention to some talking head in front of you for hours on end can take a lot out of you. But I realised today that I've either forgotten a lot of stuff or it's locked away deep inside my brain where I can't readily access it until some one says something that unlocks the door and brings it all back one piece at a time which did help tp hold my interest to some degree.

Can't wait til 4:30 rolls around.

First Day

Well today was an adventure of sorts. Waking up at some ungodly hour of the morning in order to get to TAFE over an hour early to get a decent parking spot. I should be able to finish reading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers before the end of term at this rate. Started today, just past the part where Aragorn says "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." Which in the movie is a few minutes, but the book, it's ages!

Anyway, film class tomorrow, looking forward to it too, after today's long and drawn out orientation. And now I have homework because I came nowhere near finishing the little research task that is realistically half to a full day's work... we were given less than two hours. Maybe it's the slow brain of the start of the year or the teacher's idea of plenty of time is about a quarter of a normal person's. There's no excuse for not having it done by the next week, but it just wasn't happening for any of us today.

Couldn't get out of there fast enough when 4:30 came around. I was home for less than an hour before training. Home again three hours later. Looks like this will be my typical Monday for some time.