Never forget the importance of safety

I was reading an article about hearing loss in a shooting magazine the other day and it reminded me of my own situation. Back in my teenage years, my dad, my brothers, and I did a lot of shooting at shooting ranges with covered firing lines. This was back before anybody gave a lot of serious thought to protecting their ears from hearing damage while shooting.

Of course, my dad had ear muffs available for us, but that didn’t automatically mean we always used them. In addition, my middle brother and I spent several years shooting blackpowder muzzleloading rifle matches on these same covered ranges and to be seen wearing ear muffs with period clothing was just not done.

I also worked summers in an industrial gas plant in Chicago during much of this same timeframe. The production noise was quite loud and no hearing protection was supplied. As a result, I suffered significant permanent hearing loss over time, especially in my left ear (the one closest to the muzzle of the rifle since I’m right-handed).

I have a set of hearing aids which don’t help much because they amplify the background noise as well as the voice I’m trying to hear.

The frequency of the average female voice is exactly what I have the most trouble hearing. My wife claims I have “selective hearing,” and she’s probably right to an extent (don’t tell her I said that), but I do have hearing loss. Now you know where the selective hearing comments come from.

Nowadays, both hearing and eye protection are mandatory requirements at any shooting range with which I am familiar. Use good quality ear muffs and industrial grade protective glasses. You’ll thank me later.

While we’re talking safety issues, keep in mind that, with the summer season almost here, folks will be boating, RVing, four-wheeling, hiking, and engaging in all sorts of outdoor activities. All these pursuits are fun but all come with their own set of potential dangers.

Boating and ATVing are probably the two activities with the highest number of injuries/fatalities each year. Failure to wear your personal floatation device (the other PFD) is the greatest cause of deaths while boating. Remember that any person thirteen years old and younger is required by law to wear an appropriately sized PFD when they are in a boat – period!

Women tend to be very good about wearing their PFD’s while guys, with their macho attitudes, tend not to do so well. That’s why something like 80–plus percent of all drownings in Alaska are males not wearing a PFD. I’ve had my own potentially fatal boating accident on the Susitna River about 10 years ago, but I was wearing my float coat. That’s why I’m here today.

ATVers are out and about in large numbers now. Some ride slowly and responsibly while others ride like the proverbial bat out of hell. For some, riding through the worst mud hole around also seems to be a preferred place to play. I regularly see folks racing down the side of the road and not wearing a helmet or any type of protective clothing. That’s, in a word, stupid.

Every year we hear of deaths from ATV rollovers and collisions where the rider was not wearing a helmet. The cause of death is usually from a severe head injury. Like riding a motorcycle, heavy protective clothing helps prevent injuries in the event you loose control of your machine. Personally, I usually wear a helmet with a full face shield, leather gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and mid-calf boots when I ride my four-wheeler.

My new six-wheeler has seat belts and a roll cage inside a full, steel cab. This vehicle is almost the equivalent of a small car. If I anticipate any serious trail riding, I’ll bring my helmet, just in case. However, I’m one of those slow, methodical riders and don’t take chances for my own safety and because I can’t afford to wreck the machine – I’m still paying for it!

RVing is like camping, only fancier. You still need to be careful with fires, insect bites, and, like hiking, those brown furry critters. Being prepared with first aid materials and training, bug repellents, and bear spray or a firearm in these situations is just being responsible.

Think about what you want to do, anticipate things that could go wrong during the activity, be prepared with materials and knowledge to deal with those downturns, and then go have fun!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications. You can leave Delo a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.