Tweet
We've all heard it before, but it's worth repeating. We need to be careful and follow the safety rules put forth by our organizations.
We have a small pond in Scottsdale that is designated a "boating" pond on Sundays. It's been this way for decades. It's too small to hold races, but it works for test/tune sessions for gas/nitro/FE. It's located right along a city bike path and gets quite a bit of traffic. A few weeks ago, a duck got hit by a gas cat going full-tilt. It was witnessed by a lady that, from what I've heard (I wasn't there), started screaming that it was a deliberate, malicious act. The police were called.
A few of the club members took a pro-active approach and contacted the city the next day to discuss the incident. The city has allowed us to run boats for nearly 30 years and we have a great relationship with them.
We're lucky. I bet an event like this could have easily been "the last straw" in some municipalities.
Before the meeting, the city did some checking around and found out that there were some complaints against us. We got the information in advance and one of our guys developed and printed off an agenda for all in attendance, addressing the complaints that have been issued against us. Here they are. Sound familiar?
Endangering wildlife
Snagging fisherman lines
Wild boats running up on shore
Noise
We had a very pro-active discussion of these items and established a game plan to address them. In our specific case, the pond we use for testing has no sign stating that it's a model boat pond, listing rules, time of use, etc. They will discuss creating a sign that includes items just mentioned, as well as specific safety rules that must also be followed. Using a pitman, failsafes, giving wildlife right of way, etc and being affiliated with, in our case, NAMBA.
Seems like pretty simple stuff, but it's easy to let your guard down. And if you do, you may be in the same situation we were just in.
Please-don't let your guard down. Make sure anytime you are running that you're following the safety rules that our organizations have in place. It will go a long way towards the respect our hobby deserves, both in your own back yard and for the entire country. Canada, too!
We have a small pond in Scottsdale that is designated a "boating" pond on Sundays. It's been this way for decades. It's too small to hold races, but it works for test/tune sessions for gas/nitro/FE. It's located right along a city bike path and gets quite a bit of traffic. A few weeks ago, a duck got hit by a gas cat going full-tilt. It was witnessed by a lady that, from what I've heard (I wasn't there), started screaming that it was a deliberate, malicious act. The police were called.
A few of the club members took a pro-active approach and contacted the city the next day to discuss the incident. The city has allowed us to run boats for nearly 30 years and we have a great relationship with them.
We're lucky. I bet an event like this could have easily been "the last straw" in some municipalities.
Before the meeting, the city did some checking around and found out that there were some complaints against us. We got the information in advance and one of our guys developed and printed off an agenda for all in attendance, addressing the complaints that have been issued against us. Here they are. Sound familiar?
Endangering wildlife
Snagging fisherman lines
Wild boats running up on shore
Noise
We had a very pro-active discussion of these items and established a game plan to address them. In our specific case, the pond we use for testing has no sign stating that it's a model boat pond, listing rules, time of use, etc. They will discuss creating a sign that includes items just mentioned, as well as specific safety rules that must also be followed. Using a pitman, failsafes, giving wildlife right of way, etc and being affiliated with, in our case, NAMBA.
Seems like pretty simple stuff, but it's easy to let your guard down. And if you do, you may be in the same situation we were just in.
Please-don't let your guard down. Make sure anytime you are running that you're following the safety rules that our organizations have in place. It will go a long way towards the respect our hobby deserves, both in your own back yard and for the entire country. Canada, too!
Comment