Well, we’ve all been looking this week at the disaster in Indianapolis.
Our hearts go out to the victims and the crew, and my column this month goes into a few more of my thoughts on the issue and how accidents like this can happen.

So now lets talk about qualifications… we send our crews for technical training, for rigging training, for all manners of skills that are involved in what for us is just a day-to-day way of making a living: staging shows.

But, as we’ve seen, over and over, while its unusual people DO get hurt in our industry, and even the best and most careful of us have had accidents. So I’m here to push for another kind of training our crew members need, for their own good and that of the people around them.

SOMEBODY on the crew should have first aid training. It can make the difference between one of us, or one of our audience members, surviving. Basic First Aid should be mandatory – and those of us who work with high levels of electricity or rigging should have Advanced First Aid, at least. It’s interesting, quickly learned, and in an industry where people are occasionally hurt it’s completely necessary. Its also available EVERYWHERE, often free. Call your local Fire Department, civil defense organization, or contact the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

JRR