Risk Management Magazine

Every July Fourth, Americans gather at parades, barbecues and other events to celebrate our nation’s independence. Traditionally, fireworks are the highlight of these celebrations. All too often, though, the night ends badly due to someone’s carelessness. Unfortunately, I speak from experience.

We conducted our normal briefing at the tactical operations center followed by our team brief, where we collected weather, NOTAMS, discussed our scheme of maneuver and completed our individual crew briefs, and then headed out for preflight of the aircraft.

Many years ago, I was a young platoon leader (PL) deployed to Mosul, Iraq. One afternoon, after completing a round of checkpoint missions, I heard about a track meet the forward operating base was hosting. As a hard-charging PL, I took my job seriously, but I also believed in personal downtime.