Safety During Demonstrations

Demonstrations vary greatly between events and even between activities of the Regiment and the Civilians. We will begin with some basic considerations for the Civilians.

Civilians

Demonstrations by Civilians vary greatly, but the major concern for aspects of safety is in cooking. As is covered in Fire Safety, keep guests back from fire-pits at least one foot if possible to avoid accidents. When cooking anything greasy, be wary of splattering that could burn bystanders as well as the potential for grease fires. Being aware of your fire and those around you will go a long way to preventing problems.

Military

There are several demonstrations undertaken by the Military that require prior planning and a keen awareness of ones surroundings. In particular we are most worried with the Firing Demonstration and the Bayonet Drill.

Firing Demonstrations

These are particularly dangerous. Despite what one might think, blank cartridges (such as those that we use) are far from safe and can cause bodily harm or even death if the weapon is discharged too close to a person. The concussion and heat generated by the ignition of gunpowder is quite powerful and should not be underestimated. A good example is what is known as the "Paper Cup Test". If one loads a musket with a cartridge (whether you ram paper or not) and discharges the weapon within a few inches of the paper cup, the cup will easily be blown to pieces and will often catch fire.

Click this image to see the Paper Cup Test.

Now, before any firing demonstration begins, the ranking person in charge of the demonstration should have chosen the safest location for such actions prior to the event itself. These choices are then discussed with the Commanding Officer and the Safety Officer. By choosing carefully, one can pick a location that will help to limit the access of guests to the line of fire without robbing them of a good view (and that perfect photo-op). Obviously we don't want guests anywhere down range from where we are firing, but we also don't want them too close behind or to either side. The reason for this is two-fold: if there is a malfunction with a weapon, or to avoid contact with blowing embers or burning paper (when paper is rammed). We will first address the matter of malfunctions.

Malfunctions.

The most common cause for a weapon not discharging is that the fire channel (through which the percussion cap fires to ignite the charge) is gummed up with powder residue. Black powder fouls (or leaves a greasy film behind after ignition) easily and often is the cause for such problems. However, just because the musket didnt discharge when you pulled the trigger doesn't mean that it won't a few second later (this is called a "slow burn"). For obvious reasons, such a problem is dangerous a the first thing that must be done is for the ranking officer to be made aware of the situation. The soldier with the malfunctioning weapon should at this time keep their weapon pointing at the READY position and (if they are in the back of two ranks) well over the shoulder of the solider before them. The last thing you want is to have the muzzle of your weapon pointing at the head or back of the man in front of you! While this is NEVER something one should do, it is especially dangerous in the case of malfunction. This is due to the danger of a "cook off", or the slow burn and unexpected discharge of a round.

The ranking officer will most likely give the order of "Prime, and clear your weapon". The soldier now primes again, and it is at this point that one must be cautious. If the weapon does have a slow burn, the sudden removal of the old cap from the nipple will introduce oxygen. This could help discharge the load in the musket, so one in this situation should be prepared for this. Again, keep the muzzle of the weapon away from others, and at a safe angle. A second cap will usually clear the malfunction, but the uncertainties of such a situation require both caution for participants and guests.

Blowing embers or Burning paper.

Despite all of ones preparations, sometimes Nature has the last say. In this case we are speaking of wind. If you are firing a volley and a wind suddenly comes up running directly towards your ranks, it is simple physics that any thing discharged from your muskets will travel over your heads behind you. The problem come that when firing a musket, one often expels hot embers or (if you ram paper wadding) bits of burning paper from the muzzle of your weapon. These items can be caught by wind and could potentially burn bystanders. As such, a safe distance from the firing detail is advised at all times.

What then is a safe distance? For a good rule of thumb when firing (assume against the wind), you need the following to be safe:

1. To the front (down range) no less than 30 feet, though ideally you want closer to 60 feet.

2. To either flank (sides) no less than 15 feet, though ideally as much as 25 feet.

3. To the rear no less than 12 feet, though ideally as much as 20 feet.

Remember that this is only in reference of demonstration firing, and not skirmish or tactical situations. See "Firearms Safety" for more on these situations.

Bayonet Drill.

The danger of the bayonet drill is obvious, but unlike the firing demonstration the accidents resulting from such activities are even more likely to affect US than our guests. Following the guidelines for use of the bayonet listed below will greatly reduce the chances for accidents.

1. Maintain control over your musket. This is of the greatest importance at all times anyway, but when your bayonet is fixed it becomes all the more of the imperative. If required to make movements with your musket, be sure that you keep a good hold of the stock and look to ensure proper clearance around you. ONLY make those movements that are ordered, or for which you are trained to make.

2. Use of the bayonet is restricted to drill. Although historically the bayonet was used for a cooking utensil and candle holder, for our purposes it is only used when ordered to do so. While it is permitted for a soldier to draw the bayonet for the purposes of showing it to guests, it is not to be drawn otherwise in camp (unless it is being cleaned).

3. Keep proper distance during drill, or when the bayonet is at the "guard" position. For the purpose of our standard bayonet drill, soldiers should never be under 2-3 paces apart to either side. This is also true when going opposing drill (when two lines of soldiers face each other during the drill), with the added distance of the lines never getting closer than 3 feet. Soldiers should never get close enough that their bayonets can CROSS; though they may touch at the tip when fully extended in a "thrust" position.

4. If required to move someone under bayonet, NEVER point the bayonet AT THE PERSON. In such a situation (and this will be both rare and required to be done only when ordered to do so) the musket is only to be carried in the "Arms Port" position.

5. Maintain a standard safe distance for guests during bayonet drill. Like a firing demonstration, keeping guests back from the action of a bayonet drill just makes sense. For our purposes, bayonet drill should be conducted with a radius of no less than 8 feet, and if possible more.