Rapid Response, by Dr. Stephen Olvey and a Rant on NASCAR Safety

Before I get into this lengthy post, which eventually becomes a rant, I would like to congratulate Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya, Salvador Duran, and the whole Ganassi Racing organization on their win at the 24 Hours of Daytona today.

I recently finished reading RAPID RESPONSE, MY INSIDE STORY AS A MOTOR RACING LIFE SAVER by Dr. Stephen Olvey. While many NASCAR fans probably don’t recognize Dr. Olvey, fans of open wheel racing almost certainly do. He has had a pivotal role in the development of emergency response in motorsports, to the medical care and recovery of race drivers, and to the general field of driver safety. RAPID RESPONSE has to be one of the most unique motorsports books I’ve read. At first thought, many might think that the topic wouldn’t be all that interesting, but the book is fascinating. Steve Matchett, Larry McReynolds, and Jeff Hammond wrote about the behind the scenes work of the racing teams, now Dr. Olvey has written about the often overlooked safety workers and medical teams.

Olvey follows the development of driver safety and medical response in USAC, then CART, and finally Champ Car from what began as almost non-existent and haphazard to the high standards that are almost taken for granted today. He describes how driver safety devices advanced from the beginning of fire suits to the HANS Devices of today. He charts the development of safety teams from contracted hearses to the safety teams of today with their specialized training and equipment. Perhaps most interesting, though, is the development in how racing injuries are treated. Initially, racing injuries were treated much like injuries from a typical automobile accident. Now racing injuries are recognized as having unique qualities and there are doctors that specialize in treating them. Furthermore, doctors such as Olvey and Trammell, Professor Sid Watkins and his team with the FIA, and others have and still are studying motorsports injuries to improve driver safety.

Along the way, there are glimpses of the development and the turbulent history of open wheel racing in the United States. Olvey witnessed the USAC/CART split, the rise of and the fall of CART, and the CART/IRL split from an inside perspective. Through the stories of treating drivers such as A.J. Foyt, Roberto Guerrero, Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell, and Alex Zanardi, there is insight into motorsports personalities (and in some cases their families).

What becomes obvious in reading RAPID RESPONSE is how NASCAR has lagged behind other sanctioning bodies in driver safety and emergency response at the track. NASCAR still lags behind other sanctioning bodies in these areas despite the high levels of popularity they have soared to. They still rely on local emergency responders to make up the safety teams at races despite the fact that it has been recognized that treatment of racing injuries differs from the treatment of regular automobile crash injuries. They still don’t have a traveling medical team to treat injuries and evaluate drivers after wrecks before clearing them to race when it has been recognized by other sanctioning bodies that such a medical team is more beneficial to driver safety and health. If we look back at NASCAR’s previous history in adopting driver safety programs, don’t look for safety teams and medical teams to become part of NASCAR’s traveling entourage anytime soon.

In my opinion, there can only be two reasons why NASCAR won’t adopt the traveling safety teams: Greed and Cowardice. NASCAR and the France family are unwilling to spend the money to create the teams. Despite the fact that NASCAR is at the height of its popularity and making money hand over fist, making the France family rich in the process, they won’t use some of that money to improve rescue response and care for the drivers that make the money they covet so. If in fact, money is an issue, why don’t they find a sponsor to fund a safety team? Surely an emergency equipment manufacturer or manufacturers could be found to do so, their names could be prominently displayed on the safety trucks and they would get national exposure every week. NASCAR is afraid to accept the liability of taking the responsibility of rescue and treatment of the drivers. Even though today’s world is lawsuit happy, I would hope it would be unlikely that a driver would sue after treatment. So far this hasn’t seemed to be a problem in CART/Champ Car, the IRL, the NHRA, or with the FIA. Unfortunately, NASCAR is more concerned with making and keeping money than they are with the welfare of the drivers that bring in the crowds and therefore the money. If they won’t create these teams simply because it is the good and right thing to do, maybe they should do it to protect their “product.”

Now that I'm finished ranting, I would like to mention that this does hold some interest for radio enthusiasts. While there isn't any frequency information in the book, Olvey does mention how radios are used by the safety teams and some of the brevity codes that the safety teams use.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Problems with the Coast Guard's Deepwater Program

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012601901.html

According to this article from the Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard have troubles with the "flagship" cutter of the Deepwater Program, known as the National Security Cutter. Apparently, the new ship suffers from design flaws and also does not perform to standards that the Coast Guard set forth in the initial contract. Furthermore, this articles also states that the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General and members of Congress are accusing the Coast Guard and contractors on the National Security Cutter of interfering with investigations into the problems and cost overruns.

This could be very interesting to follow.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Pooler Fire Department Apparatus Numbers

In an earlier post this month, I wrote about Pooler Fire Department using 16## callsigns for department personnel. In the last week or so, I've also heard them using new apparatus callsigns. Instead of the old 2# callsigns, they are now using 6# callsigns for apparatus, i.e. ENGINE 61, ENGINE 62, etc.

This continues the pattern I mentioned in the earlier post on the Roger Wood fire. Some of the callsigns have been in use for awhile (Garden City) and some are more recent (Port Wentworth and Pooler). Once again, notice how they mimic the callsigns for the respective Police Departments. The callsigns I have for the Westside Fire Departments now are:

Garden City: 12## for personnel, 2# for apparatus
Port Wentworth: 14## for personnel, 4# for apparatus
Pooler: 16## for personnel, 6# for apparatus

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Thanks for Nothing WTGS

This afternoon at 1 PM Eastern Time, the green flag fell on the 24 Hours of Daytona. This year, the first hour and a half of the race was to receive network coverage on Fox. For race fans and sports car racing enthusiasts in general, this was wonderful news. Sports Car racing was getting network attention, and this was the perfect race for it; drivers with Formula 1 backgrounds would be racing, Champ Car and IRL drivers would be participating, and NASCAR drivers would also be in the race. A wealth of talent would be in the spotlight; it was the perfect opportunity to open sports car racing and endurance racing to a broader audience (i.e. the NASCAR fan).

Unfortunately, our local affiliate, WTGS didn't even offer Savannah area viewers the opportunity. Instead of showing the start of one of the most talent packed 24 Hours of Daytona in quite some time, they showed a college Basketball team. This is not the first time this has happened either. WJCL has shown other programming instead of ABC non-NASCAR race broadcasts. WTOC has shown other programming instead of CBS non-NASCAR race broadcasts. It is this kind of narrow mindedness on the part of local television that promotes the idea that the only kind of racing is NASCAR racing.

Perhaps other forms of motorsports, one of these days, will be respected and recognized as much as NASCAR racing is. Until TV stations start trying to show something other than NASCAR, however, that is only a pipe dream.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

More ATLANTIC THUNDER

On Wednesday, ATLANTIC THUNDER activity continued at Townsend Range. JSTARS from Robins AFB, F/A-18s from MCAS Beaufort, and AH-64s (probably from 1-151 AVN, SC ARNG) participated in the activity. JTACS VENOM, SCORPION, and HAVOC were also involved in the Close Air Support and Forward Air Control activity. Below is an updated list of frequencies and activity:

228.400 - Townsend Range Control; Fighters working JTACs
252.900 - Townsend Range Control; encrypted traffic from JSTARS and simulated activity
338.550 - Townsend Range; JSTARS wkg JTACs
388.225 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS wkg Fighters
225.725 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS interplane
341.750 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS simulated activity
376.125 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS interplane, encrypted traffic
355.250 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS simulated activity
381.000 - JSTARS Discrete; JSTARS simulated activity
372.150 - JSTARS Discrete; encrypted traffic
364.200 - AICC; JSTARS link coordination

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Who is SHOWTIME?

This month, I have been hearing the FANGs, SNAKEs, and RATTLERs of the 125th Fighter Wing working callsign SHOWTIME while doing GCI work with STEALTH (117th Air Control Squadron). SHOWTIME doesn't handle the GCI work, that is done by STEALTH, although the fighters do discuss kills, etc. with SHOWTIME. SHOWTIME doesn't seem to be co-located with STEALTH as I have not been able to hear them when I've been able to hear transmissions from STEALTH.

Has anyone else heard activity involving SHOWTIME or have any idea on who they might be?

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Chatham-Effingham TRS Encryption

This afternoon, I logged a new talkgroup on the Chatham-Effingham TRS: TG 8944. It was active with several P25 digital encrypted transmissions. As such I was unable to identify it and I didn't hear any traffic on other talkgroups that seemed to reference TG 8944.

Has anyone else logged any traffic on this talkgroup or heard any other encrypted TGs on the Chatham-Effingham system?

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net