Range safety, the need for a Range Officer.

I have mentioned on Facebook about how when our crew heads to the range I usually step in as an impromptu range officer. Though I have not had formal training in this area of expertise, I do hold safety as my number one priority. Usually I do not shoot during these sessions, I am more worried about action checks and muzzling on a constant basis. Maybe to some degree due to the fact that being hit with a rifle round at a young age. I will try to break down our set up to show how I feel our shooting times go. We are fortunate enough to live in a very rural type area, we have miles of area that can be used for public use and shooting is one of those. as long as we follow our Boy Scout training of Leave No Trace.
And yes, I drew this:

BLUE1: this our peanut gallery, the place to be heckled from and those about to be heckled wait their turn.
RED2: this is our firearm staging area, every firearm action is open and if equipped, magazine removed. of course muzzles are faced away from peanut gallery.
RED3: ammo station.  If the firearm being fired has a magazine the firearm is left at the firearm staging area whilst the firearm magazine is loaded.
GREEN: this is the hot seat. made only for one, save when shooting skeet. this is where you are ridiculed and mocked for your inherent ability to shoot anything including the broadside of a barn.
YELLOW: this is no man's land. this is the area the r.o. patrols while keeping his eye on the shooter for possible malfunctions and for keeping the peanut gallery from becoming too vicious for the shooter to take.

 As our shooting progresses the shooter will either shoot to empty or to malfunction. either way the shooter is instructed to not turn until verification is made that the firearm is clear or malfunction is addressed. To add to this, I always ask and visually verify how many rounds they are shooting so I Can keep a running total in my head. during loading I stand next to the shooter to verify the ammo being loaded is correct caliber for firearm, two heads are better than one so to speak.

Once verification of shown clear the shooter moves back to the firearm bench to place down the firearm and move to the peanut gallery. as far as how many people can go, the fewer the better. Usually 5 is my max for intermediate to experienced. for beginners I try to keep it to me the newbie and one other that is at least an intermediate shooter. If it is a first time female shooter, I drag my wife or daughter along for the Sisterhood experience. I believe that the more we cater to the new shooter and giving them our full and undivided attention we can make a difference in the way they see shooting as a fun and beneficial past time.

There is never a time when firearms are staged in trunks or on the tailgates of trucks. Too many variables at stake. If a shooter has a holster on and is deemed credible to actually carry a firearm on there side it remains empty until necessary. Overkill it maybe but it is what we do to minimize negligence.

Of course there are times when the experienced bunch will tread a different path but safety again is on our minds. we run drills along side each other to build teamwork, plus the fact that having a "battle buddy" out in the world is a comfort to the mind if SHTF while shopping or out on the town. You have worked drills together and know and understand each other's quirks. Two heads on a swivel is by far better than one.

With respect we know not all of our readers have the ability to head to the sticks for a day of shooting. Under those circumstances an indoor/outdoor range will have the qualified personnel to accommodate the need for a Range Officer. With that, even during those times you are not the R.O. it would still behoove one to keep an eye on fellow shooters. Constantly watching for the breach of safety protocol.

As always be safe, courteous and speak up if you witness an infraction.