Eyes on the Horizon
donaldlloyd
in Climate Change, Crisis and Emergency Management, Emergency Management, Uncategorized
There I am more than a few years ago sitting in the door waiting for the signal to exit the aircraft from an elevation of 2,000 above an active wildfire. I can tell you this is an exhilarating experience – the noise of the aircraft engines, the force of the wind, the feeling of falling, the violent opening of the chute, and then the silence and the sight of the burning forest. There is a lot of concentration involved in maneuvering the parachute to land accurately and safely on the designated jump spot, and much that can go wrong if you do not. Smokejumpers have a saying: “Eyes on the horizon”. This is a reminder to look up at the horizon in the final seconds before hitting the ground to execute a proper landing roll. I like this saying because it has wide applicability. It’s so easy to get caught up in operational procedures, or even in just trying to get through our daily lives, that we sometimes forget to look up to see what’s going on around us and what we’re trying to accomplish. We are going to make it, folks! Just remember to keep your eyes on the horizon and stay safe! (https://countercrisis-tech.com)
