I assume they’ll be building in appropriate rest breaks and time between shifts
I’d love to see the CACE approval for it. 
I imagine the weighty donation from RAFCT outweighs the VA cost…
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So what you’re saying is this is a clever way of turning public funds into non-public funds? 
(/s)
But have they any tents, of a suitable standard?
This sounds like a politicians way of saying no alcohol.
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You might get to thanks to FOI Request…
Not quite what I meant, but will be interesting to see.
Given how much we’re banging on about budget and cutting VA days etc, RIAT does seem like an awfully big expense. Especially as we are basically providing a service.
Also interesting seeing another FOI supposedly from my Dep OC Wing. Intrigued if it’s actually him, or just someone using his name Pretty sure if he saw me put in an FOI I’d be getting in trouble for some obscure reason.
£20 spend, as a guess it is for a hat and T-shirt.
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It would be nice if the RAFCT could provide these (and a water bottle) instead of us paying?
Baseball cap, t-shirt, lanyard/passholder water-bottle
(although i recognise in that photo they look to be RAF/RAFAC lanyards in the past they have been RIAT branded)
TBF the baseball caps are RAFCTE supplied - they are not unique to RAFAC, every volunteer at RIAT gets a RIAT baseball cap with the year embroidered into it - they become collectors items amougst the volunteers as the collection can quickly build up!
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So, with the yellow weather warning coming into effect as of 1700 BST on 18 July, I wonder what impact it will have on the luvvies at RIAT; expecting temperatures up to 30C 
Will someone dare impose heat limitations 
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I’d bet a pound that they press on regardless, but everyone else must stop…
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Frustrating that the approach at RIAT is to press on because of the money HQAC receives vs the impact of no go carparking on local unit fundraising. One rule for them…
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A certain ARC was ‘sacked’ recently for interfering with an Army run AT event. Temperature was in the mid 20’s and they demanded and enforced a mandatory rest period for the RAFAC. Went down like a lead balloon. I wonder how far in advance large scale, high commitment, high profile events should be considered? The weather is unpredictable up until the few days before, by then it’s too late and costly to pull out of. Safety over reputation and cost ALWAYS, but who and when is the decision made…and who pays the price with the already paid expenses and their job/position!?
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Evening folks,
Saw that the RIAT thread had picked up again.
I’m Camp Comm for the extended and main RIAT camp this year. There certainly isn’t a “just carry on” approach in relation to supporting the air show.
Cadets and staff that form part of the camp will receive regular briefs which will include weather related information.
We receive regular WBGT readings from the RAF detachment on site and put in place a number of mitigations supported by recommendations in the various working rate tables which in turn influences decisions around increased breaks, reduced support to the airshow, wet weather plans etc.
We’ll also look to provide any necessary support to visiting units that have day trips to watch the airshow and help them out if and when required.
I hope that helps provide some reassurance to processes being followed to ensure everyone has a good time and remains safe and well.
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Well, good luck to you.
Hopefully you can start the fight back against the poor reputation your event has for handling heat injuries, and being allowed to carry on when other events, with a far better record for managing them, have been stopped. Like Nijmegen last year for instance.
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Genuine intrigued to see how the new tents are, especially in the heat. A report back at the end of the weekend would be appreciated.
Hope all goes well!
i think the idea/suggestion of “pulling out” is only in people’s minds because of the debacle around HQAC’s decision to cancel Nijmegen etc. and at very last minute notice
note i say HQAC’s decision. @VirtualRealityTrooper suggests, a certain ARC applied a RAFAC approach while the Army didn’t see it the same way.
the point i am raising is HQAC/Senior (paid) RAFAC officers are too eager to say “stop” rather than consider “how can we make this work?”
it reminds me of the Daily Mail headlines “H&S gone mad” when certain factors (control measure) had to be put in place. These additional elements rarely stopped activities taking place, they just required some control measures which had never been considered before which some felt went “too far” and created a “nanny state”
HQAC’s approach to heat seems to be much the same - while no one can deny RIAT’s history of heat injury hasn’t been perfect, it is fair to suggest it was proportional given the size of the contingent and heat experienced. It was a % increase over a “typical” year and not a wiping out 60% of personnel - this would certainly have made everyone question should activities been allowed to carry on.
Although I haven’t studied working rate tables in a while, it doesn’t suggest no work can be done until its gets REALLY hot, and before those temperatures are reached there is a phased draw down of duration of “work”
If RIAT “goes ahead” that is because as @Ben_Wakefield suggest they are applying a proactive approach by considering what is a realistic time to be exposed to the temperatures while “working” and not simply because there is “money and reputation at stake”.
That said, because there is money and a reputation at stake, there should be greater incentive to find a way to make it work, but that shouldn’t be the reason to ignore other factors.
I have no issue with RIAT, Nijmegan or any other activity taking place in “extremes” of heat - but we must not just carry on regardless because there are other factors at stake - if the previously committed to tasks cannot be completed, or have to be done at a compromised rate due to a sound well considered and thought out approach to welfare, then it is easily justified, and RAFCTE or whoever it might be that we’re working for, should be able to see the logic in the decision and accept it.
While a Squadron Bronze NNAS trek taking place on a hot Saturday, can be readily postponed by two weeks until more favourable conditions exist, the same cannot be achieved at RIAT (or Nijmegen etc) and so greater effort to consider “how can we make this work” should be made before a “stop everything” approach is considered.
Risk Assessments are not blockers to activities, they are in place to ensure what does take place is done so with risks ALARP - and if not considered low enough, then and only then are activities considered for cancellation.
If RIAT this year, or any other, has a big spike/disproportionate % increase in heat injuries after applying this sensible approach then yes by all means look at the event closer and question motives.
The same proactive approach should apply to the recently banned traffic marshalling. there is no need for a “STOP STOP STOP” order, instead the appropriate control measure put forward by HQAC to advise us.
They have offered the WBGT and working rate tables for extremes of heat (ignoring the validity of applying these to U18s), why not offer the same control measure guidance for traffic marshalling?
And if there is a spike in traffic marshalling injuries, we can again take a closer look into what happened and why control measures were not applied.
This “cancel culture” of HQAC needs to stop (and I very much include SW Rgn in this) - it looks like HQAC is scared of its own shadow. Stopping activities is not a valid “control measure” when ALARP has not been considered first.
it is ironic that our parent organisation’s motto is Per Ardua ad Astra yet the RAFAC’s attitude to experiencing adversity is to instantly stop. rather than “Venture Adventure” we should adopt something closer to:
Cum pervenientes adversis subsisto
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