SAFETY POLICY OF THE ARTILLERY RESERVE, INC.
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The following is an outline of the safety requirements a unit commander can expect at a reenactment.

1. Equipment and Gun Drill Forms must be completed and signed for each artillery piece to be taken to the field.
      These forms can be obtained by clicking here or from the Reserve's Ordnance Officers, at the Artillery Headquarters
immediately upon arrival of an event.

2. Be prepared for inspections of the following:
     a. Detachment Drill
        b. Failed Primer Drill
             c. Equipment Inspection
        d. Rounds Inspection

3. Please contact the safety officers at headquarters as soon as you arrive at an event to schedule your inspections.
      ORDNANCE OFFICERS:  Steve Kuhn, Sam Hicks, and Bob Bromley

Note: For large events, safety inspections may change because of the large number of guns and equipment.
Details of any changes will always be posted within the Reserve's bulletin board .

From: Capt. Steven Kuhn
Artillery Reserve Chief Ordnance Officer

Subject: Cannon Inspections

1) Battery and/or Brigade Commanders will inspect (as and independant eye) there assigned Battery or Brigade
units (while accompanied by an Ordnance Officer) to be sure all unit members within there Command know the
gun drill that the individual unit has stated in there Inspection Form before that said unit can participate in any
of the event scenarios. The Artillery Reserve Ordnance Officers may “spot-inspect” individual
organizations during these inspections.

Brigade or Battery Commanders encountering problems during their gun and drill inspections are to notify one of the
Artillery Reserve Ordnance Officers immediately of the problem(s), and its resolution.  All resolutions will be coordinated
amongst the Ordnance Officers, Brigade or Battery Commander, along with the said individual organization
to which the gun or detachment is owned.

2) All inspections are to be performed using the Inspection Form located on this webpage. 
Completed inspection forms are to be forwarded to the Reserve Ordnance Officers for compilation in the
Consolidated Inspection Report.

Basic Safety Precautions

A) All Ordnance is to be free of any debris in the bore and vent.  Gun carriages and limbers are to be in good
working field-use order.  Sponges are to be intact with no holes, rips, or tears, and be of the correct bore size
for the piece.  Rammer heads are to be intact and be of the correct bore size for the piece.

B) Any and all rounds should be made without any form of filler material. That means BLACK POWDER ONLY! 
The rounds are to be wrapped in double wrapped aluminum foil with folds.  No powder leakage.

C) All implements are to be on site, be of proper equipage, and be in proper working order prior to the gun and
detachment inspection.  This is to include 2 sponge & rammers, 1 worm, vent pick, gimlet, vent punch, and gunner’s
pliers (pincers). All poles on sponge rammers, and worms, are to be made of wood, NO PVC Pipe is allowed.

D) The complete gun detachment must be present in order for the drill to be inspected.

E) The following basic maneuvers must be carried out:
Crossed implements if the gun has misfired (the complete failed primer drill)
along with an audible command that the gun has misfired.
"Spiked Gun" procedure to be used to indicate gun is safe to:
over run, advance threw, redeploy back to, occupy by infantry, ect.

F) The Nos. 1 & 2 cannoneers must have and wear proper gloves during the loading & firing of the gun.

Brief History of the Ordnance Department
During the Civil War

Incident Report Form

Sidearms Safety Form
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