IPSC BC COVID-19 Protocols have been developed in conjunction with
viaSport British Columbia and were accepted by ViaSport in December
2020, under the Public Health Order restrictions at that time.
The current Public Health Orders however preclude any events or
gatherings and once the orders have been cancelled or relaxed to allow
for competitions, the protocols will again be reviewed with viaSport.
The layout of each event is different and Match Directors will be responsible for establishing protocols /controls to address the potential intermingling of squads at the stages and on paths, walkways, parking areas and other areas where competitors may congregate.
IPSC
The International Practical Shooting Confederation, IPSC, promotes the sport of practical shooting and practical shooting competitions.
Definitions:
• EVENT – IPSC sanctioned match conducted at facility consisting of a number of ranges.
• RANGE – a portion of a facility that has been designed and approved for shooting activities
• STAGE – A portion of an IPSC match containing one course of fire and related supporting
facilities, amenities, shelter and signage
• MASK – non medical face mask which covers the nose and mouth
• SQUAD – a group of competitors, assembled as a cohort for the duration of the event.
• VENUE – a specific range within a facility
Events:
Events consist of, usually, 5-15 stages, spread out over multiple Ranges. The spacing and layout of the stages on the ranges provides for physical distancing. Each range will be considered a separate venue. No more than 50 people may be present at any venue at any time. There is strict cohorting of Squads, with no mixing of squads. All individuals arriving at any event must wear masks upon exiting their vehicle and where possible ensure physical distancing throughout the duration of the event.
Event Screening:
Each participant or staff member will be required to participate in Covid Screening immediately upon entering the property.
Range:
A shooting Range may consist of one or more Stages. Only one Stage will be active at any one time on any given Range. Each Range is physically isolated from the others, for safety reasons. Physical distancing within a Range is straight forward, and necessary for Firearms safety. The stages within a range will be operated by only one group of Range Staff
One squad only is allowed on a range. The next squad cannot enter the range until the previous squad has exited, and any sanitizing of any common touch surfaces has been completed. This isolates each cohort (Squad) from all others.
On Range Staff:
Staff consists of three Range Officers (CRO, RO and Tablet official) to coordinate the safe operation of the stage by monitoring safety requirements, supervise competitor activities, scoring and recording results. Additional range staff (usually 7 individuals) are required to restore and reset the stage.
Range Officers will at all times while officiating, wear a mask, and utilize hand sanitizer prior to starting a competitor.
The tablet official (TO) will display the competitors score, to the competitor on the tablet for acknowledgement and the TO will accept the score. The competitor will not touch the tablet and will retrieve a copy of their score from the mobile printer.
Timers and tablets will not be shared between officials without first sanitizing the items.
Gloves will be available to on range staff if desired. The use of gloves will not replace good hand hygiene and the requirements to wash or use hand sanitizer.
Squads:
Competitors move through the Stages in Squads, usually of less than 10 people. Squads do not mix with other groups. Squad size will be limited to the smaller of:
• 10
• That number that can safely distance on the most restrictive of the ranges,
Physical Distancing and Range Precautions
Each Range is physically isolated from the others, for safety reasons. Physical distancing within a Range is straight forward, and necessary for Firearms safety. All individuals will use hand sanitizer upon entering or leaving any range, sanitation stations will be
provided. Masks will be worn by all individuals at the event and may only be removed by a competitor following the ‘Load And Make Ready’ command. The competitor must also don their mask prior to the RO issuing the ‘Range Is Clear’ command. Eye protection will always be worn by everyone on the range.
Safety Contact
While the Range Officer may need to stay with the competitor, 3-meter distancing needs only to be broken in the case of safety concerns. In this case, the range officer will be wearing a mask and will have used hand sanitizer prior to starting the competitor. The competitor can immediately sanitize equipment if there is physical contact.
Sanitizing
In addition to the general recommendation on sanitizing, IPSC competitions will ensure that either:
- Only one person will touch any target, or
- Non-touch techniques are used to patch targets.
While scoring the stage, the designated patchers will patch the targets and set up any moving targets. Any target backer will either be replaced or sanitized between individuals contacting them.
Written Stage Briefing and Walk Through
After the Briefing, the Range Officer will allow 4-5 minutes for the walk through. Physical distancing must be maintained during this process and the Range Officials must ensure that physical distancing is maintained. This may include limiting the number of competitors that may walk through at a time or establishing designated routes to be used to maintain two-meter physical distancing.
Competition
The competitor may remove their mask while competing, (following the ‘Load And Make Ready’ command) but the Range Officer will not issue the “Range Is Clear” command until the mask is in place again.