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Chase Safety Checklist

A practical checklist for vehicle prep, field communication, and stop-go decisions.

Use this checklist before and during an outing to reduce avoidable risk and keep communication clear.

Chase Readiness Checklist

  • Confirm every vehicle has medical supplies, charged radios, and reliable data connectivity.
  • Review the day’s risk area, target towns, and primary/secondary escape routes.
  • Assign a safety officer (in the field or remote) responsible for monitoring hazards.
  • Ensure every driver understands no-core policies and hail thresholds for the team.
  • Share emergency contacts and hospital locations in Bolt before rolling.
Exclusion Zones & Privacy

Visit Account → Exclusion Zones before the season to draw privacy buffers around home, work, or other sensitive sites so they stay off public maps; teammates who can view the chase will still see the dashed red outlines in history for context.

During the Chase

  • Keep intent updated when transitioning between staging, intercepting, or breaking off.
  • Track lightning density and storm motion to avoid getting boxed in on poor road grids.
  • Run a continuous weather scan—radar, satellite, spotter reports—to catch rapid intensification.
  • Use “three-point confirmation”: location, hazard, action. Example: “Southbound I-35 mile 58, debris on roadway, bailing east.”

Incident Response

If a teammate is threatened or missing checkpoints:

  1. Mark their last-known location in Bolt (right click on map -> Drop marker here).
  2. Attempt direct contact via primary and backup comms (radio, phone, messaging).
  3. Notify local emergency services if no response and life-threatening hazards exist.
  4. Document the timeline for after-action review.
Hail Core Triage

If hail core size exceeds your vehicle’s tolerance, pull to a safe turnout at least two miles ahead of the core trajectory. Restart the chase only after radar confirms core collapse or deviation.

Post-Event Review

Within 24 hours of standing down, run a quick debrief:

  • Reopen the chase session from the Account → Chase History panel to review the final snapshot and logged intent changes.
  • Record near-misses, mechanical issues, or comms failures.
  • Update emergency contacts and hospital lists if anything changed.