This feature - An interview with Brian Guptill, Western Springs Crash Crew Chief.

All of us who attend speedway on a regular basis (at Western Springs) have witnessed the crash crew in action. They have, year after year, proven themselves to be one of the most efficient and professional crews around. I have always been fascinated with their work, and have often wondered just what it takes to be one of these infield rescuers.

Recently I managed to get an interview with Brian Guptil, the Chief of the Western Springs Crash Crew. Here is what he had to say about his award winning crew...and the job that means so much to him and his crew members.

Q. Brian, how long have you been on the crash crew?

A. I have been on for 17 seasons. I started off helping out with the 'B' Grade meetings that were run on the first season after the stadium was revamped. My Mum and Dad were helping out and needed extra numbers on those nights. The rest is history.

Q. How many years have you been chief of the crash crew?

A. Seven seasons now.

Q. Your crew really seems to know it's stuff, what training is held for the crash crew?

A. We train up to ten hours a year outside of speedway. Every now and then we get in experts to show us new pieces of equipment, both fire and ambulance experts.We do fire training, driver extractions and anything else that we feel needs doing. Just this last season I had one of the crew come to me unsure about something, so we borrowed Steve Dennis and his car one night during the week and pulled him out of the car 7 or 8 times (amongst other thing).

I have to thank all the people that have helped us over the years. Michael Kendall, Tony Fabish, Darryl Claydon, Stevie Walsh, Bill Clarkson, Kylie Harris, Scott Drinkrow, Harold Wotten and many others.

Q. How does someone get into the crash crew?

A. Just by getting hold of me and normally. I will talk to them find out how often they attend speedway and if they are able to attend almost every week. I have had a couple of people that have had a night in the infield and then come to me and tell me that they prefer watching - so it isn’t for everyone. During this time I also assess whether they are a team player as this is one of the most important attributes. We have no room for heros.

Q. Do you have 'reserves' that can be called upon if needed?

A.Yes the newer people help out as reserves and normally get a chance during the features and when people are away.

Q. The other crash crew personnel, how long have they been involved?

A. It ranges from 16 years to a new person who has only done one night, so there is a good mix of experience and new hands.

Q. What are the backgrounds of the people in the crash crew, do they race or have they raced before)? What wlaks of life do they come from?

A. About three quarters of my crew have raced. This ranges from Offroaders to motorbikes, to quads and karts. They come from all walks of life and all share a passion for speedway.

Q. The Western Springs Crash crew has been awarded 'best crew' a number of times. What is the secret to a good crash crew?

A. There are three things that I think are important, training, teamwork and continuity. Eighty percent of my crew has been together for about five years so it makes it easy to keep up and strive for continuous improvement.

Q. One thing that has always amazed me about the crash crew is their ability to work as fast and as efficiently as they do. Does everyone have allocated tasks in your team or is it just experience showing through?

A. This is one of the things that teamwork and continuity have helped. Wherever a crash is, there are specific roles for people to do. Also I expect that people will change what they're meant to be doing as the scene changes. All our training comes into play when we see a multiple rollover, as we are seeing more often these days. Then all jobs change and we do a quick assessment of all the cars and drivers and go from there. There is a very specific 'hand-over' process at each crash which is followed at all times and makes handling these scenes so much easier.

Q. Are any of the crew specialised in certain areas of their job, or are they all multi-skilled?

A. During their initial training they get to have a go in most areas of the job and this helps for experience. We each have to know every other job, just in-case people get hurt or tied up on their jobs. Bacially we can each do each other's job if needed.

Q. Do the same people stand at the same corner all season or do the teams rotate, and are the same people always working together?

A. The guys mostly stay in the same place but during the night I leave it up to the corner chiefs to deicde how they run their corners. This quite often means the guys swap around within their corner. I think it helps to create a better working team if you know what the person beside you is going to do. It also brings on some friendly rivalry between the corners.

Q. Your crew is extremely good with fire fighting, have you ever had a fire that you couldn't beat?

A. Not yet but after the big fire in Pinetree Bend we spend half an hour after the meeting at our BBQ having a debrief on how we could of done it better. Training with Methanol (although it can be expensive for the person providing the Methanol) has been the biggest help to our fire fighting as we now what it will do and how it behaves when on fire. Having the equipment we have now, with the tank made by Graeme Townsend -with forestry hoses attached, gives us the tools we need. It is up to us to ensure we train and are ready for anything. This level of equipment has to stay in the future so that we can continue to provide the best safety for my crew, the drivers, and the crowd.

Q. What do you think has been the biggest safety advancement in speedway over the last tens years?

A. For the drivers I personally think the cage nets on both sides are the biggest advancement in recent times. I have seen it once stop a driver from coming out of his car (belts came undone), an experience none of us which to repeat.

For the crew it has been the advancement in equipment the Willie Kay has provided. In the past the Crash Crew wasn’t provided with the best gear. We now have flame proof overalls, a seat bender, fire hoses, and many other items.

Q. Speedway can be a cruel sport, and the crash crew would know that more than most. What is the worst moment you have ever experienced while being out there in the middle?

A. Obviously the two deaths I have experienced. Along with a couple of other crashes causing major injuries. Friendship and teamwork have got us through these. Also support from the promotion has improved to help us after any trauma

Q. What has been the high-point for you?

Gaining the awards was nice but I get as much satisfaction from the boys getting a car of the track quick enough to keep the green light on, or working together to clean up a major accident. Also, when I first started the crew were seen as a hindrance! Thankfully now now we have earned the respect of the drivers and this probably means more to me than anything else. I love it when our drivers leave the infield after a crash, then come back and say to me "thank god you guys are back here".

Q. Has any of the crash crew ever been hurt in an incident? What can you do to prevent that from happening?

A. We have had a couple of people (including myself) inhale fire extinguisher fumes, as well as one crew member run over. Plus the occasioanl pulled muscle here and there. We look at any incident involving a crew member and put procedures in place and ensure that new people are warned and aware of the dangers.

Q. What specialised equipment (if any) does the crash crew use ?

A. We carry a seat bender to get people out easier, a fire tank and hoses, three different types of extinguishers, a toolbox of all the tools we have found we needed over the years. Also scissors to cut seatbelts and cage nets, if necessary (haven’t had to yet though). Also each year we assess any needs we may have had during the past season and suggest these to the promoter.

Q. What is the best thing the crowd can do in the event of an accident?

A. Stay back and let us do our job. We do know what we are doing so trust us to do it.

Q. The crash crew appears to have a very good relationship with all the drivers at Speedway, is it hard to detach yourself from the emotional side of things when you see a driver get hurt?

A. One of the hardest things I had to do was send my brother-in-law off to hospital (twice). I found that you just have to do your job, and then worry about it afterwards. I have nine or ten other crash crew to worry about as well, so this tends to give me focus during these times. I have a lot of friends who drive. We just tend to do our job.

Q. What is the standard procedure when dealing with a crash? What steps do you go through, what checks do you make?

A. The standard way is the 'hand-over' system we use. The crash scene belongs to the corner who gets there first, this is then handed over to me and then if required the car and driver are handed over to the Doctor, while we work with him. Having a good Doctor as part of our team has made a huge difference.

Q. Fans hunt down drivers for Autographs; do you guys get any limelight?

A. Occasionally we get mistaken for drivers due to the overalls we wear! We are at our best when we are not noticed. We are just there to help ensure the smooth running of our favourite sport and to ensure that everyone will be back next week to continue racing.

Everyone at StevieWalsh.com would like to extend a huge thanks to Brian for taking the time to do this interview, and to give us insight into what life is like in the Crash Crew.

If you have any comments on this feature article, or questions you would like answered, please e-mail Cliff.