Safety Officer Resources

As a Safety Officer, you are an important part of the Match team with broad responsibilities.  

IDPA has a Safety Officer Code of Conduct:

  • Follow All Safety Rules Of IDPA &Host Range
  • Maintain A Thorough Knowledge Of The Current IDPA Rulebook
  • Prior To And During An IDPA Match, You Will Refrain From The Use Of Alcohol, Substances, Or Medications That May Negatively Impact Your Ability To Perform The Duties of A Safety Officer
  • Assist All Shooters And Do Not Hinder Them Through Harassment Or Authoritarian Behavior
  • Be Firm And Fair In All Judgment Calls In Applying the IDPA Rules
  • Be Consistent!
  • Be Able To Explain & Justify Your Rulings
  • Represent IDPA In A Professional Manner Through Behavior And Dress, In Accordance With the Standards Established By the Match Director 
  • Refrain From Actions That Could Cause SO Honesty Or Objectivity To Be Questioned

Your primary job is to ensure that each shooter has a safe and enjoyable experience 

  • Safety is Always Job#1
  • Treat other shooters as you would like to be treated

There are a number of resources to help you be an effective Safety Officer at Tri-County:

We use the Practiscore system to handle scoring at TriCounty.  The video below gives a basic introduction to Practiscore. Anyone can download Practiscore onto your own phone or tablet – just search for Practiscore in the Apple, Google, or Amazon app store.  Spending 20 minutes with the tool on your own device is a great way to get up-to-speed before a match.

Check out the Practiscore video on YouTube

Range Commands

English is the language of IDPA and all Range Commands are standardized to allow shooters to have the same experience at every match. You can review the Range Commands in detail in the IDPA Rulebook

  • Range is Hot
  • Load and Make Ready (Make Ready is used if the COF starts with the gun unloaded)
  • Are You Ready?
  • Standby
  • Finger
  • Muzzle
  • Stop
  • If Finished, Unload and Show Clear
  • If Clear, Slide Forward/Close Cylinder
  • Pull The Trigger (Not needed for revolvers)
  • Holster
  • Range Is Clear

Stage Design

We encourage all Safety Officers to get involved in designing fun, challenging, and IDPA-legal stages.  There are a number of resources to help with Stage design:

  • We have a standard PowerPoint stage template that includes all of the props and targets as well as bay dimensions with grids to allow you to pull together a stage quickly and easily.  If you have questions on how to use the template, please contact Jim Walter for a quick walkthrough.
  • The IDPA Match Administration Rules provide detailed guidelines on how to setup and administer a match. Please make sure you read through the Match Administration rules to ensure you understand the details of how to design a great stage.
  • 2023 Equipment Appendices