What is the role of a Range Safety Officer on a live-fire range?

• A. Maintain equipment inventory for range safety.
• B. Enforce safety rules, supervise range operations, and stop training if safety concerns arise.
• C. Provide medical support during a range incident.
• D. Create training plans for new instructors.

Answer: (B)

On a live-fire range, safety is the top priority, and the Range Safety Officer serves as the on-site safety authority. Their primary role is to enforce safety rules, supervise range operations, and have the authority to stop training immediately if a safety concern arises. They ensure firearms are handled safely, muzzle direction is controlled, ammunition and equipment follow standard operating procedures, participants are briefed, and only authorized personnel are on the range. If something unsafe occurs—a misfire, a weapon not cleared, a breach of rules, or a breakdown in procedures—the Range Safety Officer can call a cease-fire and coordinate with range control to reestablish safe conditions. The other options describe tasks outside the safety oversight function: maintaining equipment inventory is a logistics/restocking duty, providing medical support is handled by medical teams, and creating training plans is for instructors or training developers.