TAXI BEGUN PRIOR TO COMPANY GND PERSONNEL RELEASE.

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THE 'IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME' HAPPENED TO ME! AFTER BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE GATE ONTO THE TXWY AT BUR AND HAVING BEEN CLRED TO START ENGS; I NOTICED THE TUG DISCONNECTED AND DRIVING OFF. I DECIDED TO START ONLY THE #1 ENG TO EXPEDITE OUR TAXI. AFTER COMPLETING THE ENG START AND RECEIVING A TAXI CLRNC; I PROCEEDED TO TAXI. AS THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE; I NOTICED RAMP PERSONNEL MOTION WITH THEIR HANDS TO STOP. AT THIS TIME THE PUSHBACK PERSON CONNECTED TO THE HEADSET APPEARED AROUND THE FRONT AND LEFT SIDE. I WAS AS SHOCKED AS HE WAS WHEN I SAW HIM. I THOUGHT I HAD GIVEN AND RECEIVED THE PROPER CLR SALUTE! WHAT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT ALL PROCS HAD BEEN PROPERLY COMPLETED PRIOR TO COMMENCING TAXI? I WISH THE ANSWERS WERE CLEAR AND EASY. LOOKING BACK AND TRYING TO RECONSTRUCT EACH MOMENT; THE FOLLOWING THINGS EMERGE. THE PUSHBACK WAS NORMAL EXCEPT THAT WE WERE BEING POSITIONED ON THE TXWY FOR ENG START. WE HAD BEEN INFORMED THAT WE WERE #1 TO TAXI AND OTHER ACFT WERE BEING HELD UNTIL WE STARTED ENGS AND TAXIED FROM THE TERMINAL AREA. KNOWING THAT THERE WOULD BE ABOUT A 15 MIN DELAY AT THE END OF THE RWY WAITING FOR THE END OF THE CURFEW AND THE ACFT BEING TOO HEAVY; I DECIDED NOT TO START THE #2 ENG AND TAXI OUT ON THE #1 ENG SINCE THE ACFT WAS ALREADY POSITIONED ON THE TXWY WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS OR OTHER ACFT TO THE REAR. AS WE COMPLETED THE #1 ENG START; I TOLD THE F/O OF MY DECISION AND THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THE ACFT WAS PROPERLY CONFIGURED FOR TAXI ON 1 ENG. AS WE COMPLETED THE CHKLIST AND RECEIVED THE TAXI CLRNC; I NOTICED THAT A COMMUTER ACFT WAS BEING BOARDED JUST OUR LEFT AND I BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT STARTING THE TAXI AND EXPOSING PEOPLE TO THE INCREASED NOISE. HOWEVER; I REASONED THAT THE ACFT WOULD PROBABLY START MOVING WITH LITTLE INCREASE IN TAXI THRUST. WHILE MY MIND WAS OCCUPIED WITH THE ABOVE CONCERNS; THE F/O ASKED IF WE WERE READY FOR TAXI. I THOUGHT I HAD GIVEN THE COMMAND TO DISCONNECT AND NOTING THAT THE RAMP AREA WAS CLR OF ANY PUSHBACK CREW; SAID YES. THE COMBINATION OF EVENTS NOTED ABOVE; OCCURRING DURING A HURRIED ATMOSPHERE; PERHAPS CONTRIBUTED TO MY INCORRECT ASSUMPTION ABOUT THE SALUTE FOR TAXI. I BELIEVE THAT OUR COMPANY PROCS AND CHKLISTS ARE WELL DESIGNED AND SHOULD NORMALLY PREVENT ANYTHING LIKE THIS FROM OCCURRING. HOWEVER; USING THESE OR ANY PROCS DAY IN AND DAY OUT CAN LEAD TO A FAMILIARITY AND PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSTANTLY VERIFIED. THE OCCURRENCE OF THIS EVENT HAS GIVEN ME A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOP'S AND USING THEM EFFECTIVELY AS THE TOOL THAT THEY ARE. ALSO; I BELIEVE ONE MUST BE PARTICULARLY ON GUARD WHEN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES OCCUR THAT CAN DIVERT ONE'S ATTN FROM THE DETAILS OF THE TASK AT HAND. FORTUNATELY; NO ONE WAS INJURED AND I HAVE GAINED SOME VALUABLE EXPERIENCE TO MY BENEFIT THAT I TRUST I CAN PASS ON TO OTHERS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: NO ADDITIONAL INFO GIVEN ON THE INCIDENT. RPTR HAD NOT GIVEN A RETURN ADDRESS.