Safety office conducts critical days of summer program

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shane M. Phipps
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  The base safety office is recognizing the critical days of summer with a safety program May 28 through Sept. 3.

The critical days span from Memorial Day to Labor Day, as studies have shown this time period is most likely to produce outdoor-activity accidents throughout the year.

With a significant increase from last year's on and off-duty mishaps, the safety office can see room for improvement.

"This year, there have been 14 on-duty mishaps compared to two last year, and 12 off-duty compared to four last year," said Master Sgt. Xavier Lawson, wing safety superintendent. "Eleven of the 12 off-duty mishaps were due to sports and recreation."

Although the safety office is not pleased with this year's results so far, they know how Gunfighters can turn things around.

"People need to engage their brains before they engage their bodies," said Randy Danner, 366th Ground Safety office. "They need to think about what they are doing because it's the mental errors that get people hurt."

Lawson agrees Gunfighters need to do a better job applying simple mental steps to ensure their own safety.

"One of the things people can do is implement the ACT process," explained Lawson. "This process means accessing the situation, considering all options and risks and taking appropriate action. This is where we're failing."

Due to low manning in a lot of Air Force Specialties it is more important than ever to practice safe habits.

"With the reductions in force and the high operations tempo we rely on every Airman even more than we used to, and the loss of one for even a few days has a severe impact on the mission," said Danner.

According to safety personnel, taking the time to acquire proper skills and training can mean the difference between a dangerous outing and a safe one.

"Visit the outdoor adventure program and learn from a pro before you go out and attempt to do something you're not capable of," said Danner.

Safety in general plays a direct role in one of the Air Force's main priorities, protecting its most valuable resource--Airmen.

"Unfortunately mishaps have increased but people need to understand safety is not just an on-duty program, it's something they need to utilize at all times," said Lawson.