33rd Fighter Wing safety program wins again

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Phillip O.
  • 33d Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 33d Fighter Wing's safety office has reached the halfway point in its "101 Critical Days of Summer" program. This program was started to raise awareness of potential hazards Airmen face during the dog days of summer.

With less then 50 days to go, the wing's safety office keeps safety in mind as the mission moves forward.

"Our primary goal is to prevent mishaps within the wing and to ensure the wing remains poised to support higher-headquarter taskings," said Lt. Col. Scott Warner, 33d FW chief of safety. "We do this by providing reliable safety information and ideas to our fellow Nomads."

The game plan of the safety office is to end the 101 critical days of summer with the same number of personnel that the wing started with. When historically averaged out, the summer months are the most
deadly for the Air Force.

"Therefore, with the assistance from the wing's first sergeants and commanders, we've really strived to push the anti-driving under-the-influence message as well as the concept of using sound personal risk management. So far, the wing has been very successful with a 50 percent decrease in DUIs as well as very
limited personal injuries to date," said Colonel Warner.

To assist the Airmen with PRM, the safety office identifies individuals who require extra training through their network of unit safety representatives.

"We send e-mails to our USRs about motorcycle safety and boating safety. The USRs in turn collect all the names of the Airmen who may require these classes and sends them back to us so we can schedule them," said Staff Sgt. Steven Jefferson, 33d FW ground safety manager.

Along with providing classes and briefings, safety also conducts random vehicle safety belt and cell phone stops. The safety office or the USRs set up a check point and make sure people are wearing their lap belts and not talking on their cell phones while driving.

"We feel our job is to support our wing in its primary job and that is to kill MiGs," said Colonel Warner. "We intend to do that by making sure everyone in the 33d FW is in compliance with safety standards while also using rock solid risk management to get the job done. This in turn will provide a safe working environment that can foster a better sense of teamwork as well as a greater level of morale."