Safety stand down

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  In light of recent safety issues, the leader of Air Mobility Command has directed Jan. 27 to be a command-wide down day for all Airmen to focus on the issue.

Aircraft taxiing accidents command-wide since October 2011 have already eclipsed the mark for all of the previous fiscal year, one example of the recent mishaps Gen. Raymond Johns, AMC commander pointed out.

Other incidents in recent months include Airmen hurt performing aircraft maintenance or injured in vehicle accidents.

At Travis, Airmen were recently responsible for two cargo mishaps which caused considerable damage.

"The bottom line is these mishaps are preventable," said Lt. Col. Jackie Breeden, 60th Air Mobility Wing Safety Office commander. "We're doing this to reinvigorate awareness."

Travis has seen a decline in what the 60th AMW's safety office classifies as major incidents, Breeden said.

"Our major accidents are down, but our minor incidents (are) skyrocketing," Breeden said. "If you have one major incident, but 100 minor ones, you're not really saving any money."

For the down day, Col. Dwight Sones, 60th AMW commander, will host four commander's calls throughout the day to inform Airmen. Next, squadrons will facilitate their own training and discussion on safety issues.

The calls will educate Airmen on the difference between the various classifications of incidents as well as which types of incidents qualify as reportable.

Among the discussion topics are issues surrounding aircraft loading, ground movements both on and off the flightline, tactical operations and personnel injuries sustained on duty.

Ground safety concerns both aircraft and personal motor vehicles, Breeden said.

Incidents involving motor vehicles are the No. 1 cause of death for AMC Airmen, according to information from AMC safety. The group most susceptible are 18 to 26-year-old males ranking E4 and E5 on sports bikes.

"We must sharpen our focus on safety in order to continue to successfully execute our global mobility mission," said Lt. Gen. Mark Ramsay, 18th Air Force commander, in an email to Air Force leaders. "Recent on-duty mishaps have highlighted the importance of emphasizing to our Airmen the most basic safety principles of good risk management, attention to detail and compliance with standard operating procedures."