Keep safety first: don’t push limits

  • Published
  • By Senior Airmen S.I. Fielder
  • 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
As we pass the half-way point of the “101 Critical Days of Summer,” Team Moody members are reminded to keep safety as the No. 1 priority during daily activities. 

So far, the 347th Rescue Wing suffered one fatality and one mishap. Last year, the wing had eight mishaps with no fatalities. The year before, there were 14 mishaps with three fatalities. 

“Despite all the actions we do to make things right, invariably things may go wrong,” said Joseph Bell, 347th Rescue Wing ground safety manager. “Everyone needs to be mindful of the results activities may cause and not push themselves past their own limits.” 

Although safety applies to everyone, the target audience for many safety briefings throughout the Air Force is Airmen age 25 and under. 

“It’s hard to get our target audience to understand that if they die it affects not only them, but their family, friends, supervisor and co-workers,” said Maj. Dax Hair, 347th Rescue Wing chief of safety. “At a minimum, protect yourself for your family’s welfare.”

Extended travel

One safety concern is Airmen coming back from deployments and temporary duty assignments. Many of the assignments have restrictions on the amount of alcohol an Airmen may drink. 

“When someone comes back, they’re no longer restricted so they may drink more,” said Mr. Bell. “People need to realize their tolerance is not where it was when they left. Also, it takes time for the body to get back into the rhythm of how things were.” 

When people travel in several time zones, their internal rhythm needs time to adjust, he continued. The body usually continues to follow the same time zone it was previously in. 

This factor, as well as the fact many military members are not stationed near their family and loved ones, may lead to Airmen taking extended leave after a deployment. To help properly prepare for departure, all Airmen under the age of 26 are required to complete a pre-departure safety briefing. 

“Everyone needs to know what their own physical ability is and know when they need to stop drinking,” said Mr. Bell. “During long trips, it’s not advisable to drink and drive, because it compounds the effects of your body trying to adjust.” 

While planning for departures, Airmen are urged to allow time for rest before a departure and plan a stop every two hours during the trip, according to the Moody pre-departure safety brief. Members are also urged to not drive more than 10 hours during any 24-hour period and to make sure to get between seven and eight hours of sleep while traveling. 

“Get as much rest as needed, however, don’t overextend your driving,” said Mr. Bell. “Also, having more drivers isn’t necessarily better because people sleeping in the car do not get the required level of rest they need to be an alert driver.”

High-risk activities

High-risk activities include everything from riding all terrain vehicles and auto racing to hunting and skydiving. 

“Although most mishaps happen while a person is driving their personal vehicle in the local area or at a distance to see loved ones, the potential for mishaps becomes greater during high-risk activities,” said Mr. Bell. 

The safety office has implemented a high-risk activity guide, available at the Moody intranet site. 

“This guide ensures the serviceability of the mission and family,” said Mr. Bell. “Some people enjoy taking risks; it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to know who those people are. We all play a part in keeping each other safe. 

“Sometimes things will just happen, but sometimes it can attribute to people’s own demise,” he continued. 

Many times incidents happen during high-risk activities because people believe they can still perform the activity at the same level they did before a deployment or previous summer, said Major Hair. 

“When you’re out on the town or participating in a sport, you need to ask a friend to double check what you’re doing,” said Major Hair. “If your friend says, ‘knock it off, you’re overextending yourself,’ then listen up. Suck up your pride and simmer down.”

Reporting procedures

When a mishap occurs, proper reporting procedures are a must. 

“No one wants to see something happen,” said Mr. Bell. “However, when they do, our office needs to be notified in a timely matter.” 

The 347th RQW safety office recently adopted reporting procedures used at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The new form is available on-line at Moody’s intranet site. The supervisor is responsible for submitting the form, said Mr. Bell. 

“We’re trying to improve the system of reporting mishaps for when things do go wrong,” he said. 

When a mishap occurs, the safety office also helps ensure fewer days are lost. A robust, light-duty program encourages supervisors to find work for the Airmen with minor injuries, said Mr. Bell. 

“It helps keep lost days at minimum, since we cannot predict the things that happen,” he continued. “At a moment’s notice, some people will believe they are invincible or have complete disregard for their safety.” 

History shows many mishaps happen due to complacency, said Major Hair. 

“Even after not riding a motorcycle for four months, some people go out and try to perform at the same skill level,” he said. “That is complacency. They don’t use the ‘crawl, walk, run’ philosophy, they go right back to sprinting.” 

When a mishap occurs, many people only hear something happened and someone got hurt. What they don’t often see is the extensive rehabilitation the person will require, and how it affects the everyday activities of that person, said Major Hair. 

“It’s a huge snowball effect,” he said. “One injury may develop into affecting a majority of friends and family.” 

Airmen cannot always control every factor of a mishap. Major Hair said some things are preventable, while other things happen that a person cannot prepare for. However, there are certain things every Airman can do in preparation for a mishap. 

“Make sure you have identification on you at all times,” he said. “Have your emergency contacts, or Virtual Record of Emergency Data, up to date. Have a living will and make sure it’s current. If you don’t have a living will that’s current, you might as well not have one at all. You can help the people who are helping you during your time of need by having these things up to date.”

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