ACC road show puts new spin on safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  On Aug. 13, the Air Combat Command Safety Road Show completed its second appearance ever, exposing Moody members to a different perspective of safety briefings.

Contrary to the traditional briefing format, the road show is designed to be more appealing to today's Airmen and influence them to make good decisions in managing their behavior and reducing personal risk. The presentation is presented in the form of several skits performed by Moody Airmen.

A wide variety of topics were covered in the skits, including driving under the influence, distracted driving, personal protective equipment and weapons safety. The skit was preceded by a slideshow and followed by a question and answer session.

"The road show actually originated in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe command," said Senior Master Sgt. Bart Craven, ACC manager of ground safety. "From there, I took over the project, made some changes and it took off."

The show's inaugural performance took place at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., on May 14.

"The initial show was very successful and our wing commander commented that it was the best safety briefing he had attended in his entire career," said Sergeant Craven. "This type of approach is behavioral-based safety and hopefully we can appeal to more people before they make a bad decision."

The ability to appeal to individuals is easier because of the show's untraditional approach, which is one that participants say will have a more profound effect on the viewers.

"As my unit's safety representative, I felt it was important to step up and be a part of this," said Staff Sgt. Robert Sturman, 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron structural craftsman and skit performer. "Normal safety briefings involve you just sitting and enduring the briefing, leading you to forget the information shortly after.

"This style avoids the redundancy of those briefings and will help drive the messages home," he added. "Although it has comedic relief during the skits, it's a very serious matter and we hope portraying it to people this way will help what we're trying to say stick with them a bit longer."

A wing leader agrees on the importance of making safety messages relevant to the audience.

"The participants did a great job and we really appreciate the road show making an appearance here," said Col. William DeMaso, 23rd Wing vice commander. "It's crucial that safety was presented in this appealing way because it had more impact; the situations they depicted were life or death.

"In just August alone, we have already had five vehicle-related fatalities in the Air Force," he added. "When dealing with alcohol, it's especially important to remember to always have a plan and a Wingman."