2010 Critical Days of Summer campaign kicks off May 28

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte Brantley
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  From barbecues to pool parties, the summer season is a time when Airmen and their families do all sorts of fun activities, but it is also the time when the Air Force sees the most mishaps.

Moody's 2010 Critical Days of Summer campaign, which will run from May 28 to Sept. 7, helps stress the importance of safety during these activities.

Throughout the summer months, the 23rd Wing Safety Office will host various briefings and activities aimed at improving safety in the everyday lives of Moody personnel.

"Although it's hard to say there will ever be zero preventable mishaps, it's definitely something to aim for," said Bert Stamm, 23rd WG Safety Office chief of ground safety. "We're always looking to reduce both the severity and number of mishaps and this requires individuals to take responsibility for themselves and their Wingmen."

As a precursor to this campaign and another step in preventing mishaps, the 23rd Wing's training day scheduled for May 21 will focus on suicide prevention, motor vehicle safety and improving wingman skills.

"The primary key in any safety situation is to have a plan and a back-up plan," said Mr. Stamm. "There could be a situation when you're planning to stay in and drink at home when a friend comes along. Since you've had a couple of drinks, you may also decide to tag along and that leads to the possibility of getting into trouble.

"In addition to having a plan, everyone needs to use common sense."

Even though the CDoS campaign covers only a portion of the year, it ties into the overall safety mission.

"The summer months are when Airmen are getting outside, participating in more activities and so they are more prone to mishaps," said Col. Brendan O'Brien, 23rd Wing Safety Office chief of safety. "While the goal of this campaign is to have zero preventable mishaps, we are also stressing personal risk management, responsible behavior and the Wingman concept all year.

"Motor vehicle safety is one of the major issues we stress because it is largely preventable and 70 percent of fatal traffic mishaps involve reckless behavior," he added. "We just want Airmen to stop for a second or two and think about what they are doing and the possible consequences."

Although the overall theme or weekly themes have not been announced yet, previous ones have included water safety, motorcycle safety and summer heat safety.