Ground: Putting the “S” in safety

by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs6/20/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- "Mission first, safety always," said Master Sgt. Michael Asdel as he explained the meaning of the phrase coined by wing safety professionals Air Force-wide."In the same way, I am an Airman first and a safety professional always," he said. "Safety is everyone's responsibility -- we're just here to make sure everyone is following the safety guidelines as trusted counselors to wing and installation leaders."Asdel is a 379th Air Expeditionary Wing safety technician deployed here from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., who works hand-in-hand with the installation's weapons safety section. Contrary to the other two sections in safety, weapons and flight, ground is an actual Air Force specialty. This fact sets them apart from the other two safety sections."Going to safety school really opens your eyes to a new world and way of looking at things," he said. "It's a whole new experience. As an Airman we have to be safety conscious, but as safety technicians, we are here to ensure supervisors are doing what they need to do to be safety conscious themselves."Ground safety personnel responsibilities include the training of managers, supervisors and employees to identify, evaluate and control workplace hazards and ensure mishaps are investigated and reported. The ground safety program includes operational, occupational, off-duty and traffic safety concerns. These concepts are taught to each unit safety representative, who are the eyes and ears of the wing's safety office and essential to safe completion of the wing's mission."No one knows their work centers better than the individuals who work in them," Asdel said. "Our office is here to help and provide the knowledge and guidance necessary so everyone goes home safe."Asdel said he's been very happy with how concerned units are here with safety."Since I put boots on the ground in April, I've seen no signs of complacency or deviation on safety matters," he said. "I'm particularly proud of the civil engineers and maintainers with their 'lock-out, tag-out' program in place to control hazardous materials around the installation."Ground safety conducts annual inspections of all units on base, while their ground unit safety representatives carry out monthly spot inspections, disseminate safety educational materials and verify unit safety briefings are being conducted."These USR's are an instrumental component to the success of the safety program," said Asdel. "We couldn't do what we do without their assistance. With no annual or monthly inspections -- safety could be put on the backburner and service members could get hurt. So you can see why what we do here is very important."Ground safety also maintains strong partnerships with other agencies across the base."Our primary partners include bioenvironmental engineering, the fire department and public health," said Tech. Sgt. Joel Barnett, a 379th AEW ground safety technician deployed from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. "These agencies help us to mitigate and abate hazards."As with most functions in the military, the mission isn't a success without the combined efforts of multiple agencies. Jets require maintainers to keep them serviceable, but can't fly without pilots. Service members can't perform at their best without water, food and lodging. Without safety, the risk for injury and possibly death could skyrocket."It's a team effort," added Asdel. "It takes every Airman, all the way from airman basic to the wing commander to keep ourselves and our wingmen safe. Mishaps are going to happen, we know this, but it's our job to educate and prevent them as best we can."[Editor's note: This story is part two of a three-part series highlighting the three sections of wing safety.]

Dirty Jobs: Water, fuel systems maintenance

by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

6/19/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Water and fuel systems maintenance Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron worked to replace one of the largest sewage lift station pumps here June 18."These pumps tend to get clogged with rags, sanitary napkins, etc.," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Schrader, a 379th ECES water and fuel systems maintenance technician deployed from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. "Our sewage systems weren't built to handle anything other than toilet paper and sewage, so when people put other things in them, it's bad news for everyone."The issue began with the damaged pump, but snowballed when the team went to replace it and a retaining rail pulled out of place requiring them to hoist an Airman into the hole to not only replace the pump, but also the unaligned rail."We have to make sure the sewage does indeed go away and doesn't come back up," said Chief Master Sgt. Jerry Williams, the 379th ECES superintendent permanently assigned here on a one-year controlled tour. "This is one of the main contributing factors to delivering combat power -- disposing of everyone's waste, and it's something a lot of people take for granted."The chief said the operation is a unified effort between agencies from across the wing including the fire department, bioenvironmental engineering, ground safety and his troops."The fire department provides the tripod and breathing equipment necessary for lowering our guys in the hole," Williams said. "Bio ensures the quality of air in the confined space, while safety provides the necessary oversight to help keep us on track."Everyone uses the restrooms making it everyone's responsibility to police what they put into the toilets so situations like these don't occur regularly, the chief said. While it is understood that the systems can get old and clog on their own, the base can certainly help these Airmen in a preventative way from having to fix things that wouldn't have been broken otherwise.