Hanscom gearing up for 101 Critical Days of Summer

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  The 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office is on a mission, a mission to make people stop and think about safety. With the 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign set to begin May 23, the Safety Office is going on the offensive through a comprehensive campaign aimed at increasing personal awareness of the risks associated with the summer season in an effort to reduce, and ideally eliminate, the number of mishaps and fatalities that have historically increased during this period.

"Safety has no time out," said Rolen Johns, 66th Air Base Wing, director of safety. "We know that people are going to play hard during the summer months but we also want them to play smart and use risk mitigation. We know that people try to fit a lot in during the summer and that's okay as long as they take a few minutes to utilize risk management to ensure that their actions won't lead to a mishap or even worse, a fatality."

The Air Force wide 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The Air Force Materiel Command theme for this year's campaign is "Safety is a Team Effort".

"People might ask, why the emphasis? We have a good safety record here," Mr. Johns said. "The fact is we're not immune from any of the risks, we want to be sure people go into this critical time armed with information and awareness to help them in making the right choices that will keep them, their co-workers and family safe. Our people are important to us."

On June 20, in conjunction with National Safety Month, the Safety Office will host a Safety Fair in coordination with AAFES and other organizations in the Base Exchange parking lot. Additional information on this event will be published in future issues of the Hansconian.

"With warmer weather in sight, we ask people to remember our Voluntary Protection Program and the Hazard Report button found on the ESC Centernet," said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander. "If you see a hazard around the base, contact a facility manager or Unit Safety Representative to ensure that they are aware of the hazard or utilize the hazard report button so that actions can be taken to get the hazard corrected. We have to stay focused on keeping our worksites and our people safe," he said.

AFMC tragically experienced two off-duty Class "A" Sports and Recreation mishaps during last year's campaign. One individual drowned during a boat docking operation and one individual was permanently paralyzed after diving head first into a lake. Lack of personal flotation device and overuse of alcohol were contributing factors to the mishaps.

"The Wingman concept plays a big part in preventing many of these mishaps," said Master Sgt. Shelly Barton, safety superintendent. "The bottom line is friends or Wingmen have to look out for one another so that we all return safely and in one piece at the end of the 101 Critical Days of Summer Campaign."

For additional information contact the 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office at (781) 377-5135. The Air Force Materiel Command Safety Office has developed weekly themes and briefings to help unit safety representatives and supervisors get the word out to their personnel. The briefings can be downloaded from the AFMC Safety Community of Practice Web site found on the Air Force portal.