Sheppard gears up for "Critical Days of Summer"

Published May 15, 2012
By Danny Webb
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The Air Force has designated 25 May through 4 September 2012 as the Air Force Safety Center's "Critical Days of Summer". This year's slogan is "Safety - It's Personal".

Team Sheppard is preparing for the Critical Days of Summer and the vision this year is to help ensure all of our Airmen have zero preventable fatal mishaps and an injury-free summer.

The objective of the campaign is to call attention to the tragic loss or injury of Airmen during the summertime and to make Airmen realize that safety is personal for them, their families, friends and co-workers.

According to Tech. Sgt. Chris McDonald, 82nd Training Wing NCOIC of Inspections, the Air Force has done very well in the mishap category, but off-duty time is where the Air Force lose their personnel.

Since FY02, the Air Force has experienced 218 fatalities during the critical days of summer. Broken down, there were 201 off-duty and 17 on-duty fatalities.

"Every year we come out with the "Critical Days of Summer" campaign," McDonald said. "It's important to put emphasis on this time frame where we're more prone to mishaps, whether it's sport and recreational related activities, sun exposure or dehydration due to high temperatures."

Making sure everyone understands they have a personal part to play in being safe during the summer months is a key part of the campaign.

"When it's nice outside, we try to put an emphasis on every outdoor activity by attacking safety concerns from every angle," said Tech. Sgt. Darrell Leatherman, 82nd TRW NCOIC of Ground Safety. "We want everyone to have a great summer, but the bottom line is safety is every individual's responsibility."

The safety offices uses a variety of tools to spread the word about safety, including the base newspaper, website and social media. However, it still comes down to the chain of command, including every Airmen, civilian, contractor and family member, thinking about safety.

"The biggest key for everyone is to make sure awareness is there," McDonald said. "Most of the accidents we see are because people are not prepared or they don't have a plan because things go wrong all the time."

With summer upon us, many people want to get out and participate in various activities. Taking a minute to think about what you are doing can mean the difference between averting disaster or making a fatal mistake.

"One of the main messages for everyone is for people to slow down." Leatherman said. "Whenever it comes to doing anything that could be risky, slow down and think about what you're doing before you do it."

For more information on the "Critical Days of Summer", contact the 82nd TRW Safety office at DSN 676-6514 or 940-736-6514 or go to the Air Force Safety Center's conops page on the Air Force Knowledge Now website at https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/DocView.asp?DocID=11920295.