Wyvern Warrior of the Week: Selena Petris

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Thomas Calopedis
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

This week’s Wyvern Warrior of the Week is Selena Petris, 31st Fighter Wing’s Ground Safety section traffic safety manager.

Petris contributed greatly to the safety of Wyvern Nation through her efforts on the Wing Traffic Safety Program.

Working diligently, Petris strengthened the Wing’s rapport with local law enforcement and built a strong relationship with the Carabinieri and Italian Air Force personnel by integrating them into the Traffic Safety Coordination Group (TSCG). This group consisted of U.S. Air Force personnel dedicated to road related safety concerns, and now has valuable input from local nationals thanks to her efforts.

“There are a lot of units involved in the TSCG, including Security Forces, Logistics Readiness Squadron and Legal as well as ITAF and Carabinieri,” said Petris. “Getting everyone together and building the relationships took time, but it is good now.”

Now that all the different agencies are coordinating through the TSCG more effectively, Aviano AB’s hazard mitigation capabilities have become more robust. Petris has removed two of the four North Gate speedbumps, reducing traffic during peak times.

Additionally, she coordinated with the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron and wing leadership for a dorm parking lot renovation project to meet Italian law requirements.

During the weekly Wyvern Welcome, the introductory briefing for Aviano AB newcomers, Petris covers a presentation on traffic safety policies and local conditions. This contributes to base personnel’s traffic safety awareness and helps reduce traffic incidents.

Petris also developed a 44-slide presentation for Brig. Gen. Clark, 31st Fighter Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Unterseher, 31st FW command chief, which analyzed traffic incidents and trending data. The information increased their real-time situational awareness for the base and local area.

“Our mission is keeping the Aviano AB community safe,” said Petris. “We do this through education, inspections and mishap investigations. We want to give units and individuals all the information we can so they can make good decisions.”