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Getting "Back to Basics" with safety

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rebecca Blossom
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Team McChord members gathered together during a Safety Down Day Jan. 8 to re-evaluate how they safely accomplish their mission here at McChord Field. 

Lt. Gen. Carlton Everhart, 18th Air Force commander, directed each wing under his command to take a collective pause in order to refocus and re-examine the way they operate, getting back to the basics of Air Force safety.

In a letter to mobility Airmen, Everhart addressed the importance of revitalizing our views on safety. 

"Basic Airmanship is at the very heart of what we do every day," said Everhart. "My challenge to you is to go back to your first day on the job and re-examine the tactics, techniques and procedures the way you did as a new lieutenant or Airman. Relearn them; they are important for you to safely accomplish your mission."

Throughout the Safety Down Day, members were asked to look at the way they achieve their tasks while considering the impact they have on the safety of their fellow Airmen and themselves.

Lt. Col. Dan DeYoung, 62nd Airlift Wing Safety chief, organized the Safety Down Day at McChord Field in concurrence with the theme of going "Back to Basics".



During the event, members were briefed not only on mission safety, but also on the prevention of off-duty mishaps that could occur at home, at work, and everywhere in between.

"Safety is a discipline that requires constant attention and conscious application," said DeYoung.  "While mishap rates have been relatively low over the past year, Lt. Gen. Everhart has noticed enough of a trend in mishaps and their causes over the first quarter of this fiscal year to ask us to renew our focus."

Following the event, members divided into their respective units to discuss the challenges that all Airmen face in regards to safety, and were asked by Everhart to look for innovative, rather than inventive, ways to address them.

For more information, contact the 62nd Airlift Wing Safety Office  at 253-982-5307.