Friday's Wing Safety Day focus: winter hazards

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dean Baskett
  • 354th Fighter Wing Safety Office
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The 354th Fighter Wing Safety office will host Winter Safety Day Sept. 26 at the base theater. The goal of Winter Safety Day is to educate personnel recently assigned to Eielson and to reinforce the numerous Alaska-unique winter season hazards to Alaska winter "veterans."

There will be three safety briefings to accommodate the base populace: the first briefing begins 7:30 a.m., the second at 11 a.m., and the last briefing is at 3:30 p.m.

Briefing topics include: hazards of driving on ice and snow-covered roads, ATV/snowmachine riding requirements, fire prevention, arctic survival, seasonal affective disorder, Voluntary Protection Program, pedestrian safety, and vehicle winterization.

There will also be a guest speaker from the Alaskan State Troopers.

Although Friday's Safety Day participation is mandatory for all Icemen, military and civilian, its recommended commanders also dedicate a minimum of four hours focused on increasing on- and off-duty winter safety awareness. Unit Safety Days should consists of three specific tasks: an hour-long mandatory safety briefing by wing safety, unit-level safety training and commander's calls to reinforce winter policies and address members concerns.

Additional emphasis for Safety Day should be at the squadron level, according to Brig. Gen. Mark Graper, 354th Fighter Wing commander, "Unit commanders, supervisors, and safety representatives are responsible for developing the unit safety day agenda; squadron level training should focus on briefing, reviewing, and discussing unit processes, practices, and standard operating procedures during the winter months."

Alaska is a unique environment and will swallow you whole if you don't take its beauty in with some good planning. A fighter pilot doesn't jump into a multimillion dollar aircraft without a set plan or exact destination. Numerous briefings occur; map readings, GPS locations, and many other fail-safes are brought into place to ensure the pilot meets his/her target and returns safely. So before you put yourself or your precious cargo in the family car, stop and ask the questions: "Am I prepared?" "Do I have enough supplies in the car to survive in below 40 degrees for a couple of days?" "Do I have a back-up plan?"

Wing Safety Day is a mechanism to remind personnel about some of the potential hazards that Alaska has to offer. In no way will the Wing Safety Staff be able to safeguard everyone in an hour-long briefing or give you every possible hazard that you may possibly face while you complete your tour here.

Our goal with "Safety Day" is to educate personnel and get them in the right frame of mind to survive the Alaskan winter. The Safety Office is ready to assist any squadron preparing for their Safety Day event. To request assistance, call 377-1842 or visit our Communities of Practice on the Air Force Portal under Iceman Safety.