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Show TIMES April 24, 2008 HILLTOP TIMES AF chiefs synchronize training Young motorcycle riders at highest risk programs for civilians, issue praise Y oung airmen take note: According to statistics obtained by the Air Force Materiel Command Safety Office, airmen in grades E-l through E-6 account for more than 86 percent of motorcycle mishaps. Riders, 26 years of age and younger, are considered in the high-risk category of motorcyclists, reports Lt. Col. Rick Palo, Chief of Safety. The reason that this age group experiences such a high rate of ac- , _ cidents is unknown, but alcohol is one Motorcycle Safety factor that can be Awareness Month ruled out in most cases. Alcohol inci- In order to help dents accounted for encourage drivers to "Share the Road," The less than 3 percent Hill AFB Motorcycle of the reported Safety Team is joining mishaps, according with other federal, state to the AFMC Safety and local highway safety, Office statistics. law enforcement and More likely conmotorcycle organizations tributing factors to proclaim May 2008 can be separated as "Motorcycle Safety into two categories, Awareness Month." All according to Palo: motorists are reminded driving too fast or to safely "Share the being exposed to Road" with motorcycles careless drivers on and to be extra alert when driving to help the road. The latter keep motorcyclists safe. category cannot be easily avoided by the motorcyclist, but he or she does have control of the speedometer. This and other mishap factors are reviewed in Hill AFB's Motorcycle Training course. There is a course offered for the novice rider, the Basic Rider Course, as well as an Experienced Rider Course. Both courses provide tips on how the motorcyclist can prevent himself from becoming a mishap statistic, and upon completion of the courses the rider receives a training card from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. This card must be shown to gate personnel when an airman enters the base via motorcycle. Base personnel can register for either class online at https7/www2.hill.af.mil/safety/moto/ index.php. For more information about motorcycle training and safety, contact Allan Woods at 7773333. Hilltop Staff A letter recently released by top Air Force officials an.nounced plans to link civilian development programs to Air Force mission requirements in a similar manner to how officers and enlisted receive programs and requirements. The letter released April 15 and signed jointly by Michael Wynne, secretary of the Air Force, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, stated that the intent of the term "airman" is meant to include everyone in the Total Force team including civilians. "Civilians perform a critical role in achieving the Air Force mission and deserve equal credit for our successes," said the two leaders. "Since Sept. 11, 2001, over 1,500 civilians have deployed, with over 550 deploying in the last two years alone. Sev- WEBCAMS From page 1 Webcams should be in the libraries. Some military families are in areas where they do not have a high-speed connection for Webcams or cannot afford the high-speed connection. "I think it's crucial for families," Taylor said. "I call it a saving grace. My children wouldn't know who their father was if they didn't see him on the computer." The donation to Davis will be made May 9, said Chris Sanford, the library director. The primary use of the Webcams will be for military families to communicate with those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who want to eral of these deploying civilians were awarded the Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, equivalent to the military Purple Heart." The letter went on to emphasize the first steps taken in pursuit of the coordination goals through the formation of a hand-picked advisory group established to ensure civilians' professional development as they play their part in the Total Air Force team. The panel is using a set of development guiding principles to aid it in its work to identify requirements, synchronize programs and communicate those changes. "We cannot overemphasize the role civilians play on our Air Force team. Civilian development is critical to our Total Force, and we owe it to our civilians to ensure they are fully equipped to help achieve the Air Force mission in the 21st century," the letter concludes. use the Webcams will have to reserve them. Five of the seven county libraries will have at least one Webcam. The Kaysville branch and the headquarters in Farmington do not have wireless service. The other five libraries have wireless laptops available and study rooms, so people using the Webcams can communicate in privacy, Sanford said. If the Webcams are not reserved for mili- tary families, other patrons may use them, Sanford said. Weber County Library was contacted last week to see if they would be interested in receiving a similar donation, Director Lynnda Wangsgard said. Her staff is working to see what can be arranged, because all of the computers in their four libraries are in computer centers. Two of Weber's branches also do not have private rooms. NEWS BRIEFS Communications survey ongoing The Integrated Delivery Sys-j tern Working Group is sponsoring the 2008 Community Assessment Survey. In addition. to surveying active duty members, spouses and reservists, ] the Community Assessment ( will survey Air Force Materiel Command civilians. This will be the first time that civilians will ' be completing the Community j Assessment to provide their perceptions and opinions of the Air Force community in which , they work. Approximately 800 • to 1,000 civilians from Hill will ' be surveyed. Air Force community members at Air Force bases worldwide will be randomly selected to participate in the study. A notification letter that includes j a link to the Web-based survey will be sent out to the work e-mail address of each ac- ! tive-duty member selected to ' participate (spouses will be ] sent a letter in the mail with the Web link). j Survey responses can j directly influence services and related support activities at local bases and throughout the Air Force. In fact, results from I previous Air Force Community Assessments have impacted the policies and programs that support families at every level of the Air Force. | April is Autism Awareness Month According to World Autism Day.Org Autism affects as many as 1 in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the world. Early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes. The Austism of America Society lists some warning signs: lack of or delay in spoken language, repetitive use of language and motor mannerisms, little or no eye-contact, lack of interest in peer relationships, lack of spontaneous or make-believe play and fixation on objects. Public Comment Opportunity April 19 -May 10, 2008 The Air Force has completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed "West Side Development, Enhanced Use Lease" that will be located on Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah. The EA has been prepared to analyze and document potential environmental and socioeconomic consequences associated with the proposed development project. The Proposed Action would lease approximately 550 acres of land under the Enhanced Use Lease program for the purpose of redevelopment. Newly constructed facilities would house government employees, contractors with the Department of Defense, and private sector employees with occupations consistent with the missions of Hill AFB. The redevelopment would involve demolition of existing substandard facilities and construction of new facilities to support base operations. Based on the results of this EA, the proposed development would not have significant adverse effects on the human environment or any of the environmental resources described in the EA. The Air Force, therefore, proposes a Finding of No Significant impact (FONSI) for the proposed project and has determined an Environmental Impact Statement is unnecessary. We invite the public to review the EA and make comments. The public comment period ends on May 10, 2008. To obtain a copy of the EA or to submit comments on the document, please contact: Kay Winn 75 CEG/CEVOR 7274 Wardleigh Rd. • Hill AFB, UT 84056-5137 (801)777-0383 kay.winn@hlll.af.mil t - Quality, Flexibility, Accessibility mLmk ^9 ^m. Evening Courses Designed lYIDM For Working Professionals For information, call 395-3519 or click on weber.edu/mba listed in the Princeton Review's Best Business Schools 2008 edition 2750 N, University Park Blvd., Layton • 1-15 Exit 334, east on Hwy. 193 • NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS |