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Show B Fighter ^Country October 28. 2004 Winter Continued from Page A Avoid overexertion. Work in increments to allow time for breaks and to let the body recuperate. Safety officials recommend not shoveling snow immediately after eating or while smoking; stretch and warm up before shoveling; shovel only fresh snow; don't pick up too much at once; lift with the legs. Winterizing vehicles. The 388th Fighter Wing safety office advises checking the antifreeze, battery, brakes, heater/defroster, emergency signals, exhaust system, lights, oil, thermostat, wiper blades, windshield wiper fluid and tires. In addition, keep a winter emergency safety kit in your car. : * A winter safety kit should contain candles, matches or a lighter, blankets, extra clothes, non-perishable food, water, shovel, a small pot to melt . snow for drinking, flashlight and'exrra batteries, first aid kit with a pocket knife, medications, sand, a piece of cloth to tie to the antenna, booster cables, tire chains and a cell phone. " If trapped in a car during a blizzard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency also offers some safety tips: stay in the car, display a trouble sign, run the engine and heater for ten minutes every hour, keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow, use newspapers or maps for more insulation, do minor exercises and don't stay in one position too long. If traveling in winter weather, let people know your destination and how long it will take to reach it, and check out road conditions and storm advisories on the radio or news before leaving. There are many places, especially in Utah, where people can participate in various winter activities, such as snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding. Along with these activities come risks. Every year the wing has a lot of injuries from people going out on the slopes without knowing what they're doing. Avoid danger^ui^ injuries when doing arty of HTteS? " sports by taking lessons or lave someone knowledgeable teach you. When snowmobiling, watch the fuel, never ride alone and know the machine. Skiers should choose quality equipment. Boots are the most important item, according to the safety office, because they are the link between the skier and the skis. Wearing the proper size ski is also important; with the tail' of the ski on the floor, the lip should reach the wrist when the arm is••., extended in the air. Clothing should be warm and comfortable, and skiers should wear headgear and goggles. . Snowboarding lessons will teach basic safety techniques to reduce injuries to wrists, ankles and knees. Carefully weighing the risks associated with on and off-duty activities in order to make safe decisions this winter season. ^ ' ; • ' Use the same good judgment and discipline that you apply at work and enjoy a safe winter season. We're midstream in our Cycle 5 Aerospace Expeditionary Force rotations and— our nation depends on the 388th FW's readiness to conduct combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as, defend the homeland. Play smart, play safe and play to survive, For more information on winter safety contact the 388th Safety Office at 777-2983. An hour spent with Chief McCoy... Priceless you questions about our enlisted force. We talked about the new uniform, operations tempo, chief issues, induction ceremonies, the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul Airey and many While walking through the other topics. Atlanta, Ga. airport on Oct. 13 to Chief McCoy retired on Nov. 1, catch my flight to Montgomery, 1981, almost 23 years ago this Ala., someone called my name from the waiting area. As I looked to my week, and only two months after I right, 1 immediately recognized forentered active duty. My answers to mer Chief Master Sergeant of the his questions made us both realize Air Force, James McCoy. the change in how today's Airmen serve. I first met Chief McCoy at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., when he was I entered the Air Force during the the guest speaker at a base function. Cold War and during a period when He impressed me with his comour Air Force was more than twice the size it is today. I did not deploy ments and genuine concern for our Air Force. in my first 10 years until Operation The chief and I Desert Shield. were waiting for a Today, our connecting flight to Airmen join the serattend a Senior vice in a time of war Noncommissioned, and can expect to Officer Academy deploy within their graduation ceremony first years of service. at Gunter Annex, Ala. I proudly told Chief I thought it would be McCoy about the a great opportunity to 388th Fighter ask him some quesWing's involvement tions. To my surprise Chief Master Sgt. in the Global War on for the next hour James McCoy (Ret) Terrorism, including Chief McCoy asked our past, current and upcoming the questions about our Air Force deployments. We talked some more and our Airmen. and finally boarded our flight to Stop and think how you would Montgomery. feel with the sixth Chief Master By Chief Master Sergeant Paul Weseloh 388th Fighter Wing command chief Sergeant of the Air Force asking The next day, Chief McCoy and "Remember that when you travel, you represent our Air Force and Nation." - Chief Master Sergeant Paui Weseloh 388th Fighter Wing command chief four other former Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force answered questions from the graduating senior noncommissioned officer academy class during a panel discussion, and that evening a graduate was awarded the James M. McCoy Academic Achievement Award, named in honor of the chief. In a 1984 interview. Chief McCoy was asked to give some advice to people who aspire to lead. His answer was "First, be involved in the Air Force - not just your job, but all facets of your life. Second, seek opportunities, grab them, and Chief Master Sgt. Paul Weseloh build on them." I could not agree more. Meeting the chief in Atlanta reminded me how important it is to be prepared and to stay current on issues facing our Airmen. As we walked from the aircraft I told Chief McCoy "Tickets to Alabama: $400; lunch at the airport: $20; an hour with Chief McCoy: priceless." Remember that when you travel, you represent our Air Force and our Nation. Be prepared because you never know who you are going to meet along the way. 388th Fighter Wing maintenance improves for fiscal year 04 By Sgt. sometimes up to a couple days for a smarter todays meetfor standards," said to "ACC this as asaid tell-tale sign, "ACC uses this as a tell-tale sign, sometimes up to a couple a smarter meetuses standards," By Master Master Sgt. part to get to the flight line. If a part Colonel Schmidt. in that if you have a low supply rate Sonja C.R. Whittington is delivered and It to us by 9:30 in the can be mentally stressful to a high cann rate, you're circum388th Fighter Wing morning, we can have it to the cus- determine more efficient ways to get venting the supply system," said Public Affairs Maintenance in the 388th Fighter Wing ended the fiscal year by continuing a trend of improved performance that began two years ago. The 388th maintenance indicators, which are reported to Air Combat Command to reflect the wing's ability to meet its mission demands, have shown a steady increase in ability to meeting or even exceeding ACC standards for maintenance. The wing's mission capability . rate for fiscal year 2004 was at 82.9 percent, an increase over the fiscal year 2002 rate of 76.1 percent. ACC's standard of 80 percent indicates that at that level, the wing can meet its wartime mission. "The mission capable rate is directly related to the number of jets available for the aviators, said, Col. Bruce E. Schmidt, 388th Maintenance Group commander. "The more jets available means a higher rate of success in supporting the war fighter." In direct correlation is the total non-mission capable for maintenance rate that fell almost four percentage points. One of the biggest successes was reported on the wing's TNMC for supply rate. It improved from 10.1 percent in fiscal year 2003 to 7.1 percent at the end of 2004. The ACC standard is 10 percent. The people responsible for getting parts delivered to the jet credit that improvement to a better delivery system. "We worked with several agencies to establish a supplemental delivery address right here (in building 39)," said Tech. Sgt. Anna Rivera, 388th Maintenance Operations Squadron. "It saves tomer by 10:30." The previous system, distribution was hampered by all repairables going to a centralized location. Under the new system direct supply points have greatly improved the 388th MC rate. Sergeant Rivera and her co-worker. Tech. Sgt. Robert Harris, also credit the improved statistics on better parts availability. "Depot repair has improved on the high MICAP drivers," Sergeant Harris said. . High MICAP drivers are the parts that routinely need to be replaced on the wing's F-16. Aircraft are either not flyable or are limited on their ability to fly while awaiting replacement parts. This affects the wing's ability to meet its sortie goals. One of the main indicators used to determine war-fighting capability is the 8-hour fix rate. "This measure is an ACC standard on how fast we can take a broken jet and repair it to go fight the bad guys," explained Tech. Sgt. Eric Coan, the NCO in charge of maintenance analysis for the wing. In fiscal year 2002, the rate was 68 percent. Thanks to some hard work in the maintenance group, the rate soared to 77.1 percent for fiscal year 2004. "Our maintainers are working a lot harder, but it's mostly about working the job done and eliminate weekend duty. "It's a big dance out there (on the flight line)," said Colonel Schmidt. "Our young officers and older chiefs are the choreographers making sure to gel the right parts, people and facilities to the right place, and at the right time to fix the jets." Colonel Schmidt doesn't deny that weekend duty is sometimes necessary, but he says that weekend duty is a failure of the system. "We need to be able to get the maintenance work done Monday through Friday." Another significant indicator is referred to as the "cann" rate. This statistic tracks how often a part is taken off (or cannibalized from) a mission-capable jet in order to fix one that's broken, explained Sergeant Coan. Sergeant Coan. While the cann rate was 9 percent in 2002, it soared to 13.8 percent in 2003. This year, the hard work of the members of the 3S8th Maintenance Group dropped that rate to 7.7 percent, below the ACC standard of 8 percent. One reflection of how hard and effective the maintenance crews have worked is indicated by the stellar repeat/recur rate. This reflects how often the same thing on a jet has to be repaired. That rate, which was at 7.7 percent in fiscal year 2002, is down to a 4.4 percent for fiscal year 2004, well below the ACC standard of 6 percent. "Everyone in the maintenance community - both young and old, on the flight line and in the back shops - gets it," said Colonel Schmidt. File Photo Published for People Like... Fighter^Country Senior Airman Adrian Viveros Editorial Staff Unit: 388th Operations Support Squadron Col. Charlie Lyon Commander Job: Intelligence Operations Readiness Capt. Monica Bland Chief. Public Affairs Staff Sgl. Nukita Carlisle Editor Time In Service: Three years and nine months The Fighter Country is a supplement to tlw Hilltop Time.!, published by MorMedia. Inc.. a privalc finri in no way connected with the UH. Air Force, under exclusive written contract wjili [he Ogden Air Logisiics Ccnir Public Affairs Office. This comntcrcial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized puhlicaiion for members of the U.S. military services. Contenus of Fixhirr Country- ate not neei-H«.ari]y the official views of. or enikirw.il by (he U.S. Government, lire Department of Defense or the Department of the Air !:orce. Unless otlierv.Lsc indicated, .ill photos are U.S. Air Vonx phoiov Advertisement* contained herein do not constitute endorsement by ilie Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Farce of Hill AFB. F.vcryihing advertised is available without regard to race, color, religion, «s, or other ponmeril factor of lite purchaser, user or patron. The Fighter Countn 11 edited, prepared and provided by the 388th Fighter Wing Putilic Affairs Office. 5K87 D. Ave.. Suite 113. HillAI-'BUT. 84056-5017. Most recent accomplishment: Recently returned from a four month deployment to Iraq, supporting the 729th Air Control Squadron Goals: Graduate from Arizona State University and work for the Office of Homeland Security If 1 could change one thing at Hill AFB what would it be: A better system for the base's loud speaker and enforcement of courtesies during reveille and retreat. ¥ Story submissions for the Fighter Ciuimn- can be brought by the office, e-mailed to the editor at figntcr.o.iuniryt'a'.hill.af.mil or faxed to 777-2923. Deadline for submissions to Fighter Country is no later than Monday, noon, two weeks prior to publication. For more information, call the puhlic affair* office ar. 777-3200. 1 : : o—I |