OCR Text |
Show 2 COMMENTARY Take pride in your contribution to AFSC reorganization I IiIltop TIMES Oct. 4, 2012 TIM BY LT. GEN. BRUCE LITCHFIELD Air Force Sustainment Center commander -Ice 1948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Lee Carter ... Standard-Examiner publisher Mary Lou Gorny Hilltop Times Editor Mikayla Beyer Hilltop Times Writer Hilltop Times Krista Starker Correspondent Hilltop Times Kim Cook Correspondent Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print Aug. 30, 2012. To submit news items e-mail hilltoptimes@standard. net or call 801- 625-4273. For Classified Advertising, call 801-625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 801-625-4388. The Hilltop limes is published by Ogden Publishing Corp., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. The content of the Hilltop Times does not necessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner, 332 Standard Way, Ogden, Utah, 84404. Additional editorial content is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 801-625-4273 with story ideas or comments, or contact the editor, Mary Lou Gorny, at mgorny@standard.net . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. HAWC Nest Fitness Tip from the Health and Wellness Center Up to 12 weeks of FREE tobacco cessation medication is available to federal employees and up to 6 months is available for active duty, dependents and retirees when attending the tobacco cessation series. Call the Health and Wellness Center at 801-777-1215 for further information. T oday is a great day to fly ... as we look ahead to soaring tomorrow! Each and every member of the Air Force Sustainment Center should take tremendous pride in what we accomplished this past fiscal year. Working in unprecedented partnerships, we constructed a leaner, more responsive sustainment organization; and we did it while never losing focus on our first priority — delivering airpower to the war fighter. Time and again you demonstrated your ability to meet expectations by delivering critical capabilities using the tenets of speed, quality and safety. From passing Air Force Material Command's first Consolidated Unit Inspection and garnering the Department of Defense's high- BY BILL "TOP" PARSONS BY ALLAN WOODS DAF Air Force Chief of Ground Safety Headquarters, Air Force Safety Installation motorcycle safety officer Center (AFSEC) w e recently lost another Airman to a Private Motor Vehicle-2 (PMV-2) mishap. In FY 11 the Air Force lost 15 Airmen due to motorcycle mishaps, and we're currently at 14 in this FY. Eleven of those 14 operators this FY were found to be at fault. Additionally, we had 2 PMV-2 mishaps resulting in permanent total disability. Over 200 motorcycle mishaps (Class A, B, C and D) have been recorded in the Air Force Automated Safety System for FY 12. The difference between a Class C or D mishap and a fatality is a matter of inches or timing. Sport bikes are the primary type of motorcycle involved in these fatal mishaps. Enlisted members account for 100 percent of the fatalities with an average age of 25. Ten of the 14 were under the age of 25 and all Airmen were wearing a helmet. The majority of the mishaps involved a single vehicle mishap where the rider lost control either due to inattention, speed or misjudging a corner. Whatever the reason, human error is the leading cause of these senseless deaths. With the summer ended and the riding season drawing down, riders will be trying to get as much seat time as possible before they park their motorcycles. This can lead to poor judgment and mishaps. Please reach out to all Air Force riders and make one last push to promote safe riding. (Some suggestions on spreading this message and reaching our riders would be through commander calls, informal discussions in units and work centers, roll calls, flyers, unit web sites and through unit motorcycle safety representatives.) Remind our riders that with the changing seasons the weather is unpredictable and may result in severe environmental hazards. Working together let's do all we can to find a way to encourage the use of good sound judgment and safe behavior. I know you're doing your very best to keep our Airmen safe and I sincerely appreciate your efforts toward promoting safety and mishap prevention. Thank you for all you do. Unit Involved: 75e ow/m(4w When you call or send an e-mail, your comments will be recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for action. SeeNzene Squelebropt Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated drivers are unavailable. Call 777-1111 to request a ride anytime. Hours of operation: Fridays-Saturdays 10 p.m.- 6 a.m. Sundays 9 p.m.-midnight. R iders, It makes me very sad to think the Air Force has lost so many good Airmen to unnecessary motorcycle crashes. Since the accompanying article was written, the Air Force has lost 3 more riders for a total of 18. This is 18 too many if you ask me! This is a tough subject for most of us because we have lost riders here at home. It has been said Hill AFB has a good riding record, especially considering our riding population of approximately 1,700. While I am extremely proud of our riders for their safe riding skills, what use is a good riding record if we have lost even one member of our riding community? Unfortunately we can't always dictate whether we will have a safe ride or not. What we can do is expect the worst and pay attention at all times. When the situation presents itself, avoid every part of it! We never know what is waiting for us around that next turn. Just because your bike will do 0 to 100-plus in a few seconds, doesn't mean we have to prove it each time we ride. As stated by Bill "Top" Parsons, DAF Air Force Chief of Ground Safety Headquarters, Air Force Safety Center (AFSEC: "The majority of the mishaps involved a single vehicle mishap where the rider lost control Phone numbers — The base agencies listed can be contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: Security Forces 24-hr. Crisis Information Force Support Squadron Base Restaurants Retirement/Compensation (civilian) Equal Opportunity Office Employer Relations Military Pay Civilian Pay Air Force Suggestion Program 777-3056 777-3056 777-4134 777-2043 777-6142 Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems before Hill Straight Talk 777-9696 IG Complaints 777-5305 (for appointment) IG Complaints ........... 777-5361 (after hours) Fraud, Waste or Abuse 777-5361 (recording) Loud Noise .......... ........ ..... 1-877-885-9595 777-5455 777-7129 777-1851 777-6246 (complaints) 777-6901 75th Medical Group Civil Engineering ......... either due to inattention, speed or misjudging a corner." I can't say it enough; slow down and ride within your limits. How do we make the necessary change to remedy this situation here at home? Slow down, pay attention, stay alive and enjoy the ride. Never let your fellow riders climb on their motorcycle or behind the wheel if they are impaired in any way. They may be angry with you for stopping them from riding at the time, but they will be here to thank you tomorrow. Following a motorcycle accident, a close friend of mine and a friend of the rider involved told me: "The rider only had three beers." We now know for sure that three beers are way too many to ride a motorcycle safely. It does not matter who was at fault, people will never forget alcohol was a factor in an accident. Did this alter the outcome of the situation? We will never know. The smart remedy is not to drink at all when you ride. Stay alert and focused at all times. Riding a motorcycle is a high risk activity. It requires us to keep our heads clear so we can stay sharp when we ride, always. Wingmen, let's work together to reach out and help all of the members in our riding community achieve my goal: to become a very old rider. Enjoy the fall riding season and ride safe! Report suspicious activity via the AFOSI EAGLE EYES program Dial: 777-3056 / 3057/ 3058. Watch — Report — Protect Force Protection is Our Business — Everyone is a Sensor 777-7000 action.line.pa@hill.af.mil Hill's Total 2012 DUIs: 10 Page 30 productive as a center. We are building metrics that provide focus and transparency from the shop floor to the AFMC commander's door; real metrics that measure productivity — not just activity! We are freeing ourselves from a culture of "this is how we have always done it" and embracing the reality that continuous process improvement is the portal to the cost effective readiness our nation needs. In uncertain times, one certainty is that the cost of readiness will be a major factor in shaping the size of the Air Force and its ability to win the next fight. Never doubt, what you do matters! It isn't cliché when I say I am humbled to be part of this remarkable group of logistics, maintenance, supply chain and base support professionals. I hope each of you is as proud as I am in the work you do every day to support our nation's defense. It's going to be a great year! Statistics from the Air Force Base installation safety manager Safety Center prompt caution says, slow down, pay attention THINK SAFETY Hill's Last DUI: est award for depot maintenance to finding innovative ways to reduce the cost of executing our business, team AFSC has already proven we are unequivocally better today than when we activated in July. But what excites Lt. Gen. Litchfield me isn't what we have done, but our potential for worldrecord performances across the sustainment mission. During our first 90 days as a center, we demonstrated unprecedented collaboration across all organizations to successfully posture ourselves to achieve "art of the possible" results. We have the leadership model in place that will enable us to be more and more calling the Action Line. This will help me better serve your interests. Items of basewide interest will be published in the Hilltop Times. Hill Pride Hotline 777-7433 Public Affairs 777-5333 Military Housing 825-9392 vlaintenance Safety Office 777-3333 Safety Office Hotline 586-9300 Sexual Assault Response 777-1985 Coordinator (or) 777- 1964 Union 777-3257 777-1852 777-4918 AFOSI Narcotics Hotline 777-3090 777-1856 Family Assistance Center (when activated) SUICIDE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE Mental Health Clinic 777-7909 Chaplain 777-2106 Military OneSource (800) 342-9647 National Suicide (800) 273-8255 Prevention Line TriWest Crisis Line (866) 284-3743 TriWest Behavioral (866) 651-4970 Health Contact Center EAP (800) 222-0364 777-1163 Occupational Medicine Services Wingman Advocates 777-2255 |