375th AMW reflects on a year of innovative accomplishments Published Dec. 14, 2016 By Staff Sgt. Jodi Martinez 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Throughout the year, the 375th Air Mobility Wing has worked to expand its capabilities in an Air Force operating with less money, personnel, and resources. To compensate, Airmen have successfully implemented the “Innovation” piece of the “ICE” principles that Col. Laura Lenderman, 375th Air Mobility Wing commander, asks the wing to embody each day, enabling Rapid Global Mobility for the nation. With 2017 right around the corner, the 375th AMW prepares to work toward another year of meaningful innovations, but it’s also a time to reflect on some its successes. TRAINING PLATFORMS The heart of ensuring total mission preparedness in today’s force is in the training, and the first of these innovative training accomplishments is with the implementation of the C-130 and KC-135 aeromedical static trainers. These static trainers are estimated to save the base $375,000 a year by providing a localized simulation platform that could also be credited toward training that is traditionally accomplished in-flight. “Before we had these assets, we would work with the flying units around the country so our crew members could maintain currency on various aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Catherine Bonhoff, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Operations Officer. Bonhoff said this often resulted in crewmembers being gone for three days to accomplish just a few hours of training and, in combination with operational missions, crewmembers would find themselves on the road for about seven months out of the year. With the addition of these static trainers, however, 50 percent of all clinical training requirements can now be accomplished on Scott AFB. By being an innovative leader among wings, Scott also attracts Total Force AE partners from other states, strengthening relationships between units. “Reserve aeromedical evacuation units fly in on their grey tails and let us train on their aircraft while they work with our Cargo Compartment Trainer,” said Bonhoff. “We intend to expand on this practice by incorporating electronic health record training into CCT scenarios. This will be a magnet for AE units that need just-in-time pre-deployment refresher training.” Another money and time saving training innovation, the Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device, made its debut to Scott in September and serves all the aviators on base. Over the next six years, the ROBD will save the installation $360,000. Aircrews will no longer travel to the nearest available altitude chamber, which is over 300 miles away. Additionally, the ROBD takes 1/6th of the time that the two-hour altitude training chamber required and offers a more realistic experience as students fly a simulated flight profile. Finally, it allows crews to experience hypoxia without the need for pre-oxygenation or threat of decompression sickness. WEB APPLICATIONS In a fast-paced society, the demands for quick communication and instant resources are high. The 375th Communications Support Squadron has developed multiple applications throughout the year to meet these demands. The development flight, a team of 40 programmers and software engineering managers, fielded three new innovative applications this year: the Attachment Three Assessment Tool, Aeromedical Power System, and the Mobility Guardian Exercise Registration Tool. In total, the 375th CSPTS applications have supported 172,000 DOD users, saved 17,244 man-hours and nearly $12 million in 2016. The ATAT is now being used by the Inspector General Air Force-wide, which gives Installation and Mission Support Center, Major Command, and wing IG’s the ability to evaluate programs to give self-assessments and confidence values for each inspection area. The composite score gives IG the opportunity to locate weak areas and refocus on any inefficiencies. AMPS is a tool for aeromedical evacuation clinicians to determine if the lifesaving medical equipment required for patient transfer may be safely integrated with aircraft systems by calculating the amount of electrical power and supplemental oxygen required, preventing aircraft and equipment damage, and ensuring life sustaining equipment is available throughout the flight. With the Mobility Guardian Exercise around the corner, CSPTS is using the registration tool to track information for 3,000 participants from the U.S. and 25 partner nations for the 10-day exercise planned for August 2017. EOD RAMP Some innovations aren’t measured in money, but they are measured in efficiency and, potentially, the lives that are saved. For one Airman his innovation could do just that. Senior Airman Emilio Solis, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal journeyman, identified a modification to the EOD response vehicle. His discovery involved the addition of a retractable ramp that would improve robot deployment times for emergency responses. The original ramp required two people to deploy and weighed 150 pounds. “This routinely exposed EOD techs to potential hazardous improvised explosive device environments and the risk of injuries during operations,” said Maj. Gregory Orbino, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron. The addition of this ramp decreased robot deployment times by 75 percent—taking just 60 seconds and requiring just one person to deploy. Once Solis realized the hassles of the ramp, he began researching vehicle ramps for disabled people, thus leading to finding the affordable ramp they have installed today. “The part that I am most proud of is the fact that not only does switching to this ramp help my flight, but it can also help the rest of the DOD and civilian bomb squads who may have older technology like we did,” said Solis. He encourages other Airmen, regardless of rank or job title, to speak up if they have an idea because great ideas can come from anywhere. His accomplishments earned him the award of ICE Airman, an accolade given to Airmen across the wing for their embodiment of the ICE principles: Innovation, Communication and Excellence. Solis isn’t alone. He and 50 other Airmen were recognized for their ability to embody ICE this year, and with another year approaching, the goal is that 50 additional Airmen will add to this atmosphere of excellence. Lenderman said, “Ultimately, our wing cannot achieve excellence if we do not innovate ... and not one of us can do this alone. We do this together, and we do this by prioritizing our efforts and resources. I’m proud of the 375th AMW team for leading the way and making improvements not just for our wing, but for the Air Force!” These Airmen were recognized in 2016 for their innovations! Senior Airman Jacob Santiago, 375th Legal Office —For innovative oversight of the wing’s discharge program that exceeded Air Force standards. Rodney “JoJo” Bess, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron —For creatively managing a $3.7M chiller plant repair project and an HVAC upgrade for the logistics squadron. Airman 1st Class Michael Huval, 375th Communications Support Squadron —For developing a software app to automate and centralize inspection processes and reporting AMC-wide. Heather Braundmeier, 375th Aerospace Medicine Squadron —For creating the six-week running clinic that has significantly reduced the 1.5 mile run times for active duty members. Senior Airman Alexandra Smith, 375th Operations Group —For consolidating the group and wing leadership’s scheduling calendars, which deconflicted more than 1,000 events. Senior Airman Kiana Brothers, 375th Public Affairs —For developing photo documentation standards for many high-visibility events. Kathy Morkin, 375th Force Support Squadron —For expanding her unit’s capabilities through several web-based tracking tools. Steven Bommarito, 375th Communications Squadron —For creative management during a critical Command Post telecom outage. Staff Sgt. Kelli Maldonado, 375th Medical Support Squadron —For successfully coordinating the largest patient movement effort since the closure of the Aeromedical Staging Facility in 2011. Staff Sgt. Brandon Owens-Torry, 375th Operations Support Squadron —For tailoring an AE aircrew intel training program for quicker response times. Senior Airman Anastasia Tompkins, 375th Public Affairs --For developing a video training program to increase the amount of productions for AMC by 300 percent. Senior Airman Michael Dekker, 375th Contracting Squadron —For expediting the acquisition of $27,000 worth of outdoor circuit and linear exercise equipment for the base track. Mark White, 375th Communications Support Squadron —For managing 41 application projects and spearheading a $4.8 million software development program supporting 212,000 users DOD-wide. Senior Airman Daniel Cobb, 375th Medical Operations Squadron —For creatively reducing the backlog of appointments and increasing the amount of referrals to meet customer demands. Capt. Richard Callahan, 458th Airlift Squadron —For digitizing the unit’s mobility folders and eliminating 90 percent of paper requirements, saving 45 man-hours per month. Tech. Sgt. Kim Brown, 375th Communications Squadron —For innovations in accurately tracking high priority network statuses and outages for critical communication decision making. Senior Airman Nicole Blews, 375th Logistics Readiness Squadron —For developing a robust and time-saving ground-transport plan during a four-day AMC leadership course. Robin Weeks, 375th Medical Group —For innovatively coordinating numerous out-of-area network referrals, thus averting breaks and delays in specialized care, and eliminating unnecessary appointments for patients. 1st Lt. Travis Hough, 375th Air Mobility Wing —For restructuring the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program briefings for first-term Airmen and establishing a first-ever Victim Advocate recognition program. Staff Sgt. Stacey Jones, 906th Air Refueling Squadron —For orchestrating four crew chief Advanced System courses, which is now standard for the base’s active duty and Guard maintenance Airmen. Airman 1st Class Trever Kaye, 375th Security Forces Squadron —For his quick thinking and life-saving actions on a distressed driver at the base entry gate. Senior Airman Evan Gerth, 375th Communications Support Squadron —For crafting a better manpower scheduling tool and designing a ground fueling application upgrade so that HQ AF leadership can see waiver summaries. Capt. Marie Shidler, 375th Dental Squadron —For multiple contributions to the efficiency of several internal processes for doctors, patients and support staff, as well as effectively managing numerous dental outreach programs. Staff Sgt. Alan Bibalo, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron —For modernizing the AE War-Readiness Spares material kits across the AE enterprise. Staff Sgt. Jessica Tucker, 375th Comptroller Squadron —For efficiently managing the civilian pay program, where she oversaw 1,200 certifiers, confirmed processing of 182,000 timecards and disbursed $608 million in payments. Elizabeth Toftemark, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron —For leading the successful migration and innovative training products for a new work management system, TRIRIGA. Tech Sgt. Nathanial Goodman, 618th Air Operations Center —For synergistically targeting more than 233 systems to eliminate over 11,939 security vulnerabilities in just three short months. Maj. Jonathan Lauer, 932 Airlift Wing —For the smooth execution of a White House Support Mission while also serving as a check ride to upgrade to aircraft commander. Staff Sgt. Andrew Devers, 375th Aerospace Medicine Squadron —For pioneering the creation of a Base Operational Medical Cell with no additional manning or resources. Senior Airman Megan R. Friedl, 375th Public Affairs —For leading the social media team with innovative communication techniques to showcase the commander’s message, thus earning DoD’s Award for Best “Outstanding Social Media Presence” in 2015. Jena Bowman, 375th Contracting Squadron —For her initiative to compile a “lessons learned” journal and prepared custom-built continuity binders for new civilian interns and accessions to ease their transition to Air Force employment. Senior Airman Jason Stonehocker, 375 Communications Support —For recognizing a training shortfall and immediately collaborating with the Air Force Network Integration Center to create local standard operating procedures for government and off-the-shelf software testing. Staff Sgt. Justin Keune, 375th Medical Group —For masterminding the installation of nearly $5 million worth of diagnostic equipment, updating the technology and capabilities of every imaging modality housed at the clinic. Maj. Brian Jones, 458th Airlift Squadron —For rapidly transforming paperwork training trails to an electronic system, GTIMS, and adapted it to best suit the C-21 mission. Senior Airman Sarah Lay, 375th Legal Office —For innovations in organizing all court-martial and Article 15 files to create seamless transitions between paralegals and attorneys. Staff Sgt. Joseph Hindman, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron —For development of video training products used for TRIRIGA, a new Civil Engineer Service Request system, which is now used AF-wide. John A. Santos, 375th Communications Squadron —For masterminding a $2.8M redundant power solution for new East and West UPS design and construction projects. 1st Lt. Tyler Champagne, 375th Medical Operations Squadron —For innovations in hastening access to routine appointments from an average of 21 days to 5 days and acute appointments from 7 days to same day. Staff Sgt. Joseph Dufault, 375th Operations Support Squadron --For finding innovative ways to fund and implement training for AMC’s mandated records and equipment tracking tool, Defense Property Acquisition System. Staff Sgt. Yong Choi, 375th Command Post —For developing the tracking database for Scott’s AtHoc users, that included establishing emergency contact lists for all federal agencies within a 100 mile radius of the base. Tim Hobson, 375th Contracting Squadron —For developing a rotational laptop test-bench that virtually eliminated network quarantined assets and removed threats to the Air Force Network. Airman 1st Class Matthew Evans, 375th Communications Support —For expediting a major overhaul of the My Military Communities iOS application, performing work beyond original requirements, and finishing ahead of schedule. Staff Sgt. Miranda Krill, 375th Medical Group —For her insights to a $106K renovation of the 375th Medical Group’s simulation center to design a fully-functional and realistic medical simulation training environment. Senior Airman Erica Fowler, 375th Public Affairs —For developing a new PA Toolkit for the base community that serves as a one-stop linkable document for PA products, forms, emails, formats, contacts and guidance on various public affairs products and services. Senior Airman Jeremy Poblano, 457th Airlift Squadron —For designing a web page that allows each shop to access up-to-date critical flying documents in seconds, slashing review time in half. 2nd Lt. Jigar Patel, 375th Force Support Squadron —For revitalizing his team through the processing of 2,400 enlisted performance and officer performance reports, 656 decorations, 1,400 duty information, and 25 unfavorable information file updates, thus clearing a 9-month backlog of work. Staff Sgt. Jacob Rodriguez, 375th Communication Squadron —For revamping the internal management processes to enable fully automated network and systems patching for over 15,000 NIPRNET and SIPRNET systems on Scott, which resolved over 100,000 cyber vulnerabilities and saving his work center over 10 hours per week. Senior Airman Emilio Solis, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron —For his innovative modification to the Explosive Ordnance Flight's response vehicle, the BSERV, by researching and adding a lightweight retractable ramp that vastly improved robot deployment times on emergency responses. Staff Sgt. Kristin Prosser, 375th Dental Squadron —For developing a program called the “Great Communicator” that identified, enhanced, and reinforced the dental team’s effort to engage in critical thinking and develop creative solutions to problems they encounter. Staff Sgt. Erin Bradley and Ms. Jacquetta Gray-Brown are an ICE-T(eam), 375th Equal Opportunity —They volunteered to test a new Equal Employment Opportunity process to shorten the average complaint processing time from 430 days to 120, concluding the first test case in 75 days at a potential cost savings of $55,000 and receiving a “well done” from Air Force Civilian Appellate Review Office.