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Scott’s summer safety report

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chad Gorecki
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- With an event packed centennial year, safety around Scott Air Force base has been vital to accomplishing Team Scott’s missions.

“The 375th Air Mobility Wing Safety Office works tirelessly to identify, eliminate, and respond to hazards across 46 units here and six geographically separated units,” said Lt. Col Brooke Matson, 375th AMW chief of safety.

These efforts have led to a safer summer: 46 units and six GSUs collectively achieved a 75 percent reduction in reportable mishaps during the Critical Days of Summer, statistically the most dangerous time of year in the armed forces.

In a safety policy memo, Col. John Howard, 375th AMW commander, states, “The mission requires each and every asset afforded to be readily available: the most important of those assets is our Airmen.”

Matson said Scott cannot do the mission without protecting its Airmen, and that’s where the wing safety office comes in. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate all preventable mishaps, both on and off duty.

The office is divided into weapons, flight, and occupational divisions to ensure that threats and hazards of all kinds on the installation are identified and addressed.

“We promote an effective culture of safety and empower commanders to accomplish the mission through deliberate risk management,” said Matson.

The 375th AMW Safety Office’s goal is to create a positive, supportive environment that promotes a deliberate safety culture on this installation and beyond, said Matson. Recently, the Safety Office has supported that focus through an active outreach campaign with eight events during the summer and a laser sharp focus on motorcycle safety.

They promoted a focus on protecting motorcycle riders on the installation this year because motorcycle riders are 27 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than other motorists. Massive improvements in training and documentation compliance resulted in zero Class A or B motorcycle base mishaps this year.

Matson said the Safety Office has been innovative in its processes this year as well.

For instance, this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife experts cut down several hundred acres of plants in Mascoutah that have been attracting millions of migrating black birds every year. The swarms of birds get so thick and hazardous to flight operations that the runways have to shut down for hours at a time when the flocks are overhead. Clearing out the field in Mascoutah forced these birds to find a different migration route that doesn’t shut down the airfield and threaten aircraft.

“The magnitude and scope of this plant removal is the first of its kind, and we look forward to spreading this benchmark practice to other bases,” said Matson. “We are especially proud of our efforts in innovation and creativity in promoting a positive safety culture on the installation.”

Now that the Critical Days of Summer have been recorded as a safety success, the office continues to work toward the goal of zero mishaps as the winter approaches.