Base officials urge strong finish to 101 CDS

  • Published
  • By Tyler Hemstreet
  • Staff writer
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  With a little more than three weeks remaining in the 101 Critical Days of Summer program, base officials are asking Airmen to continue to keep safety as a top priority throughout the final weeks of the campaign, which wraps up Sept. 2. 

Last year from July 29 to the end of the campaign, there were 11 safety incidents, compared to just 10 incidents prior to July 29. 

The numbers show a possible tendency by Airmen to rush to fit in various recreational activities before the summer and nice weather comes to an end, said Ken Heath, 62nd Airlift Wing chief of ground safety. 

"Some may be getting that itch and rushing to get something done," Mr. Heath said. "The rush can lead to a small lapse of concentration, and that's all it takes for us to have an incident." 

So far during this year's campaign there have been just seven incidents -- all categorized as Class C, Mr. Heath said. 

A Class C incident is something that causes an Airman to be placed on quarters or convalescent leave.
 
There have been no fatalities Air Mobility Command-wide, he said. 

While the incidents this year have occurred both on and off duty, Mr. Heath said a large percentage of the injuries could be prevented by simply knowing one's limits and not taking unnecessary risks. 

"We want people to play for fun, but play smartly and take the proper precautions," he said. 

Those proper precautions include Airmen keeping their leadership informed about any high-risk activity they engage in and keeping an open dialogue about it, said Lt. Col. Rodney Lewis, 62nd AW chief of safety. 

"Our McChord senior leaders understand that our most valuable resource our men and women who support the mission," Colonel Lewis said. "Without robust safety programs our overall mission is at risk. The 101 critical days is a program that puts an emphasis on keeping our people safe at one of the most dangerous times in the year. This program has been proven successful throughout the years by teaching our folks how to mitigate risks in their daily activities." 

The ten deaths that have occurred during the campaign Air Force-wide have been attributed to motorcycle or motor vehicle accidents and sports and recreation incidents.