Safety still No. 1 priority during AMC Rodeo 2007

  • Published
  • By Tyler Hemstreet
  • Staff writer
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Base officials are reminding Airmen, Rodeo volunteers, competitors and the base community here to make safety a top priority this week. 

The projected warm weather combined with an estimated 3,000 Rodeo visitors might create conditions that can raise the risk involved with day-to-day operations, said Rodeo operational risk management advisor Capt. Maria Gomez- Herbert, 62nd Medical Operations Squadron. 

"The difficulty with everything happening at once is that it can quickly throw a wrench into
our normal thorough process," Captain Gomez-Herbert said. 

One poor decision due to inattention or fatigue during a critical task can lead to an accident or injury, she said. 

With the spotlight shining brightly on McChord as the host base for Rodeo, there will likely be an effort by Rodeo support staff to make a good impression on visitors, she said. 

The 62nd Airlift Wing safety office doesn't want that desire to impress to cause  people to conduct themselves in an unsafe manner. 

"We don't want people to sacrifice safety for the sake of competition," said Lt. Col. James Shigekane, 62nd AW chief of safety. "Planning ahead is key," he said. "Even personnel not involved in Rodeo events should allow more time to do things like commute to work, get from one place to another and shop at the base exchange and the commissary." 

Although the visiting Rodeo teams will undergo a safety briefing once they touch down here, safety officials want everyone to keep overall awareness at a high level. Captain Gomez-Herbert said people need to be vigilant for the sake of safety, whether that means Rodeo volunteers keeping an eye out for signs of heat-related illnesses among competitors during the Fit-to-Fight competition or Airmen double-checking the clearances between aircraft and support equipment before the maintenance competitions. 

"Everyone still has to take time to stop and question something that doesn't seem right," she said. "We want to empower our Airmen to stop any action they see as being unsafe." 

That vigilance should also extend for the rest of the base population when it comes to driving on the base, Colonel Shigekane said. 

"With the added traffic due to Rodeo and drivers from other countries unfamiliar with the roads, routine trips will likely take longer and people need to be patient," he said.