Team McChord starts Critical Days of Summer Published June 5, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Jacob Jimenez 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The 62nd Airlift Wing Ground Safety Office here launched this year's critical days of summer safety campaign May 23. This year's campaign theme this is "Risk: Double Checks; Not Second Thoughts." With warmer weather arriving in the coming summer months, safety mishaps are more likely to occur, said Ken Heath, 62nd AW chief of Ground Safety. "As weather gets nicer, people want to go outdoors and do an increased amount of outdoor activities, such as hiking, riding and water sports," said Heath. "An increased amount of recreational activities can lead to an increased amount of mishaps." Many mishaps can be avoided by being safety-minded before planning potentially risky outings. "If people took time to consider safety measures before planning an event, it could prevent a serious accident from occurring," said Heath. "It only takes a few moments to go through the 'what if?' scenarios to keep things safe." To help ask the "what if" question, the 62nd AW Safety Office's high risk activity program provides safety assessments and informational safety material for various recreational activities. "The intent of the high risk activity program is to provide instruction to prevent mishaps," said Heath. Utilizing the high risk activities program, members can fill out a detailed assessment sheet to determine the risk of performing various activities such as motorcycle riding, boating or hiking. The program also offers information about various safety courses and programs available to help mitigate risks involved with such activities. "Learn about the proper safety steps before performing new activities," said Heath. "If you're going to travel, fill out a travel plan." The office is also providing unit safety representatives with weekly safety reports. "We want to keep this a running campaign with safety as the focus," said Heath. Although units are briefed regularly on safety tips and procedures, the critical days of summer campaign can only be effective if people follow proper safety precautions they're being taught, said Heath. Being a good wingman also plays a large part in avoiding safety mishaps. "We should all have the confidence and ability to intervene if we were to see someone participating in unsafe activity," said Heath. "It's worth taking the time to ask yourself if what this person is doing is safe or not. You intervening could help save someone from getting killed." For more information on the critical days of summer campaign or the 62nd AW ground safety office call (253) 982-5307 or email 62aw.se@us.af.mil