436 AW Safety Office earns AMC award

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The Air Mobility Command announced the 436th Airlift Wing Safety Office as safety office of the year for 2013.

Among the accomplishments of the 436th AW safety office were 714 first term Airmen received "Alive at 25" training, the office managed a $102,000 bird and wildlife management contract and coordinated a fleet-wide grounding which oversaw a $784,000 C-5M Super Galaxy Hydro-Mechanical Units recall for eight engines on six aircraft.

Lt. Col. Jason Mills, 436th AW chief of safety, said the award speaks not only to the accomplishments of his team, but reflects well upon Team Dover.

"It is a great honor for the base," said Lt. Col. Jason Mills, 436th AW chief of safety. "This award is a validation of the efforts, challenges and work that the folks working for me and amongst the base at the unit levels have done to validate the need for and persistent presence of safety in all aspects of our job."

Ground safety briefed 3,450 vehicles during the Wing's "Safety Send Off" events on driving under the influence, seatbelts and texting, resulting in no injuries. Staff Sgt. Ashley Smith, 436th AW/SE ground safety NCO said receiving the award is very gratifying.

"It means a lot to me because for ground safety we are undermanned," Smith said. "It validates the fact that we are working hard. I conduct safety training on a monthly basis as well as we have unit safety representatives in each unit to help us ensure safe operations are being conducted."

Flight safety conducted 193 investigations with zero class A mishaps, as well as performing research which halted a dead flight trend.

"This was a team effort," said Master Sgt. John Willard, 436th AW flight safety NCO in charge. "I am extremely proud that our office was recognized for the hard work and dedication they put into our safety programs. This is a big win for the squadron level safety representatives, because without their hard work we wouldn't be able to accomplish our jobs."

Ground safety was also responsible with motorcycle safety program receiving the AMC Large Organization Motorcycle SE Program of Year award for the fifth year in a row. Weapon safety oversaw the moving of more than seven million pounds of explosive material, successfully, without mishap or injury.

Perry Bratcher, 436th Aerial Port Squadron special cargo services foreman, said the safety office does a lot of hard work behind the scenes that allows each unit to focus on their safety programs.

"I am not surprised by the award," said Bratcher. "Our safety office fosters a culture of awareness encompassing ground, flight, and weapons safety. Their governance of a solid safety program is the cornerstone of the Wing's effort to ensure safety as a mindset."

Mills said the entire base shared and played a part in the 436th AW/SE receiving the award.

"We as a base and as a safety office appreciate the recognition of our command," Mills said. "We hope to continue to strive to be the best in the community in the coming years."