Group-wide safety evaluation starts Friday

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  A team of inspectors are scheduled to begin an evaluation of the 931st Air Refueling Group's safety program Friday.

The team doesn't leave until Monday, which means a large portion of their assessment will occur during the 931st's drill weekend when the Group's Reservists show up for their monthly duty.

"They are going to come see everybody," Maj. John Tarr said, referring to the team's scheduled visits to the all 931st units.

Major Tarr is the 931st's chief of safety. Group members can expect to see him or the 931st superintendent of safety, Staff Sgt. Regina Rector, with the inspectors during their visits.

Only a small portion of the Group's Airmen will actually be addressed during the evaluation, but "everybody's fair game," Sergeant Rector said. "They can ask anybody questions."

The team's visits will not be announced, though all units are scheduled for an initial walk through Friday. Facilities should be the team's focus on Saturday, Sergeant Rector said, and safety checklists on Sunday.

Lt. Col. Barry Jones, 931st Operations Support Flight commander, was the chief of flight safety for Air Force Reserve Command before he joined the 931st in December. He offered some advice to the 931st family from an evaluator's perspective.

Visits to different parts of a unit tend to be short straightforward, he said. The inspections are not meant to trick anyone. Airmen who are given safety-related questions should be honest, upfront and professional.

"Like we say when we fly," the KC-135 Stratotanker pilot added, "don't do anything dumb, dangerous or different and you'll be alright."

A conscious decision to assume the safety awareness Airmen should have at all times can go a long way. Electrical power strips plugged into other power strips and broken ladders were common hazards Colonel Jones remembered finding when he evaluated safety programs.

Sergeant Rector stressed a few other safety awareness points. All Group members should know who their unit safety representative is, she said, and be familiar with procedures and paperwork.

"The most important thing is documentation," Sergeant Rector said.

Col. Edsel A. "Archie" Frye Jr., 931st ARG commander, stressed the importance of a well-run safety program during a recent staff meeting. The evaluation will tell Brig. Gen. Eric Crabtree, new commander of 4th Air Force, how well the 931st is protecting its Airmen and its mission.

"This is our first report card to General Crabtree," Colonel Frye said.

Unit safety programs are evaluated by AFRC every three years. The 931st's safety scores for this evaluation should be good when the team talks about its findings during a debrief Monday, Sergeant Rector said.

"I'll feel good about it," she said as she was finishing her many preparations Thursday. "I really do."