ORLANDO, Fla. - Safety is critical to the Air National Guard, the director said here earlier this month.
“Safety priorities start with senior leadership, and we must lead by example,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III told more than 1,000 Air National Guard members attending the Executive Safety Summit here, May 3 to 4.
Air Force Col. Doug Slocum, the Air Guard’s safety director, introduced this year’s theme: Air National Guard Culture of Safety and Leadership.
Each of the Air National Guard core values of Integrity, Service and Excellence relates to safety, Slocum said.
“The goal of this safety summit is to give our Airmen the tools they need to have a safe ANG force and tell them why they need these tools,” Slocum said. “I want Airmen to know how to use the tools and put the knowledge of safety into practical application.”
Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board; Air Force Maj. Gen. Gregory Feest, the Air Force’s safety chief, and Joseph Angello, Jr., the director of operational readiness and safety in the office of the secretary of defense, brought diverse safety backgrounds to the conference.
Hersman discussed safety investigations – and what happens when safety is a neglected priority.
Losing family members because someone failed to take necessary safety precautions is unacceptable, she said.
When something happens to one of our military family members it affects the whole community, Hersman said.
As an Air Force brat she traveled around the world and feels military family is her family too, she said.
“I am reminded of the fatal accident involving a collision of trains at Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority – Metro Rail in 2009 that killed nine people and hospitalized 52 others,” Hersman said.
“District of Columbia Air National Guardsman Maj. Gen. (ret.) David F. Wherley and his wife Ann were among those killed.”
Former directors of the Air National Guard and senior enlisted leaders contributed their thoughts, advice and comments on the safety culture and how to improve it. Leadership who follow core values make good, safety-focused leaders, they stressed.
Air Force Maj. Gen. (ret.) Richard Platt said, “The difference between command and leadership is command is given – but leadership is earned. As a leader you must have integrity, trust and the ability to communicate.”
According to Slocum, the Air National Guard is the only organization where the entire senior leadership comes together to talk exclusively about safety.
The Air National Guard safety record has improved consistently since the early 1980s.
Safety concepts and ideas such as anti-lock brakes and traction control are only a few of hundreds of safety improvements over the last 20 years.
Eighty percent of incidents or accidents occur by human error. The ANG continues to be aggressive about safety and does not rest on its good record.
We have to make the tough decisions and get away from doing business as usual, Slocum said. We have to embrace innovation and technology such as new software and new safety concepts to be ready in 2025.
“We could not have had this summit and the participation if Lt. Gen. Wyatt was not here,” Slocum said. “Safety is one of his top priorities.
“Our goal is to achieve zero safety mishaps in all areas of safety.”