The heavy burden of leading by example … with safety in mind

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alex Martinez
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Safety always. That is the Air Force. All Airmen are expected to be agents of safety in their workplace and personal lives. For some, being safe can be easier said than done. If someone so little as stubs their toe on the corner of a coffee table, they were unsafe.

Fortunately for Stubby Toe Person, they don't have to be faced with embarrassment and ridicule for that. Their daily lives don't revolve around everything safety.

However, for one unit at Warren, a very heavy burden rests on their shoulders. That burden is, well, being safe.

The 90th Missile Wing Safety Office has the task of making sure everyone on base is aware of the importance of being safe. At the same time, they have to be extra vigilant of their own possible safety mishaps.

"Professionalism and good conduct are the two traits I expect my office to live and work by," said Lt. Col. David Martinson, chief of safety. "These traits allow everyone here to provide the base with the best guidance and tips on safety."

From keeping track of detailed safety regulations, to planning and executing events for the 101 Critical Days of Summer, the safety office has their hands full juggling everything safety.

"We brief and teach [safety] everyday so it's expected of us to be safe,' said Staff Sgt. Gary Lund, NCO in charge of ground safety. "The added pressure of being safe comes from being messed with more for a safety issue. If one of us falls down and messes up our elbow, someone will probably say 'What's wrong with you? I thought you were safety.'"

If a more serious mishap occurs within the safety office family, it calls for a heavier hammer to drop.

"Our safety office must always be the safest one on base," Colonel Martinson said. "If not, then it forces me to apply corrective action because they are not correct examples of who we are."

Once their own safety is up to par, they can effectively complete their mission of ensuring the entire wing is safe.

Some of their tasks include conducting safety briefs in their office, briefing at commander's calls, teaching Warren members how to drive correctly in all conditions with their driver simulator program and holding motorcycle safety classes.

"The biggest safety hazard on base is driving in bad weather," Sergeant Lund said. "Our conditions can change very fast, and that catches people off guard."

A tricky climate can make Warren unsafe; however, the base has a good safety record.
The base has gone more than 670 days without a rollover, which shows the efforts of the safety office are effective.

Every day, the safety office has the dubious task of making sure Warren is a safe base, and at the same time, making sure they themselves remain the safest people on base. A heavy burden it is, and their office takes it in stride, leading by example ... safely.