AF chief of safety visits Yokota

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katrina R. Menchaca
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Yokota Air Base, Japan --  The Air Force Chief of Safety visited here March 8 as part of a tour of bases in the Pacific.

Maj. Gen. Frederick Roggero is responsible for safety in aviation, ground, weapon, space and system mishap prevention throughout the Air Force. He is also the commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

The general held an Airman's call at the base theater to speak with Airmen about both on and off duty safety issues.

"In FY09 we were very fortunate that we only had 17 aircraft mishaps, and that gives us a .8 rate per 100,000 flying hours, which was the lowest the Air Force has ever seen," said General Roggero.

The general attributed this record low rate to the great supervision of the wing commanders and the work of the Airmen on the flightline.

"It takes continued effort to make sure that we continue to follow the tech orders, follow the checklists and manage our risk so we can do our mission," he said. 

General Roggero added that it's important for everyone to do the mission the correct and safe way.

He introduced a program called Airmen to Airmen during the Airman's call. The A2A program allows 11 Airmen from around the Air Force to share their safety-related experiences with other Airmen.  It gives 19-26-year-old Airmen a firsthand account of the decisions that led to mishaps and the effects of poor choices.

"They [the Airmen] taught us that if one of their peers tells them about their experience then that means more to them, and they are more willing to absorb that information, than if it is somebody that stands up and says 'don't do this, don't do that,'" the general said.

In July of 2009 the Air Force implemented the Year of the Air Force Family program. As part of the initiative to save lives and prevent mishaps, the Air Force Safety Center introduced the Year of the Air Force Family safety videos. These videos use volunteer Air Force family members to bring the message of safety home to Airmen.

"[Airmen] also told us that it has a great impact if a family member or someone that was personally associated with the mishap or tragedy came and shared their experience with them," he said. "They were able to take that message very easily."

Having the courage to speak up and follow through on safety plans were messages the general highlighted, while at the same time asking Airmen to remember that their decisions affect more than just themselves.

"Can your family, squadron or unit, accept the same risk that you are about to undertake on their behalf," asked General Roggero, "Can they pay the bill if it doesn't end well?"