Innovative Airmen Honored for Safety Excellence

by Lt. Col David Paulsgrove
Air National Guard Safety Office

1/9/2015 - RENO, Nev -- Seven Airmen from the 152nd Airlift Wing were recognized as the 2013 ANG Safety Office of the Year for excellence in flight, ground, occupational, and weapons-explosives safety Dec. 7 during the Nevada Air National Guard annual awards ceremony.

Aside from demonstrating an excellent safety record and unit culture of safety, the award was attributed in large part to the unit's rapid execution of innovations to the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard-Google Earth Situational Awareness tool.

The seven members were: Chief of Safety, Lt. Col. Anthony Machabee, Maj. Evan Kirkwood, Maj. Kristoffer Pfalmer, Capt. Erik Brown, SMSgt Jeffrey Annand, MSgt Scott Fleming, and TSgt Darrin Walker.

The safety office was recognized for successfully executing over 250 facilities inspections, program evaluations and spot checks with a dramatic increase in overall compliance, and validated through OSHA inspections performed in 2013 and 2014.

"I'm proud of the High Roller safety team for being selected [for this honor], but the real story here is that we've been able to create a culture that allows our airmen to take action and fully utilize their skills both military and civilian to get at it.  In this case, it's amazing what we can accomplish if we allow innovation to foster within our ranks." Col Karl Stark, 152 AW commander said after the ceremony.

BASH GESA pairs Avian Hazard Advisory System and Bird Avoidance Model data with Google Earth technologies at very low cost, allowing aircrews to view real-time bird activity along low level training routes and transition bases moments before launching training missions. The goal of BASH GESA is to reduce the risk of bird strikes by using an interactive map to show aircrews whether or not birds are within their flight line.

"Anybody can learn a lot more information by looking at a Google Earth presentation than by reading a bunch of text," says Lt. Col. Machabee. "As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words."

Since implementing the tool in early 2013, bird strikes at the 152 AW have decreased almost 30 percent.

At the awards ceremony, ANG Director of Safety, Col. Edward Vaughan described the BASH GESA tool as a good example of Air National Guard leading innovation for the Air Force.

"Members of the Air Guard often have successful civilian careers that involve skills and education unrelated to their military specialty.  In fact, much of that expertise is not even listed in their military personnel records." said Vaughan. "Leveraging this powerful, yet hidden talent is one reason the Air Guard leads innovation."

Although the BASH GESA is currently being used at other wings, Lt. Col. Machabee hopes this technology will someday be used Air Force wide and even throughout the entire Department of Defense, with new advancements such as making the information available in cockpits with real-time updates.