JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The 316th Wing Safety office offered two presentations of the Street Smart program Monday at the Joint Base Andrews base theater. Approximately 250 Airmen and civilians attended each session to learn more about the Street Smart Program.
With only a few days left in the 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign the Air Force District of Washington and 316th Wing Safety office hosted the two-man team of certified firefighters/paramedics from Florida to drive home the goal to save lives with a program called "Street Smart."
The Street Smart campaign reiterated the rules of safe driving and the consequences of making poor decisions.
"The Air Force Safety Center along with AFDW and the 316 WG Safety office wanted to remind everyone that safety is important not just during the critical days of summer but all year round," said Lt. Col. Jim Zegel, 316 WG Safety chief. "The decisions that we make impact not just ourselves, our units, the Air Force, and our families. Please make smart decisions."
The two-man team, Scott McIntyre and Joe McCluan, have been touring Department of Defense installations since 2003 with "Street Smart" an hour-long educational program that takes audiences into the real-life drama experienced by rescue personnel as they work to save the lives of those who have made poor choices when it comes to not wearing seat belts, drinking and driving, drug impairment or distracted driving.
Street Smart is sponsored through a grant by Anheuser-Busch and is aimed at reducing the number of safety mishaps throughout DOD. Since 2003, the Street Smart program has been presented more than 600 times to more than 187,000 DOD employees.
"Safety is a personal choice,' said Mr. Ed Adams, Air Force District of Washington director of Safety. "We make good and bad decisions that have consequences we must live with the rest of our life that can impact not only our quality of life but our family as well."
Within the past three weeks, the Air Force has lost seven Airmen in off-duty private motor vehicle crashes. Four of these crashes involved motorcycles. Private motor vehicle mishaps do not discriminate; the seven fatalities included officers and enlisted Airmen from units in four different major commands, the Air National Guard, and even an Airman from AFDW.
The latest fatality was AFDW's and 316 WG's first motorcycle fatality in three years.
"Historically, the Air Force has seen a marked increase in the number of fatalities in the last weeks of this campaign," said Col. Steve Franklin, AFDW chief of safety. "Last year, there were 10 fatalities, and in 2008 there were seven during the last three weeks of the summer campaign. A trend that we must break!"
So what can you do to help reduce PMV safety mishaps?
Stress the importance of seatbelt use, don't drink and drive, don't be a distracted driver, make and practice good consciences decisions while driving and remind your spouse and family members to do the same.
For more information on safety initiatives and programs, call the 316 Wing Safety office at 301- 981-6672 or the AFDW Safety office at 301-981-5225. Also visit the Air Force Safety Center public website, http://www.afsc.af.mil/, for resources, and links to other safety-related sites and social media.