Summer safety campaign ends, AFMC loses one Airman Published Sept. 11, 2007 By Nicole Singer Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Air Force Materiel Command lost one Airman during this year's 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign. The fatality occurred at the beginning of the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. On May 26, an Airman from Wright-Patterson AFB fell overboard while boating and drowned. The Airman was not wearing a life vest. Officials believe that alcohol was a factor. The one death equals AFMC's 2006 number, when an Airman died in a motorcycle mishap. Safety officials say AFMC continues to stress the importance of human factors contributing to safety issues. "Machines on their own hurt no one," said Vincent Dotson, AFMC ground safety. "Falls don't just happen and neither do injuries or fatalities. Something has to be the catalyst or the cause,. Something has to go wrong, but it usually doesn't go wrong by itself." AFMC's theme for this year was, "Safety starts with 'S' but begins with you." This campaign was aimed at battling the overall Air Force trend of motorcycle and vehicle accidents. The Air Force lost 19 Airmen this year, compared to an average of 29 Airmen for the past five years. Out of those 19 Airmen, eight were lost due to car accidents and six due to motorcycle mishaps. "Off-duty motorcycle mishaps continued to plague our Airmen." said Maj. Gen. Wendell Griffin, Air Force Chief of Safety. "Five of six crashes were the result of the operator losing control of the vehicle. Commanders, supervisors, and experienced motorcycle riders must continue their vigilance and mentorship of our lesser experienced riders. "The summer season is coming to a close, but risk and the threat of preventable mishaps stays with us 24/7," said General Griffin. "Every time an automobile or motorcycle is started, a wrench is turned on the flight-line, or an operation is planned, personnel must assess the risk, consider risk options, and take the appropriate action to manage the risk." AFMC has worked to educate its Airmen on the importance of motorcycle safety. This year the command ground safety office has turned out a motorcycle awareness video featuring General Carlson. Safety office personnel also created a motorcycle information pamphlet and pushed command motorcycle initiative awareness letters to all AFMC commanders. Motorcycle informational tools, along with newsletters, statistics and more educational information on how to stay safe can be found at the AFMC Community of Practice website: https://wwwd.my.af.mil/afknprod/ASPs/docman/DOCMain.asp?Tab=0&FolderID=OO-SG-MC-03-9&Filter=00SG-MC-03.