Air Force Safety Chief aims to 'save lives'

  • Published
  • By Capt. Nathan D. Broshear
  • Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The Airman in charge of keeping the Air Force team safe on and off duty is focusing on new priorities for his team of safety professionals. When Maj. Gen. Frederick Roggero became the Air Force Chief of Safety and Commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, his stated goal was straightforward: "To save Airmen's lives and to preserve the combat capability of the Air Force." In order to do so, the General outlined three immediate priorities.

Gen. Roggero's first priority is the nuclear surety of Air Force weapons and units. "That's the key to the Air Force nuclear enterprise, and safety is in charge of the policy and programs for nuclear surety. Safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons are absolutely essential to our nation's nuclear deterrent. The policy and guidance put out by safety has to be perfect," he noted.

The second priority is to ensure Airmen are practicing Operational Risk Management techniques -- on and off duty. Airmen need to "look across the Air Force to save Airmen's lives," explained Gen. Roggero. "For example, I'm very concerned about our accident rate with automobiles off-duty."

So far this year, the Air Force has suffered 11 fatal automobile mishaps. In contrast, last year Airmen were involved in four automobile mishaps during that same period; with a total of 14 for the calendar year. The significant upward trend has been attributed to speeding, drunken driving and inexperienced drivers -- especially Airmen 26 years old and younger. "This is a trend our team needs to address immediately," added the General.

One initiative that's proven to be effective in reducing accidents is the motorcycle mentorship program. Air Force safety officials cited a decrease in accident rates among riders participating in the Wingman-style program and in overall Air Force motorcycle accident rates.

Gen. Roggero attributed these positive developments to the success of the Wingman approach to safety. "Looking out for one another -- that's the key...supervisors and coworkers must understand and recognize the impact of extended duty hours or long commutes on Airmen's attentiveness. Our efforts should be nothing short of 'full military power' to reverse negative trends."

Gen. Roggero's third priority is to ensure the safety of one of the Air Force's most in-demand weapons systems: Unmanned Aircraft Systems. "We need to enhance our combat capability with unmanned systems and have a mishap-prevention program that identifies risks and prevents mishaps," he said.

When accidents do happen, the General wants to ensure swift, accurate and in-depth investigations find the root causes of mishaps. "We need to get those assets back into the fight as soon as possible," said Gen. Roggero.

Regardless of the nomenclature, whether programs are labeled "safety," "risk management" or "mishap prevention," the mission of each Airman remains the same, added General Roggero. "Saving Airmen's lives and preserving the combat capability of the Air Force is everyone's first mission," he concluded.