Team Mildenhall grows, safety remains top priority

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  As the 352nd Special Operations Group grows and airfield construction continues, RAF Mildenhall will see an increase in operations and assigned personnel.

While the changes enhance RAF Mildenhall's mission capabilities, the changes also generate a certain amount of risk. To prepare for the expansion, the 100th Air Refueling Wing and the 352nd Special Operations Group Safety Offices are relying on extensive planning and training to keep the base from seeing a spike in mishap reports.

"A lot of planning has gone into this project, and safety is always high on the list of priorities in those plans," said Capt. Erika Palmer, 100th ARW flight safety officer from Colorado Springs, Colo. "This isn't the first time a base has expanded its operations or its flightline; and fortunately for us, we are able to learn from what's been done in the past."

One initiative the 100th ARW and the 352nd SOG safety offices are taking to prevent mishaps is conducting familiarization training with 100th ARW and tenant unit personnel working around the new aircraft.

"The training is for all Airmen assigned to the 100th ARW and tenant units who work near the aircraft parking areas," Palmer said. "The main priority is to make Airmen aware of the changes around their work environment and throughout the base."

For maintenance crews working on the flightline, changes have minimally affected operations and the mission continues as normal.

"Safety is at the forefront of everything we do here at the 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron," said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Penrod, 100th AMXS unit safety representative from Sterling, Ohio. "No matter what changes occur on base, safety will always be our top priority."

While the safety office works to raise awareness, in the end, it's the Airmen who keep the base safe, according to Master Sgt. Dominic Cilia, 100th ARW ground safety manager.

"Because of the nature of our work, it's important to manage the day to day risks properly," Cilia said. "We, in the safety office, rely on each and every Airman to be good wingmen, comply with all safety instructions, technical orders and operating procedures to mitigate mishaps. We also rely on them to report injuries, property damage and all hazards."