Nellis Completes ACC safety Inspection Published June 20, 2006 By Jennifer Vollmer Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- An Air Combat Command safety evaluation team concluded it's inspection here March 24. The week-long inspection evaluated the USAF Warfare Center, 99th Air Base Wing, 57th Wing and the 98th Range Wing. The inspection team included active-duty service members and civilian employees from ACC Safety in Langely AFB, VAa. The team performed spot inspections of various safety prevention programs throughout the wings. All entities received passing marks from the inspection team. Lt. Col. Dewey Gray, USAFWC safety flight chief said he was pleased how well the base did. "Although Nellis is one of the most diverse and busiest bases in the Air Force, we remain one of the safest," said Colonel Gray. The USAFWC achieved the highest overall rating of "Outstanding," with the 98th Range and 57th Wings receiving an "Excellent," and the 99th Air Base Wing receiving a "Satisfactory." The inspection is performed every three years and focuses on flight, ground and weapons safety programs. Lt. Col. Robert Gear, 57th Wing safety flight chief, said inspections are done with a forward thought process. "It's the Air Force's goal to be more ‘pro-active,' so the need to be ‘re-active' is lessened " he said. And apparently, the programs are working. According to the colonel, flight mishaps are down 60 percent across board for the USAFWC from this time last year In addition, the inspection team rated the 57th Wing's flight safety as "Outstanding." The inspection report said the program is the "best the team has seen in more than two years." "It's amazing because the 57th Wing is unlike any other in ACC," said Colonel Gear. "We have almost every type of fighting aircraft the Air Force flies, and we have to strategize our safety program to account for that." Colonel Gear said the inspection team's visit has made the base's safety programs stronger. "Safety is one of things that hard to measure and sometimes it takes an outside source to do it," he said. The team pointed out deficiencies that had been overlooked, and complemented the positive aspects of the programs. Colonel Gear added that all problem areas will be corrected and the inspection team will return in September to analyze and log the updates. Both colonels attributed the success of the inspections to everyone on base who practices and preaches safety awareness. "Safety is a full-time job," said Colonel Gear. "From the highest ranking officer to the lowest ranking Airman, everyone can make a difference."
