No PPE: A costly failure Published Feb. 27, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Alan Potter 757 AMXS NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Even for the experienced participant, the dangers of snow sports like skiing, snowmobiling and snowboarding are very high. Buying the necessary Personal Protective Equipment for these sports can be quite an expensive investment. However, take a serious spill and you will immediately realize its value. As an example, proper snowboarding headgear can range anywhere from $35-$200, depending upon the brand and how much coverage the helmet provides. A helmet can even be rented for approximately $10 per day at most ski resorts. Adding in lift tickets and other equipment rentals, the cost for a safe day on the slopes can seem pretty steep. On the other hand, it's better than the potential costs if you sustain serious injuries. Prior to engaging in a high-risk activity, all Air Force members must fill out an Air Force Form 4391, High-Risk Activities Worksheet, and obtain their commander's signature approval. Although it is up to each commander's judgement, most commanders require members to use PPE as a condition of participation. If you are injured while participating in a high-risk activity, either without commander approval or without the PPE required, then military authorities will probably find the injuries occured outside the line of duty. In this case, your military benefits will not cover you -- you will have to pay for all follow-up care involved, including care at military treatment facilities, on your own. If you take the risk of not wearing a helmet, fall and lose consciousness, you can look forward to a stiff hospital bill. To take a Magnetic Resonance Image of the brain alone will average $3,131 without medical insurance, and that's only for the use of the machine. Then add the costs of occupancy of an Emergency Room, a nurse's care, and a doctor to examine the images taken, begins around $1,565. Evacuation to the ER in an ambulance is by no means cheap. Depending on the proximity of a hospital to the mountain, you may have to take multiple ambulances to get there. The price of two short ambulance rides average $1,218 to get from Mount Charleston to Centennial Hills Hospital, not including the cost of ski patrol efforts to get you off the mountain. In all, you can expect expenditures in excess of $7,000, before the weeks or months of follow-up treatment you'll probably need. Even if you survive the medical and financial consequences, you might find yourself taking a trip in full service dress, to stand in front of an enraged field grade officer. When an individual is injured and hospitalized, everyone within your chain of command is notified. It's an uncomfortable feeling knowing the reason they're standing at the end of your hospital bed, taking time out to see you, is because of your lack of judgment. Someone, too, will be working harder to take on your duties as you recover. It'll also be an uneasy wait to find out if you are going to be punished, given the force shaping the Air Force is going through currently. The resulting disciplinary actions could take away your pay, your rank and even end your career. Without PPE, a few seconds of misjudgment could send you on a costly ride. The expense of PPE for one person just don't equal the costs if you're hurt. You can earn money back. However, once lost, time and life cannot be regained. The choice should be obvious.
