Wing safety earns honors

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Jason Bishop
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  The 71st Flying Training Wing Safety Office recently received one Air Force and two Air Education and Training Command level awards.
The office received the Air Force Chief of Safety Outstanding Achievement Award for Ground Safety for the small base category, the AETC Gen Frank Lahm trophy for achievements in flight safety, and the AETC To Promote Safety Award for best overall safety program.
"Thank you Team Vance ... for keeping a safety-minded work attitude!" said Lt Col Warren Ward, chief of safety. "The mission is important for America; our safety -- yours and mine -- is important to our families. Keep fighting the good fight."
According to the award citations, the 71st FTW "distinguished itself by unprecedented achievements in flight, weapons and ground safety from Oct. 1, 2002, through
Sept. 30 2003."
Vance's safety achievements during that time include flying more than 64,000 sorties and more than 91,000 flying hours without a class A or B mishap (a mishap resulting in more than $1 million in damage, loss of aircraft or loss of life), which ranked them number one among 19th Air Force active duty units. Vance experienced no fatalities, on or off duty, and had only one reportable ground mishap.
"The awards the safety office won ... were won not only by the safety office," said Lt Col Leonard Litton, former chief of safety and current commander of the 25th Flying Training Squadron. "Over 300 sorties a day ... it's people doing the right thing at the right time; making the right decisions. That's how we have the safety record we do."