Summers campaign successful Published Sept. 21, 2009 By Angela Cutrer 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- It could be that an Airman had too much to drink -- and chose to drive anyway. Perhaps it was just a matter of an Airman diving into deceptively calm, cool waters -- never to break the surface again. Possibly, another Airman kept throwing that football back and forth with his friends -- ignoring the signs of dehydration that keeps sneaking its way into the game. Yes, summertime may be thought of as a time for play and relaxation, but that doesn't always mean it's a safe period. In the end, 22 Airmen across the Air Force didn't survive the 101 Critical Days of Summer this year. But Keesler lost no Airmen to the sun-drenched days of the 2009 summer season, and that's no accident. Maj. Karl Zurbrugg, 81st Training Wing chief of safety, said that Keesler's 2009 record of no fatalities and only seven reportable mishaps confirms the outstanding effort put in by base officials to keep Airmen and their families safe. "It is a fact of life in the safety field that you may not know when you've succeeded in preventing mishaps, but you will certainly know when you have not," said Major Zurbrugg. "However, this year's results are an unmistakable success. We are extremely pleased and proud that team Keesler had a fatality-free summer and very few reportable mishaps. These results are a testament to the dedication and vigilant efforts of many Airmen and Air Force civilians in caring for one another." As peculiar as it may seem, long, luxurious sunny days spent on vacations and at family barbecues can significantly increase Airmen to life-threatening behaviors. Though this off time may be away from base, Col. Christopher Valle, acting wing commander, noted back in May that "safety is a commander's program; commanders are accountable for mishap prevention in units." Colonel Valle expected "each commander to drive mishap prevention through personal contact with their Airmen," including calls, emphasis during daily operations and recurring meetings, and using supervisors to ensure face-to-face mentoring. That was the basis for the 2009 summer safety campaign at Keesler, named "Live to Play, Play to Live," which ended with the Labor Day holiday. Major Zurbrugg said that commanders obviously considered the challenge carefully and with success. "The wing commander, at the outset of the campaign, gave the expectation that each unit commander drive mishap prevention through personal contact with their Airmen," he said. "This emphasis was absolutely essential to the success of our safety campaign because people are truly influenced by their leaders and wingmen." Major Zurbrugg said that along with personal contact, some key elements in the execution of the summer safety campaign included weekly dissemination of multimedia education and training materials, recurring newspaper articles, monthly updates and recommendations to wing leaders, a base motorcycle safety day, dissemination of combined safety and DUI prevention cards, and information posted on the base's public and private web pages. The program itself originated in 1970, when the Air Force dedicated the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day as a crucial safety time for Airmen. Dubbed the "101 Critical Days of Summer," this campaign sought to raise safety consciousness to reduce the number of off-duty fatalities during the summer months. Air Force safety statistics have shown that this phase traditionally has been a period of increased mishaps, especially those occurring in off-duty activities. From 1997 to 2008, the Air Force lost an average of 24 Airmen each summer. The leading cause of fatal mishaps during this period has been off-duty private motor vehicle mishaps, followed by water sports and drowning. Fatigue, inattention and alcohol abuse are factors in many mishaps. The American Forces Press Service reported that "four service members died in off-duty accidents Labor Day weekend, bringing to 95 the number (of all military branch members) killed during the summer season. Twenty fewer service members died compared to last year, with Army, Navy and Marine Corps officials all reporting fewer off-duty fatalities. Just as in 2008, car, truck and motorcycle accidents continued to take the heaviest toll across the board." The Air Force was the only service to see an increase in off-duty fatalities between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, with 22 compared to last year's 17. Five of the Airmen were killed on motorcycles. Thirteen, including the one killed during the Labor Day weekend, died in four-wheeled-vehicle accidents, reported Paul Carlisle, deputy chief of the Air Force Safety Center's ground safety office.