Photo By Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hoskins | The new safety poster used by the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,...... read more read more
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By Spc. Nathan Hoskins
1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - The 1st Air Cavalry "Warrior" Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was not satisfied with the old safety posters taped and tacked to their walls; they wanted to go deeper.
Traverse City, Mich., native Col. Dan Shanahan, the commander of 1st ACB, requested a new poster to replace the old graph which was used to show risk during a deployment because there were some inherent flaws in it, he said.
The old graph showed peaks of risk and danger at the beginning and end of the deployment, but a downward trend in the second and third quarters of the deployment, said Shanahan.
"As units get complacent, potentially, at the end of a tour, there is a rise in the number of accidents - with the tenth month being one of the highest months of incidents anyone has involving catastrophic accidents," he said.
"I didn't want to have a mental picture for our troopers that there was going to be any decrease in risk level in relationship to what we're doing for our combat operations," continued Shanahan.
Additionally, the graph only showed a small portion of the deployment cycle, said Carlisle, Pa., native Lt. Col. Michael Shenk, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st ACB.
"These charts falsely end at 12 months. What we've got to do is ... start forming our strategy for reintegration phase. That risk curve, where it ends kind of high, it stays up there for like 90 days because the motorcycles come back out ... the drinking comes back out ...," he said.
The new poster uses a wave cresting as a metaphor for multiple catch phrases found throughout it. This gives safety a sense of immediacy, Cherry Hill, N.J., native Capt. Nick Strasser, the 1st ACB trial counsel.
One of the phrases is "stay clear of the undertow."
"The undertow in a deployed environment can easily grab someone who is not paying attention. Keeping a keen eye on problems below the surface is important to success in war," said Strasser.
"Each word on there means something different to somebody else," said Shenk
"I think what the new chart tries to do is recognize the fact that composite risk management is a straight line ... it doesn't change. The outcome of your efforts creates that [curve]," said Shenk.
Another reason the new poster was created was to catch Soldiers' attention.
Anything Soldiers can bring to the table, that is not routine or the same as years past, will have its desired effect to make Soldiers think about safety, said Shenk.
Although accidents are a part of life, Shanahan does not believe that Soldiers are out to do harm.
"I think Soldiers get up in the morning, look themselves in the mirror and say 'I'm going to have a great day. I'm going to [work hard] for my formation.' But that doesn't always happen. It doesn't happen because they don't read all the signs. Maybe they are battle fatigued, maybe they are rushing to failure ...," he said.
Rushing to failure is another phrase on the new safety poster.
"One of the common problems of the deployed environment is trying to do too much too quickly. Staying Disciplined and focusing on standards are important tools in not rushing to failure and winding up under the wave," said Strasser.
Soldiers who practice unsafe behaviors can directly and indirectly impact the effort in Iraq, said Shanahan.
"If we're on our [backs] because we've got some problems here or there, it's going to deter from the mission of the ground guys. That's unacceptable in the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade," he said.
Standards and discipline are important to keeping safe while deployed, thus its position on the poster.
"Standards and discipline are two of the foundations of a successful deployment and a successful ride on a wave. Standards allow each Soldier to know very clearly what is expected of them.... Like the diagram suggests, standards and discipline lead to a position to be successful - the top of the wave," said Strasser.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.21.2007 09:23 |
| Story ID: | 9539 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 117 |
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