Environment, safety, occupational health symposium set for March by Roger Williams Air Combat Command Public Affairs 3/15/2011 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFNS) -- Approximately 1,200 Airmen are set to convene in Nashville, Tennessee, March 21 through 25 for 4 1/2 days of classroom training at the Air Force's 2011 Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Training Symposium. More than 525 class sessions and 175 technical sessions in the fields of safety, engineering, environment, energy and occupational health will be offered by subject-matter experts from government and international industry. Sponsors are the Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air National Guard, Air Mobility Command and Air Force Reserve Command. The partnership extends to the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, the Air Force Institute of Technology, and support from the staffs at the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration Training Institute and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The symposium is set to be opened by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, the Honorable Terry Yonkers; Maj. Gen. Tim Byers, the Air Force civil engineer; and Brig. Gen. Dave Howe, the Air Combat Command director of installations and mission support. Bruce Stephens, the ESOH Symposium Deputy Director, said he sees many benefits to this week of training away from Air Force bases. "With today's budget-tightening climate, finding a venue to integrate training in one central location saves valuable time and taxpayer dollars." The symposium combines training needs of more than 60 installations in 34 states and six countries and more than eight out of 10 attendees are new to this school each year, Mr. Stephens said. "It's rare for Air Force units to find economical opportunities like this symposium where Airmen can receive forty plus percent of their annual training requirements in a single week." Students are scheduled to receive 26 hours of training with a commercial value of $15,000 to $20,000 at no unit cost, other than travel pay. One example of the savings is the Federal OSHA Safety Certification. With training complete, more than 300 will become certified for an estimated cost of $1,500, versus $60,000 for the same training at just one installation. Additionally, instruction is extended online in more than 100 courses utilizing the multi-service ESOH training network, Mr. Stephens said. Pooling scarce training resources into a week-long, concentrated event maximizes efficiencies and just makes good sense, he said. "We are forging a solid foundation for teams to manage our most valuable resources - Air Force professionals, families, and surrounding communities." More information about the symposium can be found at http://twitter.com/AF_ESOH and www.esympo.com.