Tech. Sgt. Daniel Mueller (left), assigned to the 15th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, talks with Tom Wey, from Environmental Quality Management, Feb. 14, 2012, in the exhibit hall at the 20th annual Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Symposium in Denver. (U.S. Air Force photo/Michael Briggs)
by Michael Briggs
Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment Public Affairs
2/14/2012 - DENVER (AFNS) -- The Air Force kicked off its 20th annual Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Symposium at the Colorado Convention Center here Feb. 13.
The largest military training event of its kind features 525 course offerings for more than 1,200 attendees and runs through Feb. 17.
Air Force senior leaders addressed attendees at a morning plenary session Feb. 13, encouraging them to get the most out of the courses and networking sessions taking place during a critical juncture in the service's history.
"Today, as we open a week-long training event, I encourage each of you, civilian and military, to take advantage of the opportunity to receive the latest information, valuable education and training on ESOH management," said Maj. Gen. Timothy Byers, the civil engineer for the Air Force. "I am certain everyone will leave here at the end of the week armed with the knowledge to succeed."
Operating with smaller budgets and increasingly limited training opportunities, the ESOH Symposium continues to provide value while delivering significant program training and certification, officials here said. Each student attends at least 26 hours of training during the week, estimated to have a value of $15,000 to $20,000 per student compared to similar commercial training courses. Yet the only cost to the unit is funding the temporary duty trip for attendees.
Sponsoring major commands have kept the production cost to less than $200 a student, which they fund. For example, more than 300 attendees will receive Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety certification this week. The cost for doing it at the symposium is about $1,500 for a week-long TDY versus around $60,000 for the same training if accomplished at a major command base, symposium organizers said.
The training not only provides value up front, but it also pays dividends in the long run, the general said.
"Sound ESOH practices are incredibly beneficial," Byers said. "They reduce environmental, safety and health risks, and make our practices safer. They minimize waste, prevent mistakes and make our processes leaner. With this recognition, suddenly ESOH practices become about more than just compliance and regulation. They become about organizational improvement and doing what is right for the Air Force.
"For these reasons, ESOH solutions -- and the mindset it takes to make them a reality -- are exactly the kinds of things the Air Force is encouraging going forward."
During his remarks at the kickoff session, Terry Yonkers, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, called on attendees to use their ESOH training to help make the Air Force smarter, leaner and greener as it moves forward in a constrained budget environment.
"I can't remember a time when the Air Force was faced with so much change, so many challenges and imperatives to do less with less," Yonkers said. "I want to ... challenge you to redouble your efforts to find and help others find opportunities for increased efficiency to support the mission. Be an active participant in the change that's happening all around you."
Tech. Sgt. Daniel Mueller, a bioenvironmental engineer assigned to the 15th Aeromedical Dental Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is back at the ESOH for the first time in several years. He said the courses and networking with others in his career field helps his professional development in a way emails and teleconferences can't.
"Each time I attend, I get to see where our career field is at and to learn about our new and changing ESOH role," he said. "Hearing from senior leaders gives us the 30,000-foot view of the way ahead. At my level, I can take that back to my Airmen and inform them about the direction of the career field. It makes me a better leader."
The ESOH Symposium is sponsored by Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air Mobility Command, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command. Instructors are provided through partnerships with the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Department of Labor's OSHA Training Institute, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Comments
2/27/2012 9:45:43 AM ET JerryBillI've been to this training twice and it is more than valuable. As Robert said annual training is necessary to continue managing these programs that involve safety health and environment. Honestly we need this type of training more often than annually and you can't put a price on training. You think 2.5 million is a lot of money Get back with me when you figure out how much the AF is going to spend in 2012 to send the Thunderbirds to fly more than 60 demonstrations worldwide to do nothing more than showboat.
Steve, Florida
2/23/2012 10:46:43 AM ET It is important to note this is a certified training event not a meeting nor a conference. Consider in just one Command we are faced with over 6M in VALIDATED base ESOH training requirements yet funded at less than 1M. What we accomplish in coordination with six other MAJCOMs AFCEE AFIT and USAFSAM the OSHA Training Institute the EPA and others is pool our collective resources present a full spectrum of relevant training at one place and time to significantly reduce the training footprint and cost to the Air Force. The rationale for this approach is evident. A cost-benefit analysis has determined this symposium provides 75K of commercially valued training for around 2K per individual - that is for everything the TDY the course the instructor the facility etc. And done in 4.5 days out of the shop rather than a collective 5 work daysyear for the same training. The symposium has been carefully scrutinized and documented by the Air Force Audit Agency as benefic
Mike Briggs, AFCEE Public Affairs
2/17/2012 2:56:05 PM ET Agree with Robert but we do need to start limiting attendance to these types of things to those actually needing the training. I haveve had some very senior bosses GS15 or O6 who have attended these types of events in their entirety year after year. I've also seen some Lt's sent on these types of TDYs for awareness purposes. Although they may supervise people who perform the type of work needing this type of training they probably don't need such technical tactical-level training themselves. That is why they have the experts in the first place. Conference and symposium attendance will definitely need more scrutiny in coming years.
Bill Adams, CONUS
2/16/2012 6:15:34 PM ET Hopefully the folks visiting had a chance to check out the solar array at the Air Force Academy seeing as how it's right in town. On that bend though -- were any on-base venues considered before the event was held off-base?
PB, US
2/16/2012 11:33:52 AM ET I do not agree with Jerry's comment. Miltary personnel have a huge turn over in manning positions. Add the fact that most units have 10-20 percent of their assingerd personnel deployed. There is a need for annual training. AFOSH, HAZMAT, HAZCOM, HAZWASTE are huge programs that require constant attention. We are dealing with the health of our military and the preservation of our environment. $2.5 mil is a paltry sum by comparrison to the lives and environment we protect. this is the best $2.5 million the Airforce ever spent. Nellis AFB alone benefits annualy in the amount of $100k in recycling funding based off of some of the training from this symposium. Multiply that by all the installations and you easly make that $2.5 mil back provided they impelment thes training. This training pays the USAF back dividens. You also should look at this from the commander's view point. Most of the folks that are manageing these programs are doing this out side thier actual career field as an addition
Robert, Las Vegas
2/15/2012 8:46:17 AM ET This is a massive boondoggle. All symposiums such as this should be changed to every other year rather than having it annually. The travel costs alone for this will be almost $2.5 million. I am not saying this is a good thing to do, but in such dire budget times it could easily be changed to every other year.
