An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Critical Days of Summer kick off with Summer Challenge

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mark Jenkins
  • 51st Fighter Wing Safety
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Every year, Memorial Day weekend marks the kickoff of the Air Force's Critical Days of Summer campaign, which runs through Labor Day weekend. Statistically, the summer months are the time of year when serious injuries and fatalities increase.

Last year, the Air Force lost 22 members due to mishaps that could have been prevented with education, awareness and increased leadership/peer involvement. Automobile accidents accounted for the majority of reported mishaps. The causes of these mishaps ranged from driving too fast and driving under the influence to failing to wear seatbelts and poor vehicle maintenance. Everyone should apply risk management principles and plan for the unexpected as they venture out this summer.

The goal of the CDoS campaign is to minimize the number of mishaps and fatalities by educating our Airmen and involving them in every aspect of the campaign. For the past few years, 51st Fighter Wing Safety has spearheaded the Summer Challenge - a base-wide competition open to all 51st FW, tenant and associate units at Osan. The goal of the competition is to involve units in safety-related events, where points are awarded for successful completion of each event. The more a unit participates, the more points they acquire. At the end of the campaign, wing safety tallies the points and the winning unit receives a trophy. Last year's winners were the 51st Security Forces Squadron. The Summer Challenge rules of engagement will be passed along to unit safety representatives prior to the start of the CDoS campaign.

Every Thursday during the campaign, a weekly breakdown of safety topics will be distributed to units. These topics are not only for knowledge, but can serve as talking points to inspire phenomenal ideas for projects. We'd like to see 100 percent unit involvement and we're always looking for creative, fun ideas for the program. To share any safety or project ideas, contact the safety office at 784-1842.