Safety: It's personal Published May 18, 2012 By Michael Wolcott 377th Air Base Wing Safety Office Kirtland Air Force Base -- The Air Force's Critical Days of Summer safety campaign begins May 25 and ends Sept. 4. In 2011, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Air Force experienced 18 fatalities. Historically during this period Airman-involved accidents rise. The 377th Air Base Wing will kick off the campaign Wednesday with unit commanders hosting Airmen-to-Airmen safety focus sessions highlighting the importance of personal risk management throughout this critical period. With the weather warming up and the school year almost over, Airman are making plans for summer fun. Far too often, summer fun turns into summer tragedy. When we lose an Airman to a needless accident, the loss has an immediate impact on our mission and affects family, friends and co-workers. The 2012 campaign's theme is "Safety - it's personal." Remember to keep safety at the forefront and eliminate unnecessary risk. When participating in an event that has some risk, weigh the benefits against the potential for injury. Ask, "Can I accept the risk if I do this activity?" If the answer is "no," then re-evaluate the activity and figure out how to minimize the risk until you can easily answer "yes." For example, when leaving for a weekend trip, weigh the risk of leaving on Friday versus leaving Saturday. If you feel tired on Friday evening, the correct risk mitigation would be to leave Saturday morning when, you are well rested and ready to drive. To increase safety awareness, the 377 ABW safety office is soliciting "There I was..." stories from the base populace. Write a story about your experience and lessons learned to share with Team Kirtland members, if you have been involved in a near-miss mishap. Submit your stories to the wing safety office (377abw.seg@kirtland.af.mil) as soon as possible. The best stories will be published in the Nucleus to coincide with each weekly theme. Throughout the 15-week campaign, different topics will be sent to each unit for commanders and supervisors to use in weekly briefings. Articles related to the topics will be published in the Nucleus newspaper reminders for everyone to remain vigilant and safe during their summer activities. Below are the weekly themes: Week 1 - Wingmen: It's personal - take care of each other Week 2 - Sober is safer: Thinking then drinking Week 3 - Ride smart: Personal motor vehicle - 4 (cars) - slow down; pay attention Week 4 - All-terrain vehicle Week 5 - Trip planning Week 6 - Celebrate the 4th - live to see the 5th Week 7 - Ride smart: motorcycles Week 8 - Ride smart: bicycle Week 9 - Enjoy the outdoors safely Week 10 - Barbecue safety tips Week 11 - Beat the summer heat Week 12 - Summer weather Week 13 - Sports and rec, not "wreck" Week 14 - Water safety have fun and be safe Week 15 - Countering fatigue