Garrison celebrates safety at annual event

After staggering through a serpentine of traffic cones and fumbling with a ball he couldn’t catch from three feet away, Sgt. Thomas Borden reflected on the value U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern annual safety day, which included his tests with the beer-goggle simulator.

“The dangers change constantly,” said Sergeant  Borden, who is a member of the 357th Air and Missile Defense Detachment.

The safety day, a compilation of demonstrations, displays, hands-on skills tests, and briefings held at the Special Events Center on Rhine Ordnance Barracks May 20, gave Soldiers a chance to refresh themselves about pitfalls and dangers they face, whether on the job or while enjoying leisure activity.

“This gives people information they wouldn’t normally have,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brad Hall, also of 357th AMDD, who referred to some younger or less experienced Soldiers new to Germany and “their idea of fun.”

“They want to enjoy a German beer and the autobahn,” he said.

Among the largest benefits of holding such a safety days is Soldiers’ ability to ask questions of subject-matter experts on the spot, said Scott Livingston, USAG-K safety manager, who led the organization of the safety day.

“We do a lot of training. I think when (Soldiers) get here, they realize there’s other resources out there for them,” Mr. Livingston said. “Knowing that there’s people out there to answer their questions, I think, is a big help for them.”

In addition to military-related demonstrations and displays, many outside agencies also lent their expertise, Mr. Livingston said.

“We bring in a lot of outside sources, too: the Polizei, the German Red Cross, vehicle inspection people are here and also some occupational safety sources from the German side,” he said.

The event helped demonstrate the Army’s emphasis on Soldiers’ safety, both on- and off-duty, said Reinhard Wolsiffer, a safety specialist with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.

“It’s becoming Army culture. We hear it from top levels all the way down to company level,” said Mr.  Wolsiffer, adding that he and fellow safety officials receive regularly reports containing statistics and details about a recent fatal accident.

“It’s a known fact that your mission gets hurt when people are not at work — fatalities, injuries, whatever it might be,” he said.