MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- With the "Critical Days of Summer Campaign" for 2011 concluding during Labor Day weekend, Team McConnell Safety Office hosted a "Be Safe, Have a Plan" event Sept. 1, 2011.

The annual summer safety campaign runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, and is designed to help Airmen make responsible and safe decisions during the season that Air Force Safety officials consider to be the riskiest to the Air Force team. In 2011 alone, the Air Force has already lost 42 Airmen, 14 of those occurred during the summer months, according to Air Force Safety officials.

The 22nd Air Refueling Wing takes a proactive approach to safety by using the safety days as a catalyst to promote dialogue between Airmen and their supervisors, said Robert Clapp, 22nd ARW Ground Safety manager.

The day featured two 90-minute events beginning at 6 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The events included a staged two-car accident with simulated casualties and emergency responders along with a mock funeral as a result of this "accident." The second event showcased staged field sobriety tests near McConnell's main gate with McConnell's leadership encouraging Airmen to continue to make responsible decisions.

The exhibitions demonstrated one of the leading causes of off-duty safety incidents--private motor vehicle mishaps.

Going above and beyond minimum Air Force Safety Day requirements, the 22nd ARW Safety office, Reserve members of the 931st Air Refueling Group and Guard members from the 184th Intelligence Wing hoped the displays would encourage Airmen to consider the consequences before engaging in dangerous activities on and off duty, not just during summer, but also year-round,

"At the end of the day, if we can help someone make a [safe] decision they wouldn't have normally made, that makes all the hard work worth it," said Clapp.

The 22nd ARW commander said he believes the events will inspire supervisors to take a more active role in their Airmen's lives.

"The goal for me is to facilitate communication in work centers, encouraging the first-line supervisors to engage their Airmen about safety, the importance of planning and operational risk management," said Col. Ricky Rupp, 22nd ARW commander. "Safety days like this provide building points for focusing on safety within units, assisting our Airmen to not only make plans for their holiday celebrations but also to stick to those plans."

Rupp believes face-to-face interactions, along with other Air Force Safety events throughout the year, will guide Airmen toward making better decisions.

"The eyes-on care and commitment to the people will hugely impact their decisions and will protect our most important resource - our Airmen."