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Weapons safety a benchmark program

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Madelyn McCullough
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Drill weekends are jam-packed with training, and the 446th Airlift ‘Rainier’ Wing safety office manager threw out the old implemented a time-saving training weapons safety strategy.

After just over one year as the 446th AW weapons safety manager, former enlisted technical sergeant Mr. Scott Plocar was recognized by Air Force Reserve Command for his success modernizing the wing’s weapons safety program. His selection as the AFRC Outstanding Weapons Safety Civilian of the Year Award recipient was announced Nov. 30, 2016.

As the wing weapons safety manager, Plocar’s job is to ensure that all safety regulations, mandates, and procedures for handling, maintaining, and transporting explosives are enforced and followed. 

“Weapons safety is important because the mishandling, misuse, or misunderstanding of an explosive could severely alter a person’s life,” said Plocar, who retired after 20 years of active duty Air Force service in March 2015. “I want to ensure that people have the available tools to safely do their jobs.”

The safety of Airmen in each squadron begins with the ability of commanders and additional duty weapons safety representatives to uphold safety protocol. This can be challenging as these individuals have a mix of positional responsibilities and standard Air Force training already taking up most of their available time. This is especially true in the case of traditional Reservists who come in 24 days a year besides annual tour training.

Plocar recognized this and made it his goal to maximize training while minimizing time so that unit safety representative could stay informed, involved, and equipped with resources they need to keep Airmen safe, he said. He came up with solution to throw out the books and move everything to the digital realm. Starting with a blank canvas, Plocar pieced together the many ideas he had come across during his active duty service into one single interactive SharePoint page.

“I created a SharePoint site that’s all inclusive,” Plocar said. “It has ready-to-use regulations and quick reference to their training guides and to their expectations from me. It’s an overseen and live document.”

The system includes links to everything squadron weapons safety representatives, commanders, and the 446th AW safety office may need such as guides, inspection checklists, training records, hazard reports and more. The guide itself includes hyperlinks so that documents are easy to find and can be opened up for use immediately when necessary.

“As a traditional Reservist coming in on a weekend, it’s had a huge impact just in streamlining,” said Staff Sgt. Terence Kung, weapons safety technician. “It’s easier to perform my duties and it’s easy to jump in there and see that they do or don’t have all of their documentation, if they’re missing anything, and if they’re doing they’re inspections.”

The online format of the program offers versatility during busy drill weekends.

“It’s easy to go over that program from my desk whereas before they had their program in a hard copy book out on sight,” Kung said. “We’d have to make a trip there, get a hold of them, and get access to their office. Now program oversight is a click away.”

Plocar’s creation is not only making weapons safety management easier for individuals at the Rainier Wing, it’s spreading across AFRC.

“Our boss at AFRC is taking a lot of these documents that he’s creating and benchmarking them so that other people can use them as a point of reference to start their own programs in the same style,” Kung said. “There is a lot of demand for him to help out and guide others.”

“They’re using it, they’re involved and people are enjoying it,” Plocar said. “They are saying they wish we could this on other programs too.”