Orientation program highlights best practices
Posted 12/5/2006 Updated 12/4/2006
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by Col. Leonard Patrick
Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Combat Support
12/5/2006 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) -- Air Mobility Command mission support group commanders recently traveled to five AMC bases to learn about and evaluate best practices as part of the annual Excellent Installation Orientation Program.
Commanders visited MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; McGuire AFB, N.J.; Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; Fairchild AFB, Wash.; and McChord AFB, Wash.
Group commanders have participated in the program in search of new technologies and Lean events that produce innovative business practices. The program allows commanders first-hand exposure to model programs and premiere facilities outside of their organizations while exploring resourceful solutions to real challenges.
Col. Nick Desport, the commander of the 437th MSG at Charleston AFB, S.C., said the group surpassed its goals.
"The program gets better each year," Colonel Desport said. "We're all using successes at other bases to spawn new business models for our own bases."
During the visit, if a program had the potential for command-wide benefits, it became a "benchmark candidate." If a business practice showed extreme merit, but needed to be tweaked for application at other bases, it was called an "initiative." This year the EIO Program identified seven benchmarks and 12 initiatives. One of the benchmarks includes the cleaning and reuse of large vehicle air filters.
"We adapted this program from heavy equipment operators, and now we hope to share it across AMC," said Col. Carla Gammon, the commander of the 319th MSG at Grand Forks AFB. "By using this and adopting other commercial practices, AMC can expect significant savings."
Another benchmark improves expeditionary combat support skills while also enhancing base security and weapons skills by using the firearms training simulator. The FATS is loaded with thousands of interactive and customized video-based scenarios in which Airmen across many functional backgrounds can become proficient in tactics, procedures and weapons handling for homeland and expeditionary bases in a safe and controlled environment.
Like the Phoenix Stripe and High Flight programs, the EIO Program focused on the crossfeed of information and shared experiences to better serve the command.
Col. Brad Spacy, the commander of the 375th MSG at Scott AFB, said the diverse functional backgrounds of the mission support group commanders collectively provide AMC wings the ability to overcome any challenge.
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