Mortuary hosts training day

  • Published
  • By Christin Michaud
  • Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Personnel assigned to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs participated in a training day here April 18.

The training day, the first of its kind, was an effort to take a pause, explained Col. Thomas C. Joyce, Air Mortuary Affairs Operations commander.

"That is what today is about," said Joyce. "That you know your job and you know what the person on your left is doing and you know what the person on your right is doing and how you can contribute to that."

The colonel also challenged those in attendance to be able to have the moral courage to be willing to stop the process if the person on their left or right isn't doing something exactly right.

"What we do in our business day to day has long-term effects on families," Joyce emphasized.

He reminded those in attendance the importance of slowing down and making sure to get it right.

"That is what we are trying to do here today," he said. "Pause and talk about standards in our business and in your particular work sections and your shops. What are the standard operating procedures and how you go about doing that?"

Personnel were challenged to assess their quality assurance methods to ensure the job is being done right. Sometimes, said the colonel, that's a simple peer review.

"That's not weakness, that is strength," said Joyce. Its okay - its constructive criticism. None of us is perfectly 100 percent right all the time. Ask for the greater team to help you out."

The training day also included a review of the Enterprise Information Management page and the resources available on it ranging from commander's policy letters to Air Force and Department of Defense instructions and directives related to the mortuary mission.

Maj. Rob Smith, AFMAO commander's action group, highlighted the electronic resources available on AFMAO's EIM site including policies, photos and the resiliency calendar.

AFMAO's resiliency and safety coordinator, Gail Reed-Harmon focused on the importance of a culture of job safety practices, ensuring training is up to date and identifying hazards in work sections.

She also gave a demonstration on proper use of an automated external defibrillator and showed an informational video to accompany the demonstration.

Mel Spera, led the final portion of the group training session before individual section breakouts.

Spera identified some of the hazards associated with working in the facility including use of proper personal protective equipment.

"Wear the right PPE for the task at hand," stressed Spera.

Safety is a priority in the mission for the team performing the sacred job of taking care of our nation's fallen.

"It is incumbent upon all of us to know how to do our job and to do it right," said Joyce. "To do the things we are proud of doing, we all have to work together."