Fort Cavazos DPW fosters culture of safety, awareness, preparedness

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas - As Fort Cavazos celebrated National Night Out this week, the event not only highlighted community partnerships and camaraderie for a safer environment but also presented a valuable opportunity for individuals to focus on their own emergency preparedness. By preparing for potential emergencies - whether through evacuation plans, safety drills or hazard identification - organizations can reduce risks and minimize the impact of unexpected events.

Jason Dumas, unit safety officer for the Directorate of Public Works Business Operations and Integration Division, explained understanding and practicing an emergency action plan can help ensure individuals are ready to act effectively in a multitude of emergency situations.

"The development and implementation of an emergency action plan places focus on meticulous details to ensure preparedness during emergencies," Dumas said. "Practicing the emergency action plan benefits everyone because it outlines what works and what can be implemented to better the plan."

Last month, DPW coordinated with the Fort Cavazos Fire Department to simulate a realistic scenario involving a fire and victim. The cross-organization collaboration provided both an opportunity to observe successes and areas needing improvement.

"Exercising a no-notice drill captures real data. It provides greater results for an after-action review, which in return adds new content for training," Dumas said. "No matter how much we think we are prepared for a real-time emergency, it will never go as planned, but the more we train the closer it will."

Allen Baldwin, battalion chief for the Fort Cavazos Fire Department, expressed how engaging with DPW is an opportunity to enhance safety and operational effectiveness.

"For our firefighters, familiarization with buildings within and out of their districts and an understanding of possible hazards is critical for effective emergency response," Baldwin said. "This drill is a training opportunity to help both parties understand their preparedness and improve their capabilities."

DPW Operations and Maintenance Division's safety stand-down is another example of how the directorate makes it a priority to take the time to pause and reflect on safety practices. Last month, Adam Alexander, chief of DPW OMD, led a division-wide stand-down for more than 150 team members.

The event provided an open forum for discussion, allowing attendees to openly share their experiences, concerns and ideas related to workplace safety. This interactive approach not only encouraged engagement but also fostered a sense of responsibility and collaboration among team members.

During the stand-down, Israel Santiago, an electronics worker for DPW OMD, shared his personal experiences with safety and expressed how safety was not a priority in his previous workplace as a contractor for 22 years.

"It seems to me that Adam really does care about the workforce," Santiago said. "He has concerns about our safety and is making sure that we not only have the resources, but the training and the encouragement to work safely, while also completing those jobs safely too."

With safety as a top priority, the goal for the stand-down was to reinforce that reporting/investigating mishaps, hazards and near misses is a must; hazard identification is critical to being safe, at work and at home; safety trumps production; everyone is responsible for safety; leaders prove commitment through their actions; and everyone works toward continuous improvement.

With a slide regarding safety culture and featuring a moving scale that highlights the statuses of complies, wants to comply, can't comply and won't comply, Alexander concluded the stand-down with three takeaways for the division.

"Where are you in your safety culture when you are interacting with the world, not just here at work - the world?" Alexander said. "Slow down, look around and i360 your workspace and home … think about the choice you're about to make and how it interacts with this scale. The reason we are doing this today is because I really do care. You are highly respected and highly appreciated individuals and teams … we are not going to accept the risk of your safety."

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