FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The Weed Army Community Hospital (WACH) conducted its annual Safety Awareness Day on Jan. 28 at the Fort Irwin cinema, which proved a perfect venue for the approximately 350 WACH employees in attendance. The Safety day program was divided into two sessions one in the morning and one in the afternoon in order to provide opportunity for as many employees to attend without affecting or interrupting care to scheduled patients, or hours of operation for community members who need care on a walk-in basis.
The days events were hosted by Weed Army Community Hospital commander Col. Jason Wieman but planned and orchestrated by WACH Safety Manager Dan Whittemore and included a Global Harmonization System / Hazard Communications Program Annual Refresher, Fire Prevention/Evacuation and Fire Extinguisher Use, Personal Protective and Respiratory Protection equipment refresher course.
During the course of the day, Whittemore, a 30-year professional safety inspector, policy wonk and instructor guided attendees with a vaierty of hands on demonstrations and presentations.
Employees were also expected to be able to properly fill out a Composite Risk Management worksheet, know what to do when it comes to emergency planning in their respective facilities, know how to identify and properly handle chemicals in the workplaces and homes as well as safety awareness of unpredictable seasonal hazards, travel hazards and driving, and the potential safety hazards encountered by living in the surrounding Mojave desert.
Whittemore said that keeping the days event lively and interesting were important.
"It aids retention when people are engaged and part of the program and not just sitting and observing." Whittemore invited a number of presenters and subject matter experts to keep attendees engaged. "The Fort Irwin Fire department does a great demo in how to use the extinguishers to put out a real fire." He said. It wakes people up and gets them participating, which is one of my goals, the other being that they take-away the material and pass it on."
When asked about the success of the day, Whittemore was up-beat. "Our numbers for complete training now stand at 70 percent for WACH military and 78 percent for civilian employees. That's about what I hoped to capture with this event. For the remainder I'll be conducting a few more training sessions, possibly an evening session." he said.
"We are really lucky to have Dan on our [Weed Army Community Hospital] team." said Wieman. "You know, months ago when I asked Dan the best way to get the highest numbers of attendees without interrupting hospital operations he said, 'Let me come back to you with a plan after I talk to the various chiefs and divisions. I think I can do this without our patients even knowing it's happening.' And I am really impressed, because now after the fact, that is exactly what happened."
ABOUT THE WEED ARMY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
Weed Army Community Hospital (WACH) is part of the United States Army Medical Department Activity, better known to service members by its acronym MEDDAC.
The WACH on Fort Irwin is home to approximately 500 health care professionals and medical staff providing 24/7 support to the National Training Center (NTC), one of the U.S. Army's largest training areas with over 1,000 square miles of maneuver areas, state of the art training facilities and ranges, with airspace restricted to military use.
Fort Irwin's isolation makes it an ideal site for a variety of NTC training and exercises, consequently the Weed Army Community Hospital is a vital pillar in support of the NTC and Fort Irwin community.
A new $160 million, 216,000 square foot hospital, currently under construction, is scheduled to replace the Weed Army Community Hospital in the fall of 2016. The opening of the new facility will mark a significant milestone in the United States Department of Defense commitment to delivering the best possible healthcare to all service members and their families, and underlines the importance of the NTC and the role MEDDAC personnel and facilities play in support of service members and their families at Fort Irwin..
To learn more about the people and facilities of the Weed Army Community Hospital and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin visit the official WACH website at www.irwin.amedd.army.mil.
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