TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On June 1, Travis Air Force Base downgraded its health protection level from a Charlie to a Bravo, creating a pathway for bringing back members to the installation for work.
To help prepare for the influx of people to the 349th Air Mobility Wing, Majs. Kelly Langguth and Ashish Patel, 349th AMW wing staff agency, have been hard at work preparing works spaces to keep members safe.
“Just because we’ve decreased the HPCON, doesn’t mean everyone is back now,” said Langguth. “This is the start gun, not the finish line.”
As an example of steps taken at the 349th AMW wing headquarters building, hand wash stations were placed at entrances, signs were posted providing safety information on health practices, and directional arrows were placed on the floor to limit close contact in hallways.
“Our main goal is to increase and expand operations safely,” said Patel.
The goal of the 349th is to be respectful and good stewards of the installation, Langguth said.
“Our workers are all over the world,” Patel added. “Many of our pilots fly all over the world, and then they come in here. We need to ensure they come in and work safely.”
Due to the nature of COVID-19, the policy changes that come down the pipeline are high tempo, Patel said. They digest the guidance and then pass it along in an operable manner.
The team gathered resources from various agencies and local businesses to set up the sanitation stations outside the wing headquarters building, provide hand sanitizer at strategic locations, disinfecting wipes for workspaces, and attention-grabbing signs.
“It’s all about taking steps forward,” said Patel. “We’ve walked through four units so far to provide feedback on best practices. Many units have been proactive and very forward thinking in regards to safety.”
The big take away from all of this is we need to put in practices that we could maintain for a year to 18-months, Langguth said.
“We are very grateful for the motivation we have seen from everyone,” Langguth added.