Motorcycle safety course "trains the trainers"

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Daniel Phelps
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  The 39th Air Base Wing safety office hosted a motorcycle safety trainer's course that began on March 5 and ends March 15 as part of a U. S. Air Forces in Europe/Air Forces Africa initiative to have more motorcycle safety trainers.

The course is designed to teach motorcycle riders how to coach other riders in motorcycle safety classes in a "train the trainer" fashion.

This course is important because it helps save lives and takes steps to meet the Air Force's goal of zero mishaps, said Staff Sgt. Nick Giordano, 52nd Fighter Wing safety representative from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

"When the students are done with this course, they will be qualified motorcycle safety instructors," he added.

There are six students taking this course, which consists of 10 hours of hands-on instruction and five hours of classroom time, said Giordano, who is the facilitator for the peer training. For their final course requirement, the students will teach a safety course.

"For us to be able to have this course is very fortunate," said Tech. Sgt. Bilma Romero, 39th Air Base Wing NCO in charge of mishap investigations. "We were down to one motorcycle safety instructor and the base has a high demand for the safety courses."

Normally the experienced rider course occurs once a quarter, but because of the number of riders on base it's been held every other month, Romero said. The beginner's course would occasionally get cancelled because of the lack of instructors.

With the completion of the course, Incirlik will gain several new instructors to teach beginner and experienced courses, and work in teams of two - an instructor and a demonstrator - resulting in better informed riders, Romero said.

The end result of this class will be to decrease workload on Incirlik's motorcycle instructors and increase the availability of motorcycle courses for riders of all skill levels.

For more information on motorcycle safety courses, contact your units motorcycle safety representative or the 39th ABW safety office at 676-2968.