Bioenvironmental flight: 'Detect to protect'

  • Published
  • By Airman Ryan Conroy
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  While most individuals may only know them for the gasmask fit test they receive, bioenvironmental engineering flight's motto and mission to 'Detect to Protect' is a vital part in ensuring all Airmen are able to safely and effectively complete their jobs, day in and day out.

Also known as BEE, the flight ensures Airmen's safety by identifying workplace hazards to allow for the production of mandated policies in the interest of health and preventative medicine.

At bioenvironmental engineering, Airmen take measures to prevent four different base-hazard elements: Industrial hygiene, radiation protection, environmental protection and occupational health. These measures include testing base-wide drinking water, hazardous noise, chemical-protection clothing, indoor air quality, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation exposure in addition to a number of other different elements of the mission to prevent illness and injury.

"We keep jets in the air by keeping our Airmen healthy through preventative medicine," said Airman 1st Class David Bednara, 31st Aerospace Medical Squadron bioenvironmental engineer. "Although people mostly know us for the gas mask tests, we just make sure that all shops are within regulation and that they're protected."

According to Melendez, ensuring workplace safety is more difficult than imagined due to a variety of government regulations. Air Force work centers must comply with several different agencies' guidelines to include Occupational Safety Health Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Committee, Environmental Protection Agency and Italian Regulatory Instructions. To ensure each agency's strenuous directives are met, BEEs must take preventative measures against a wide range of potential dangers.

"We support the mission through preventative medicine," said Airman 1st Class Ellexia Davenport, 31st AMDS BEE. "Once a month, one person will go out to a shop and interview them about what the shop does, what chemicals they use, what noise equipment they have -- just to make sure that everything is safe and nothing happens down the road."

Not only do BEEs take measures to prevent diseases through preventative medicine, but they train Airmen who handle hazardous material to diminish job-related hazards.

"As the radiation safety program manager, I conduct training for personnel who are occupationally exposed to radiation or who handle radioactive materials," said Staff Sgt. Paolo Melendez, 31st AMDS BEE radiation protection safety manager. "These personnel include those exposed to x-rays, medical x-rays and also non-ionizing radiation such as microwaves, communication towers and also other radio frequencies."

In addition to preventing hazards and training personnel, members of the BEE flight work to identify industrial hygiene hazards around base including anything from basic to industrial-strength cleaning supplies.

"We go to the shops and conduct an industrial hygiene survey," said Bednara. "We'll check the chemical supply lockers and hazardous materials. We also go over their hazard communication program, which encompasses all the chemicals used in the shop and the processes in which the chemicals are used."

When vulnerabilities are exposed through BEE assessments, commanders are notified and calculated solutions are proposed to ensure the welfare of all Team Aviano.

The bottom line - BEE protects Aviano's most important assets - the thousands of Airmen, civilians, family and friends who visit and work here each day.

"My favorite part of my job is visiting other work centers and seeing what they actually do and accessing the hazards around them," said Melendez. "I have the satisfaction of knowing that we are supporting the rest of the base and keeping our Airmen safe."