Base readiness inspection ends

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ian Dudley
  • 30th Space Wing Public Affairs
Vandenberg recently conducted a readiness inspection here Oct. 20 through 31.

The base conducts readiness evaluations several times a year, both as an opportunity to train and to ensure mission preparedness at all times.

"These inspections are key to our deployment readiness," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Hopkins, 30th Communications Squadron quality assurance evaluator. "It allows us all to ensure that we are prepared for our primary duty. All of us need to be ready at all times. These inspections help us all stay on point with what's most important - the defense of our nation."

The two-week evaluation tested Airmen by putting them through the procedures for deploying, and familiarized Airmen with Vandenberg-specific procedures.

"The evaluation helped me on all the base-specific tasks and processes I'd need to accomplish a real world mass-deployment," said Tech. Sgt. Francisco Borjas, 30th Space Wing NCOIC of ground safety. "It helped me to understand what, where, when, why, and how things are supposed to work."

Refresher training on Self-Aid and Buddy Care, hazardous materials familiarization and weapons training was held throughout the second week with a skills evaluation on Oct. 31.

"As an SABC instructor and wing inspection team member, this inspection allowed me to ensure my peers are properly prepared for a medical emergency," said Hopkins. "I want to make sure everyone is taught properly, so if they ever have to use their SABC skills, they do so without hesitation."

These evaluation periods enable leadership to observe how their troops respond as well as to help create interdepartmental contacts that could be vital in real world crises.

"The evaluation allowed me to observe my mobility and readiness section under real-time stressful conditions and gauge how they respond," said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Haeseker, 30th Security Forces Squadron logistics superintendent. "We recently had a large turnover in the section and this was an opportunity for them to validate the hard work and training they have been doing for the last two months.  It also allowed me to build relationships and contacts across functions to resolve exercise issues which could arise during real-world responses."

Running an evaluation without small miscalculations is a near impossibility, but ultimately it is those oversights that make these exercises invaluable.

"We should go into an inspection with the expectation that mistakes will be made," said Haeseker. "We do our best to learn and grow from those mistakes."