VPP culture at Robins happens at home too Published July 11, 2013 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron's MOBAGS section has taken the installation's Voluntary Protection Program's Safe Site Challenge to an interesting new level. The shop's eight members wanted to do something different in preparation for a June 14 Gold assessment by VPP team members. After hearing discussion on the importance of practicing safety not only at work but also home, the results prompted the section's eight family members to be part of the VPP site visit by sharing moving testimonials. "We wanted to take it one step further and bring 'home' here. So we brought our family," said Suzanna Holloway, MOBAGS supervisor. "We also wanted to take something that the VPP assessment team sees all the time and deliver it differently." After experiencing a house fire, Holloway's daughter wrote a song about the family's ordeal and mom's VPP mindset, performing for VPP members. Richard Porter, another shop member, had been hospitalized earlier this year. Rather than attending a Wingman Day event on base, the entire section visited him in the hospital. His wife, Nina, shared how much it meant that Robins co-workers cared about their well-being. A co-worker's son, who had been linking surge protectors with extension cords at home, stopped the practice after learning it was a safety hazard. Another discussed senior care at home. MOBAGS members also created a 'Par for the Course' event which enhanced safety at home. Harry Childress, VPP lead, and three other golfers decided to raise money each time they made par, donating money to buy co-workers fire extinguishers. They felt giving back was just as important during sequestration. "In the end we didn't want this to be just another safety program. We wanted it to change our lives, with VPP culture at work and home," said Childress. The team also created a handbook on home safety, with emergency preparedness plans, contact lists and other helpful material. Going above and beyond what's usually seen during VPP visits, Capt. Mohamed Savage, Material Management Flight chief, explained that by seeing others take the first step, it's okay to go the extra mile. "We try to emphasize the VPP culture in LRS, that it's not something we're just forcing," he said. "Every injury you or your family members avoid as a result of practicing VPP is headaches, hassle, money and time that the program has saved you. Look at it as something bringing benefit to you and your families." Including Holloway, Childress and Porter, the MOBAGS (which stands for mobility bags, or formally known in the Air Force as the Individual Protection Equipment Element) team includes Burton Dennis Ard, Harold England, Robert Lemons, Terry Walker and James Wooten. "The 78 LRS MOBAG shop provided one of the most unique VPP Safe Site presentations to date by including testimonials from family members," said Allen Quattlebaum, installation VPP program manager. "Their testimonials drove home the importance of our wingmen culture and applying risk management principles to everyday activities."