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LIFE LINE AWARD HONORS
BILINGUAL TEAM!
In recognition for their outstanding
contributions to the HQUSACE National Water Safety Program,
the still unofficial Bilingual PDT was awarded the 2006 Life Life Award.
Over the course of the past two years, a handful of Spanish-speaking
Corps employees have pooled their knowledge of various Spanish
dialects to provide common translations to Corps publications
developed by the National Water Safety Program. As the team
provides translation services, they work out the dialect differences
that occur in Spanish variations (Mexican, South American,
Castilian, Cuban/Puerto Rican, etc.) Significantly, throughout
2005-06, their work to translate key public information, such as a new coloring book,
posters, brochures, signage, customer comment cards, volunteer
services applications and much more, resulted in products that could
be used nationally. Because nationally distributed
products can be produced in bulk quantities, their work resulted in
significant savings to several national programs, especially the
national water safety program.
The Bilingual team was originally formed as a
sub-committee to the HQUSACE National Water Safety PDT; efforts are
currently underway to name the team as an official PDT. Team
members include Ismael Caballero, NWP; Javier Perez, NWS; Robert
Moreno, SPK; Ariadne Howell, SWF; and Phil Martinez, SPA. The
team will focus on translation needs where multiple dialects need to
be addressed. For more information about the team, contact
Lynda Nutt or
Ismael Caballero.
Click on image to see larger view
(Photo: Bilingual team poses with Lynda Nutt,
program manager; (Left to right)
Phil Martinez, Robert Moreno, Javier Perez (back), Lynda Nutt
(front), Ariadne Howell, Ismael Caballero; team member Blanca
Roberts was unavailable for this photo)
MAN OVERBOARD!
submitted by
Mark Meador, Park Ranger, Mobile District
(Photo: Mark Meador prepares to "fall overboard")
Click on image for enlarged view
Several of Mobile District's Black
Warrior, Tombigbee, and Holt Lakes park rangers recently took a
leap of trust to kick-off their participation in a Corps-wide
season-long field test of auto-inflatable life jackets.
The rangers donned new auto-inflatable devices and purposefully
fell overboard to experience the unique actions of a inflatable
deployment. They are part of a greater group of 320 Corps
employees from throughout the Corps' Operations business line
who have been approved to test one of three approved
auto-inflatable models manufactured by Stearns and Mustang
Survival. The field wear test, will measure comfort,
maneuverability, and maintenance requirements of these types of
devices, which are currently being considered for addition to
safety equipment approved by the Corps safety standards. Test
managers encouraged participants to purposely deploy their
devices, as these park rangers did, simply to become familiar
with the auto-inflation functions, as well as to test the
effectiveness of the PFD’s. The national test will run for
one full recreation season, ending September 30, 2006. The
hands-on simulation test the Holt Rangers completed was
successful; all auto-inflation devices functioned effectively.
Rangers reported being 'surprised'
that the devices, which deployed in 3-5 seconds, brought them to
the surface very quickly once inflated. The rangers also
reported they already found the devices cooler to wear and that
they enjoyed the comfortable fit, improvements over the
traditional inherent buoyancy devices currently used on Corps
vessels.
Click on image for enlarged view
(Photo: Holt Lake rangers Diane Gruman and Justin
Sexton model their post-deployment device)
BOBBER HITS
THE ROAD!
Click images to see larger views
Thanks to the efforts of park ranger Jamie Morgan, from Mobile
District's Miller's Ferry Resource Office, folks traveling along
Highway 43 North, near Thomasville, Alabama, now can view an
important message from "Bobber, the Water Safety Dog".
Working through the HQUSACE National Operations Center for Water
Safety, the new billboard design was created for Jamie's and
other Corps offices' use by Toby Isbell, the Bobber program's
creator. The billboard delivers an important water safety
message of "Life Jackets - Man's VEST Friend" and directs
viewers to the Bobber website at
www.Bobber.info. The
image will be posted in generic form on the Gateway and can be
downloaded for use by any Corps office. For more
information, contact
Jamie Morgan
or Lynda Nutt.
WATER SAFETY REACHES PENTAGON
At the invitation of John Paul Woodley, Assistant Secretary of
the Army, Corps personnel recently spent two days providing
water safety information to thousands of Pentagon employees and
visitors. Participating in the event were park rangers
Eugene Goff, Portland District; Bill Donnellan, Baltimore
District; Dawn Kovarik and Mary Anne Heitmeyer, both from St.
Louis District; Phil Martinez, Albuquerque District, Don
Alexander, Louisville District; and Ernest Lentz, Vicksburg
District; along with Tom O'Bryan, an engineer from Detroit
District; Debbie Reumont, from HQs Public Affairs Office; Toby
Isbell, Visual Information Specialist from Little Rock District
(Bobber's designer) and Lynda Nutt, water safety program
manager. Volunteer Daniel Reumont, Debbie's son, did an
outstanding job as "Buddy Beaver", and Buddy's pal Seamoor made
special guest appearances.
Park ranger participants were selected for the event based on
their broad experience in water safety, supervisors'
recommendations and personal interest. Each of the ranger
participants are heavily involved in, if not leading, water
safety programs in their home districts. Tom O'Bryan is
actively involved in the Grand Haven pier safety initiatives in
his community and offered an outstanding introduction to their
latest video project to those who visited the Corps exhibit at
the Pentagon.
During a surprise visit by the ASA and COL. Mike Donovan of the
ASA's staff, Mr. Woodley thanked each exhibit team member in
person, and presented them one of his coins. Mr. Woodley
recognized the success of the event, saying "Everyone I saw
walking down the hall of the Pentagon had one of those Corps
orange water safety bags." Mr. Woodley invited the
National Water Safety Program manager to return next year for a
similar presentation.
Click images to see larger views
(Photo: Exhibit staff meets Mr. Woodley)
(Photo: Debbie and Daniel Reumont, aka
"Buddy" pose with
Mr. Woodley)
CORPS SIGNS MOU WITH BoatUS
Click images to see larger views
(Photo: Ruth Wood, BoatUS, and Lynda Nutt, HQUSACE National
Water Safety Program jointly sign MOU at Int'l Boating and Water
Safety Summit)
A partnership agreement between the BoatUS
Foundation and the US Army Corps of Engineers National Water
Safety Program was signed in front of the general assembly of
the International Boating and Water Safety Summit, held in Palm
Harbor, Florida on May 3, 2006. Ruth Wood, president of
BoatUS and Lynda Nutt, manager of the Corps National Operations
Center for Water Safety, jointly penned signatures to the
memorandum of understanding (MOU), already approved by MG Don
Riley, Director of Civil Works. The MOU established a
formal working relationship
between the agency and non-profit foundation on behalf of
public water safety education, Ernest Lentz, MVD
representative to the National Water Safety Products Advisory
Committee and Chris Edmondson of the BoatUS Foundation were
instrumental in defining this partnership.
Boat Smart.
Boat Safe. Wear Your Life Jacket!
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