Page 3 - Nellis Creech NTTR Bullseye Oct. 21 2016

BULLSEYE News 3October 21, 2016

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NCFD, from page 1 ______________________

According to Harp, some of the most important U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
tips to keep in mind when it comes to fire prevention
include: in the event of a fire or a medical emergency Sparky the Fire Dog and members of the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight set up a booth at the base
dial 911, have an escape plan and know what to do if Exchange on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 12. Fire Prevention Week served as an opportunity for the NCFD to present
you have a fire (extremely important for children), a re safety message to help keep the people that live and work on Nellis and Creech safe.
make sure you have a meeting place, test your smoke
alarms monthly and make sure they are working Fire Station 1 on Nellis AFB, where they gave tours letic field. The fire muster included a community
properly. If your clothes catch on fire: stop, drop of the fire station to anyone who stopped in. information fair and chaplain’s barbecue.
and roll.
Fire Prevention Week wrapped up Oct. 14 at Fire Prevention Week served as an opportunity for the
“The NCFD, (2015 Department of Defense Large Creech AFB. The day began with a 5K Color Run NCFD to present a re safety message to help keep the
Fire Department of the Year), is here for the people and then the annual fire muster at the Creech ath- people that live and work on Nellis and Creech AFBs safe.
that live and work on Nellis and Creech AFBs,” said
Harp. “We do everything we can to keep your homes
and workplaces fire safe. We have six fire stations,
four at Nellis and two at Creech. If at any time you
have questions about fire safety please do not hesitate
to stop any of us when you see us out and around
base.”

Other events included: Oct. 11, NCFD visited
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas and brought a
fire truck and did tours for the students. Sparky the
Fire Dog was there and gave out some Fire Preven-
tion items.

On Oct. 12, NCFD was at the Child Development
Centers with a fire truck and Sparky. Also, they had a
fire truck on display, Sparky and their free giveaway
tent set up at the Nellis AFB Exchange. At Creech
AFB, they visited Indian Springs Elementary School
in the morning.

On Oct. 13, NCFD was at Creech AFB and they
had a table set up at the Creech Dining Facility Ad-
ministration Center. Their tent was at the Creech
Shoppette where they gave away promotional items.

In addition, the NCFD hosted an open house at

EXPERTISE, from page 1 _______ U.S. Air Force photo by Susan Garcia drop so many live weapons every class.
Weapons School requires the organiza- He’s very e ective as a liaison between
tion, cool decisiveness and diplomacy of Timothy Geist, U.S. Air Force Weapons School chief of ight operations, stands in front us and the maintenance units.”
a tra c cop. Every day, Geist stands in of the school’s main building, Sept. 14. Geist’s work scheduling ight and personnel
the swirl of aircra and personnel move- movement for 18 squadrons recently earned him the Air Combat Command Civilian Geist’s voice, a low rumble of thunder,
ment, taking in information quickly and Program Specialist of the Year Award. vibrates with laughter when he recalls one
redirecting the ow. He and three civil- of the early lessons he learned about the
ian schedulers, Amanda Ferris, Randall “ e Nellis and Creech Air Force Base pieces together for all the squadrons and importance of being meticulous in his job.
Faltinosky and Regis Ashley, function scheduling community has weekly and groups around the school to make it all
as a team to help squadrons accomplish monthly meetings with all the schedul- happen,” said Lt. Col. David Chadsey, “When I rst started, the A-10 un-
their training goals. ers,” said Geist. “At those meetings, we 66th Weapons Squadron commander. derbolt commander came to me one day
“But, it’s not just his airspace scheduling and asked why his jets had 500-pound
“We work every MDS [mission de- x challenges like NTTR con icts. We that makes him the school’s backbone.” ‘cement pieces’ on them instead of live
sign series] in the Air Force,” said Geist. talk it out and make deals in a number bombs,” said Geist. “I pulled the schedule
“Working with 24 syllabi, we schedule of ways. You can’t be argumentative. “With his background as a prior Air out to double check what I’d put into the
all departures from Nellis, where they’re Force weapons loader, he knows the scheduling system. I had input ‘l-14’ instead
going, what they’re carrying in terms of e school’s leadership places a lot of maintenance side of operations and of ‘L-14’ for live bombs. e lower-case ‘l’
weapons, and what time they’re coming responsibility on me and my team to be how munitions work, so he uses that,” had been misunderstood as a lower-case
back. We also work to get the appropriate their voice.” explained Chadsey. “It’s particularly ‘i,’ which meant we got inert 500-pound
Nevada Test and Training Range time helpful for the 66th WPS because we bombs—not for one day, for the entire
that the units need for training.” “[Geist] has all the corporate knowl- week! I learned a lesson very quickly that
edge and expertise for how to fit the day. Attention to detail is a must.”
“[Geist] manages the most complex
peacetime scheduling operation in the Now that he has 11 years of training
Air Force,” said Lt. Col. Jon Berardinelli, and experience, Geist’s mastery of his
A3 deputy director at the U. S. Air Force job and hard work garner praise. He
Warfare Center. “He is also responsible said he would not be able to accomplish
for taking care of every visiting unit that everything that he does without his team
supports the Weapons School. He super- and the love and support of his wife of 23
vises scheduling operations for anywhere years, Verna.
from 15 to 20 units at any given time.”
External rewards, such as the recent
In 2015 alone, Geist scheduled 6,300 ACC award, are nice, he said, but he values
missions and 8,300 ying hours, said most the satisfaction he gets from know-
Berardinelli. Because the Weapons ing he has helped others.
School has to share scarce resources,
such as NTTR time, Geist said he relies “I believe in what we do here,” said
on relationships to e ectively negotiate Geist. “The things that our staff and
requirements. graduates do for the nation is amazing.
They make the Air Force better and
bring kids home from combat back to
their families. It’s a great place to work.”