The 2020 Captain Marion Gus Shrode Aviation Safety Award recipient is Air Station Houston Safety Department. The Houston safety team tackled major initiatives in water quality research, crew endurance, mishap reporting and training.

Working with 15 federal, state, and local governments and other agencies they uncovered the presence of Polyflouroalkyl substances in the immediate area and were able to verify critical training areas were clear of the substance, allowing for increased hoist training opportunities. The Houston safety team connected with local agencies to establish tracking, testing and surveilling of the local bay in an effort to prevent personnel exposure to such substances in the future.

Furthermore, the Houston Safety Department initiated the units first ever Crew Endurance Management program ahead of the upcoming transition to the MH65E, and capturing member data before and after the units COVID-19 duty schedule began. These efforts created a baseline reference for Houston to evaluate during this summer’s MH 65 Echo transition. Houston employed a new online reporting tool for vastly improved performance and provided input into numerous ALSAFETY messages.

Finally, Houston created a comprehensive review of the three most-recent MH-65 Class A mishaps, noting commonalities and cultural norms while focusing on unintended negative consequences of policy and culture.

Air Station Houston’s Safety Department embodies the Commandant’s guiding principles of Ready, Relevant and Responsive. Their approach to promoting, educating, and advancing aviation safety at both the unit and enterprise level is highly deserving of the 2020 Captain Gus Shrode Aviation Safety Award.