2010 Annual Report - West Virginia Army National Guard - U.S. Army

West Virginia National Guard Annual Report 2010Employer Support of the Guard and ReserveEmployer Support of the Guard and Reservewas established in 1972 to promote cooperationand understanding between Reserve componentmembers and their civilian employers. ESGR isthe lead Department of Defense organization forthis mission.The West Virginia State Committee iscomprised of nearly 50 volunteers from all partsof the state who strive to support employers andservice members. It is the mission of ESGR togain and maintain support from all public andprivate employers for the men and women of theNational Guard and Reserve and, when calledupon, to provide trained mentors to informallymediate employment issues.ESGR recognizes employers who go aboveand beyond in their support of service memberswith a Patriot Award. In 2010, more than 300Safety and Occupational Healthstate employers received Patriot Awards, and theGreenbrier County sheriff went on to become afinalist for a national award.W.Va. ESGR conducted a boss lift onApril 1 for members of the Leadership KanawhaValley class of the Charleston Area Alliance. Itwas an exhilarating day for the 40 class membersas they experienced educational events thatsolidified their respect for members of W.Va.National Guard and for the value and economicimpact the National Guard has on the localeconomy.ESGR was also very active in localChamber of Commerce activities in LoganCounty and Morgantown that included a visit byChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. MikeMullen and the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge airshow in Martinsburg.The mission of the West Virginia ArmyNational Guard Safety and Occupational HealthProgram is to preserve war fighting capabilitiesand protect force readiness through OccupationalSafety and Health Administration training. Thegoal is to provide a safe workplace and healthyenvironment for all personnel, on or off duty.Programs incorporate family safety with Soldiersafety.The West Virginia Army National Guardrecently received a Safety Award Plaque fromthe National Guard Bureau for 10 consecutiveyears of operating motor vehicles with noClass A or Class B accidents. Only three statesreceived such an honor this past year.The Safety and Occupational Health Officeconducted 45 safety and health inspectionsduring 2010 and conducted 30-hour First LineSupervisors’ and 10-hour Safety Officers OSHAtraining courses. The Army National Guard isalso participating in the Occupational Safetyand Health Administration Volunteer ProtectionProgram.A nationally-recognized program that haspaid big dividends to the WVARNG is theMotorcycle Safety Awareness Program. TheWVARNG has 28 Rider Coaches who haveprovided training to more than 600 Soldiers,employees and family members. Motorcyclesafety training is conducted around the state.During 2010, the Safety Office conductednine Basic Riders Training Courses, oneExperienced Rider Course, two Sport BikeRiders Courses and three Rider CoachPreparation Course. The WVARNG has twoSoldiers who are Certified Motorcycle BasicCourse Train the Trainer Instructors and arein constant demand to teach for other statesand the National Guard Bureau. We feel thisreinforces our position as the premier MotorCycle Safety Program in the Army NationalGuard.The motorcycle programs are just oneexample of how the WVARNG Safety andOccupational Health Offices provide safe andhealthy workplaces for soldiers, employees andtheir families, thereby preserving war fightingcapabilities and improving force readiness andour capacity to meet the tactical and operationalrequirements of state and federal missions.42 43