Assessment shows base environmental programs continually improving Published Feb. 8, 2006 By Jake Shaw 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla. -- The 482nd Fighter Wing recently completed a five-day environmental compliance assessment here at Homestead Air Reserve Base. This Air Force assessment is known as the Environmental Compliance Assessment Management Program, or ECAMP. ECAMP is the Air Force’s way of testing how well a base measures up to environmental regulations and standards. The ECAMP takes place annually, and leads to an external inspection and audit every third year. And the results for Homestead Air Reserve Base look good, according to Mark Canfield, Air Force Reserve Command ECAMP Program Manager. “Overall, the base improved by 47 percent when compared with last year’s results,” said Larry Ventura, 482nd Environmental Flight Chief. When an ECAMP takes place, the base’s environmental programs are scrutinized under 13 different areas, he said. Some of the main programs assessed include the management of hazardous materials, hazardous waste, storm water, petroleum storage, solid waste and toxics. Ventura says that the success of this particular ECAMP was due to the hard work of the Unit Environmental Coordinators at various units on base, and solid management by his five environmental program managers. Although taking care of the environment is everyone’s business, UEC’s are the real eyes and ears of the base’s green programs, said Ventura. These personnel take on extra responsibility and are formally trained by both the Air Force Institute of Technology as well as the base environmental staff, he said. We have a total of 25 UEC’s here, including at least one coordinator at each major tenant unit. The inspectors were impressed by the quantity and involvement of our UEC’s, and they gave us positive remarks for going above and beyond in managing the UEC program, he said. The results from the ECAMP are kept internal, for use by base environmental personnel to correct any negative findings that were discovered during the inspection. But some of the results are so positive that Ventura couldn’t help but share them. The 482nd Civil Engineering electric shop, under the management of Dave Dezalia and Tom Bishop received positive remarks for their management of universal waste, which includes light bulbs. Also, the 482nd munitions storage area, managed by Stanley Riggs, Tito Rijo and Julio Suri earned kudos for excellent management of hazardous materials. Inspectors were also impressed with our environmentally friendly base supply store and our new internal environmental website created by Molly Long, said Ventura. With all the positive findings, Ventura says he is satisfied for now, but still has a great deal of work to do in order to prepare the base as best as possible for the upcoming external inspection scheduled for Feb. 2007. “Anytime there’s a negative finding, I want to know why and I want to correct it quickly,” he said. “But that’s why we have these assessments, so we can find the areas that need improvement, and get things in order,” he said. 5 ways you can be environmentally friendly: 1. Properly label, store and dispose of all hazardous materials and hazardous waste 2. Don’t put anything in storm drains; nothing goes in storm drains except storm water 3. Store petroleum products in secondary containers (a container inside a container)4. Properly dispose of hazardous waste and recyclable items; neither belongs in the trash 5. Ensure you receive the environmental training that you require and ask questions when you are in doubt. Call 482nd Environmental Flight at 305-224-7163 if you have questions or concerns.