Base prepares for environmental audit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rochelle Clace
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The Air Mobility Command Audit Team visits Tuesday to Thursday to audit the Little Rock Air Force Base's Environmental Management System.

An external audit is one of the International Organization for Standardization 14001 checklist items needed to attain conformance to ISO standards, as required by Executive Order 13423. ISO 14001 is one of a series of emerging international environmental management standards aimed at promoting continual improvement in company environmental performance through the adoption and implementation of an environmental management system.

The EMS concept is a way to maintain operations on base in a manner that can manage the impact on the environment.

"The Audit Team will be reviewing our environmental documents and procedures as well as interviewing people who are in contact with elements of the system," said Mr. Ronnie Shaw, 19th Civil Engineer Squadron EMS coordinator.

The base's EMS Cross Functional Team has been meeting regularly to prepare EMS documents and develop procedures to ensure the base has a functional system in place.

The EMS is a tool to help identify, manage and mitigate threats to the environment at Little Rock AFB.

The top three environmental challenges at the base right now are illegal dumping, international waste disposal and recycling. These issues have repeatedly been Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment Management Program write-ups that could result in a notice of violation being issued by state and federal regulators.

International waste is food, plants and fruits from foreign countries that come to the base on international flights that didn't go thru U.S. Customs in route to Little Rock AFB.

The base's Environmental Policy states "it's committed to conducting its national security mission in an environmentally responsible manner that will protect human health, natural resources and the environment."

In doing so, base personnel will operate in a manner that preserves and protects the environment through pollution prevention, the continual improvement of our operations and complying with regulations while we strive to reduce pollution at the source of generation.

"The biggest challenge is awareness," said Mr. Shaw. "This has been conducted in briefings, Combat Airlifter articles, hand flyers and the development of the acronym HERC, Handle Environmental Resources Carefully. The most important message is that the base is committed to protecting our environment."

He said the ultimate goal for the base is to declare full conformity to ISO 14001 standards by October 2009. For more information, call Mr.Shaw at 987-8135.