ATI NOVEMBER 2014

ATI The

Official

Magazine

of

USS

MAKIN

ISLAND

(LHD

8)

AROUND THE ISLAND

NOVEMBER 2014

IN SIDE A Sailor’s Journey Monster Dash 5k Salon at Sea

Page 2 - ATI CAPT Alvin Holsey CAPT Jon Rodgers Command Master Chief: CMDCM(SW/AW) Thomas Moore

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This month’s contributor: AVCM (AW/IDW) James Elliott

LCDR Michael L. Smith Deputy PAO: MCC(AW/EXW) Bradley Sapp Media LCPO: MCC(SW/AW) Adam Vernon Lead Editor/ Quality Control: MC1(SW) Corwin Colbert Layout Editor: MCSN Dennis Grube

MC1(SW/AW/SCW) Ronald Gutridge MC2(SW/AW) Lawrence Davis MC2(SW/AW) Princess Brown MC2 (SW) Christopher Lindahl MC3 Robin Peak MC3 (SW) Ethan Tracey AROUND THE ISLAND is an authorized publication for the crew member of USS Makin Island (LHD 8).

Contents herein are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding edited, prepared and provided by the MKI media division.

All news releases, photos or information for publication in AROUND THE clarity, brevity and conformance to style. The submission.

Master Chief’s Corner

3 4 6 8 12 14 15

MASTER CHIEF’S CORNER AVCM (AW/IDW) James Elliott

A SAILOR’S JOURNEY ABH3 Manuel Basulto FUN RUN Monster Dash 5k LEARNING TO LEAD Lt. Cmdr Andrew Baldwin WOMEN AT SEA Salon at Sea CFL REMINDER 3 Things You Should Never Do When You Exercise BREATHING EASY Respirator Protection

When pondering about what to write in this article many subjects came to mind, bits of advice, fun stories, along with good and bad lessons learned throughout a career. I decided to concentrate on one phrase that’s been with me for a long time. Two simple words: “No Regrets.” Before you laugh, I promise that it didn’t come from the movie “We’re The Millers,” and no I don’t have a misspelled tattoo.

These two words have provided some security in decision making throughout my career, my wife has even looked at me and used the phrase when I was stuck making a difficult decision. I’d like to pass this simple two word phrase on to you in hopes that it helps you in the future.

First, let’s think about the phrase in daily terms onboard this ship. You’re at the halfway mark of deployment and set goals such as completion of warfare qualifications, 3M, DC, college courses, or other short term goals before getting back to the pier. It’s easy to get side tracked, or procrastinate thinking you’re goal can wait because it’s not a priority. This mode of thinking can result in an unrealized ripple affect that may have long term impacts. You’re in the most competitive Navy that’s ever existed; it’s not a good feeling when you realize that a lack of engagement put you behind peers within ranking, or possibly retention. So what can you do? Reflect on what you had set out to accomplish during this deployment and engage realizing that you’re in command of getting you to your goals. Engaging your short term goals such as qualifications will create opportunity for other challenges when you hit the pier in a few months. “No Regrets.”

On the other side of the coin, if you’re a qualifier don’t take for granted your position or responsibility of providing quality training.

Keep in mind that you’re training the next group of varsity players to compete. Remember who the competition is and keep in mind qualifications aren’t simply a career milestone; they are a part of warfare. We have to do it better than the other team. A qualification signature may live on well past your tour, or even career. Too often, the Kool-Aid get’s watered down from trainer to trainee eventually becoming, you guessed it. To all of you “Experts,” I’m challenge you to get back in the books, don’t rely on statements such as “you need to know this for the board,” or highlight what is on a specific test, it simply doesn’t help. Add value to the Sailor, and to our Navy through in-depth, hands-on training when possible. In the end you can confidently say you did your part. “No Regrets.”

Regardless of time served or your career path the Navy is full of unique opportunities. Don’t take them for granted. What opportunity will present itself when it comes time for you to transfer? A challenging shore duty assignment? Are you ready for it? How is your PFA score, are you within standards? What about finances that could possibly impact a security clearance? Stay ready for the opportunity when it comes up. In my case taking these opportunities came complete with bumps, bruises, hair loss, and some hard lessons learned. At the end of a career, I can say without a doubt the challenges made me stronger and more competitive for a career within and outside of the Navy.

Take the challenge, get out of your comfort zone and realize you have the rare opportunity to improve upon a skillset that necessarily isn’t your forte while receiving the same pay and benefits. Who knows, you may identify a new passion that steers your next career path.

In the end you’ll be able to say “No Regrets.”

Lastly, don’t take for granted the sacrifices that you and your families make in order to serve our country. The lifestyle that we chose isn’t easy, and many outside of the military don’t understand it. It can become easy to get frustrated about things at home when you have little impact. Don’t allow these frustrations to avalanche into something larger. Know that more than ever you have a tremendous amount of support onboard this ship. It’s highly unlikely that your difficulty hasn’t been addressed in the past. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice and seek help if needed. I’d like to say thank you for serving your country and doing what you do onboard this ship. In the end we’ll all be veterans with a range of experiences and great stories. I challenge you to be able to look back with “No Regrets!”

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A SAILOR’S JOURNEY

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robin W. Peak, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

It’s hard to miss him walking among the multitude of Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). At 36 years old, he is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a dark complexion and a constant, calm and stoic expression on his face.

He keeps to himself most of the time, quietly and professionally completing his daily tasks.

In a low voice with a heavy Hispanic accent, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Manuel Basulto tells his story.

“I was 28 years old when I left Cuba,” said Basulto. “The living situation is hard.

You have to be rough in order to survive there, and if you’re not you won’t make it long. It’s not the appropriate situation.”

Continuing with a solemn expression, he said, “With the government, the communism and all of the things going on, I didn’t have the same way of thinking. I decided to leave.”

Basulto would have to make special arrangements to leave.

“Traveling from Cuba is not like traveling in the U.S. You can’t just leave.

The only way you can leave legally is by getting an invitation letter for you to visit someone in another country,” said Basulto.

“I received one, and before I knew it, I was getting on a plane to Moscow.”

The native of the small island country was now, for the first time in his life, a stranger in a strange land.

“Once in Russia, it was very scary. I had never left home before, I didn’t know the language, and I was traveling with a lot of cash so it could have been very dangerous,” said Basulto.

With his eyebrows now raised, crinkling the sun-burnt lines on his forehead, he let out a sigh as he recalled his experience. “I was always looking over my shoulder, worrying about who was watching me and wondering when someone reached inside their jacket if they had a gun or knife. I didn’t know what they would do if anyone found out why I was there.”

Though he would soon leave Russia, his journey was just beginning.

“My goal was to get to the U.S., but in order to do that I had to do a lot of traveling to these different places,” said Basulto.

He listed the places he had to traverse on his journey. “From Russia, I went to Istanbul and then to Holland. In each place I was basically alone. My father, who was in Miami, helped me with money and places to stay, but not speaking the language it was hard even going to buy groceries.”

“After staying a short time in Holland, I eventually was able to get on a plane that took me to Mexico where I made my way to the border,” said Basulto.

Once in Mexico, Basulto said he had to get to the border crossing and tell the appropriate authorities that he was from Cuba. After a procedural interview to confirm his nationality, Basulto was finally able to enter the U.S. People leaving Cuba to the U.S. are given asylum. After one year living in the U.S. with no legal issues, they can apply for residency and eventually citizenship.

Basulto spent his first two years in New York.

“I worked construction in New York for two years, but eventually, I moved to Miami with my father to obtain residency,” said Basulto. “I got residency in about two months after arriving in Miami, but it was hard for a while. I was still working construction, just getting by. One day I walked by a Navy recruiting office. I walked in to get some information. About a month later I was at boot camp.”

Originally stationed aboard USS Peleliu (LHA 5), he said, “I enlisted undesignated, which was good because I was able to learn and get used to being in the Navy.

Eventually, they offered me to either take the third class exam or attend ABH “A” school.

I chose to go to school.”

After he completed school he received orders to USS George Washington (CVN 73) in Yokosuka, Japan, but was only there for a short time.

“My wife was still in the States and she gave birth to my daughter. My daughter had some complications and I had to get back. I received new orders again, and that’s how I ended up on Makin Island,” said Basulto.

He has been on Makin Island for two years and along with his wife Gloria and their healthy daughter Chloe, now lives in San Diego.

After four years since enlisting in the Navy, he is currently serving on his first deployment.

As a grin slowly softened the Sailors stoic face, he contently said, “I have heard all the stories about deployment, and so far, it’s been good. I like it. I keep myself busy. I’m always doing something whether it’s fixing something on the flight deck or studying for the advancement exam. It helps the time go by.”

He went on to say, “During deployment I want to get my surface warfare pin, and continue studying so I can do well on the exam and advance to E-5. Further down

the road, I want to start working towards a college degree; something with computers.

Whatever it is about them, I could sit for hours figuring them out.”

Basulto took his interest in computers one step further.

“While moving my family to San Diego, it was a challenge to find all the information that was out there,” explained Basulto. “My wife was always on the phone and going to different offices. It was very overwhelming at times. I thought, ‘if all of this information was in one place, it would make the process easier for people.’ That’s when I came up with the idea for a website. I taught myself and in about a year, I created one.”

He continued, “The website is called chatmilitary.net. It has resources where people can find information and a chat room where they can ask other members questions. It’s been up for about a year and has roughly 30 members and over 50,000 hits a month.”

Basulto wants to continue using his life experiences to help his shipmates.

“I know what it’s like to not have freedom and I know how hard I had to work to get it. If any of it can help someone, even to just gain perspective, then it makes me feel good,” said Basulto.

Though one journey for Basulto has ended, he’s already four years in to his next adventure.

“I plan to make the military my career,” said Basulto. “I love my job, and I love the Navy. After everything that I have been through to get to where I am now, I know what freedom means, and I know it’s what I’m fighting for.”

N U F on the

FRIGHT

DECK

5K

MONSTER DASH

Makin Island MWR Hosts Halloween 5K Fun Run/Walk

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Lawrence Davis, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

USS Makin Island (LHD 8) Fun Boss Kristen Venoy and her shipboard Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff hosted a “Halloween 5K Fun Run/ Walk” on the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship.

Sailors and Marines were given the opportunity to design costumes for the event which were judged for first, second, and third place prizes at the end of the run.

“We host the runs not only to promote fitness, but also to give Sailors and Marines a chance to socialize with

their shipmates,” said Venoy.

Everything from a half-man, half-horse to creepy clowns and aliens paraded Makin Island’s flight deck during the run.

“What a great way to do Halloween aboard a ship,” said Lt. Bill Lawson, the medical regulating control officer assigned to embarked Fleet Surgical Team Five, who was dressed as “Lt. Dangle” from the television show “Reno 911.”

Despite the day’s desert-like temperature, Sailors and Marines didn’t

let the heat stop them from enjoying the event.

“It was really hot running with a frog hat on, but it was worth it to see everyone else in their costumes out there. I was impressed,” said Marine Sgt. Emery Langley, assigned to embarked 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion, Charlie Company, 1st Platoon.

Master Chief Intelligence Specialist (SW/IDW/AW) Cheri Galvez, the intelligence leading chief petty officer aboard Makin Island,

shared her opinion about how fortunate she felt to have the opportunity to participate in the event.

“I mean seriously, who gets to run a 5K on the flight deck of a warship in the Gulf of Aden while we’re operationally deployed? It’s awesome getting to run with my fellow Sailors and Marines,” said Galvez.

As participants crossed the finish-line, MWR staff stood by with water, oranges and swag bags.

“It really boosts our morale getting us all together as a team,” said

Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class (SW/IDW/AW) Rhodelia Turner, a Makin Island Sailor.

Makin Island’s MWR team concluded the event as the Fun Boss and participants gathered to judge each other’s costumes and captured the moment with a group photo in front of the ship’s number.

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By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Princess L. Brown, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

he rumors spread around the scuttlebutt, also known as a water fountain, like wildfire in a dry forest. They were small in the beginning, eventually turning into large blazing flames of words and curiosity. Some were curious about his physical appearance.

While others wondered would he have the same personality he’d shown millions of people on T.V, or was it all just a show?

Upon checking aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), Lt. Cmdr. Andrew J. “Doc” Baldwin’s outgoing personality put out all of the flames of curiosity. He was known as the “Bachelor” from a previous adventure on a reality television show, but as time passed many of the Sailors onboard realized that he was simply “Doc.” “When I found out that Lt. Cmdr.

Baldwin was the Senior Medical Officer (SMO), I did not know what to expect,” said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Joe H. Espinosa. “I had heard that he had been on ‘The Bachelor’ and was a little bit of a celebrity, but once I got aboard and met him I could see that none of that stuff really changed the person he was and that he and I would have a great working relationship. He is a very easy guy to work for and it’s mainly because he’s such a down to earth person.”

Many of the Sailors aboard, especially within the medical department, have come to realize that the nickname of the “Bachelor” didn’t matter on Makin Island. Yes, it has brought Makin Island more attention on social media sites, but that is just one way “Doc” is helping Makin Island. His main goal was to create a successful integrated team.

The medical team aboard is comprised of a variety of Sailors assigned to Makin Island, which includes the Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 5 and hospital corpsmen assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Although Sailors assigned to the MEU are considered “green side,” or rather part of a different team, Doc sees no difference. They are all his Sailors.

“Doc did a good job making sure both groups knew that this was going to be a one team effort and understanding that we would be working with each other and not against each other,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Johnecia Yancey. “When the ‘green side’ corpsman and physicians came aboard, he automatically implemented things like training together. We all muster together, train together, and run drills together. So it’s very integrated. He put it out early on that we came here for a mission and we were going to do it as a team. He prepared us to work as

team and from there it just flowed naturally.”

Espinosa explained that Baldwin placed a big emphasis on teamwork and positive leadership within the medical department.

He said Baldwin’s leadership style empowers Sailors to do their job, to do what they know is right, and to mentor Sailors, which contributes to the ongoing success of the medical team.

“I feel that the Sailors look up to him,” said Espinosa. “He stands up everyday at quarters and tells the Sailors what a great job they are doing. He wants everyone to know how important they are to the success of the medical team and ultimately how important they are to him. I think that goes a long way with the Sailors.”

During a recent interview with Baldwin, he explained why he joined the Navy and his steps in becoming Makin Island’s Senior Medical Officer.

Lt. Cmdr Andrew Baldwin, Senior Medical Officer:

Why did you join the Navy?

“Family tradition, proud to be an American, and to see the world while doing my job being a physician, that’s why I wanted to join the Navy. My grandfather served in the Navy; he was actually in Pearl Harbor during World War II. And, my uncle was a Navy fighter pilot in Vietnam. It was a means to get an education as well. Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania I didn’t have very much money. Through military

Photo by Mass Communication Specailist 3rd Class Kory Alsberry

service, I was able to attend college and also medical school. It’s great because you get to see the world. That’s why I think the military, especially the Navy, is the greatest service in the world.”

What are your responsibilities on Makin Island?

“I’m in charge of all medical care and health related issues onboard the ship.

All medical assets I oversee. It’s a big job and I’ve definitely learned a lot and it’s going to be sad to leave a great team here.

When I really think of the amount that I’m responsible for on here I couldn’t do by myself. There are 103 personnel that I oversee that are a part of my team that I address at quarters every morning. I’m very grateful for the way they’ve come together as a team and serve. I tell them its all about service, especially in our field of health care, making sure that our medical readiness is at 100 percent and that we’ve prepared our Sailors and Marines to fight the fight when they are called upon. Right now I feel that we are performing very well.”

What goal did you set when you arrived to USS Makin Island?

“My biggest goal coming here two

years ago was to create a team. I know that we come from a lot of different backgrounds within the medical field and from green side (Sailors assigned with the Marine Corps) and blue side (Sailors working aboard the ship), but to have respect for each other and constantly work together as one integrated unit was the goal. It was challenging at first. I know there were a lot of people before I got here that didn’t think in that same mindset, but I’m very much a team player. I’ve been committed to that vision from the beginning and I really think that we have developed an integrated team here on the USS Makin Island, and it shows each and every day.”

Explain your journey from

Civilian to Senior Medical Officer.

“I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and I attended Duke University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. I graduated from there as an Ensign in the Navy and received the health professions scholarship (HPSP) to attend medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. I graduated from medical school in 2003, and I was promoted to Lt. I went to San Diego to do my internship in general surgery at Navy Medical Center, San Diego at Balboa.

At the time I was into swimming and diving.

I swam in college so one of the cool things I was able to do while there was become a Navy diver in efforts to qualify as an undersea Navy doctor. After my internship year at Balboa, I went to dive school and became a diving medical officer and served a three year tour in Hawaii with Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit 1.

That’s where I really started to see the great experiences and opportunities you have in the Navy. I was able to travel throughout Southeast Asia on

special operations missions into jungle regions treating villagers in Laos and Vietnam.

At that time I became much more appreciative of all we have in the United States from a medical standpoint and I wanted to get more involved in humanitarian assistance missions. So after that I was able to go out on the ‘Continuing Promise’ mission with the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20). Then I did my family medicine residency at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. When negotiating orders they asked ‘what do you want to do next?

Do you want to go operational?’ I said ‘heck yes,’ I want to be out there in the Navy, not just in a hospital, but serving aboard a U.S. Navy ship. One of the biggest leadership jobs as a family physician is being the senior medical officer on a large deck. I saw the mighty USS Makin Island and its hybrid drive and its clean energy and it’s touted as the best LHD in the Navy and I said I’d love to be the senior medical officer. I was definitely nervous when I came here. It’s very intimidating when you see the amount that the SMO is responsible for. I’d been at an operational command before with several dozen Navy divers, but we were a much smaller command.

When you are dealing with thousands of personnel and you are heading a department and you’re the medical authority talking to the commanding officer and giving him guidance, it’s a lot of responsibility. I was definitely nervous.

It took me a couple of months to really feel like I knew what I was doing. When you are at an operational command you are a naval officer first, then you are a leader as a department head and then you are a physician. It is not the other way around.

That’s what I truly learned here, how to be a leader. All the nuisances of being a department head in a line community are things that you can’t learn on paper, you just learn through an experience like this.

I’m very grateful for the guidance I’ve received and all I’ve learned during this tour.”

Through great leadership and training, Baldwin has led the Makin Island medical team successfully through many training evolutions required to maintain mission readiness.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dennis Grube

W

Salon at Sea

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dennis Grube, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

Earlier in the deployment, Women at Sea held a meet-andhat do you think of when you imagine a barbershop? greet. At the event, speed mentoring was held where senior Maybe it resembles a scene from the movies with a members had mentoring cards and would ask questions in a room full of men, sprawled out in cherry red barber manner that promoted a more open dialogue between junior Sailors chairs, arguing who was the greatest quarterback of all time. and their leadership. The meet and greet also included discussions Perhaps it’s the sound of clippers buzzing like a swarm of bees on women’s health, motherhood and family planning. around a hive. It could even be a couple of old men embellishing Ortega said she believes the the size of their big catch on the last program is important to the command fishing trip over a game of chess. because it provides mentorship, However, in this case, the scene would especially for those junior Sailors who not be what you expect. are on deployment for the first time.

Recently, the barbershop of “Sometimes they just don’t know amphibious assault ship USS Makin how to face certain challenges that Island (LHD 8) took on a different form they come upon,” said Ortega. “Not all as lines of women formed to enjoy an females have a female leader in their at-sea salon. chain of command. So through this According to Chief Logistics program, they can approach any of the Specialist Daisy Ortega, coordinator members with more personal problems of the Women at Sea program, many in which we can relate.” females cut their hair shorter than “If you have any issues, you’ll be normal before deployment because they Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge able to talk to other people and have the aren’t able to get it cut on deployment. Some female Sailors require resources available to either combat those issues or get help with more maintenance for their hair so Women at Sea was glad to host them,” said Payter. “For my last deployment, it was a great way for the event and help out those Sailors. me to be able to open up and be myself. That’s why it’s so helpful Members of the ship’s Women at Sea program sponsored the to me.” event to allow women aboard the ship to get their hair treated on Ortega said, despite the name of the program, it is open to deployment, according to Ortega. all Sailors, not just women. Women sometimes face different “Never before have I been able to go to the barbershop on a challenges aboard the ship, but Sailors of both sexes are welcome ship and get a haircut,” said Ortega. “So this is a big step Navyto participate, she said. wide. That was very exciting for me.”

“More than anything, the program is a mentoring tool,” said “It’s also a great way to meet other women on the ship,” Ortega. “It’s not meant to separate males and females, so our goal said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 1st Class Ashley Payter. is to focus on the mentoring and leadership aspects instead of “Sometimes, with our work environment, it’s hard to get out and segregating as well as being able to include both male and female actually meet people. Opening up the barbershop to female Sailors Sailors because we get great input from both sexes.” allows us to do just that.”

“We are trying to incorporate new ideas into the program to improve the quality of life around the ship and improve the Sailors’ morale,” said Ortega.

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Page 2 - ATI

CFL

BREATHING EASY

REMINDER

Fitness Tip

Respiratory Protection

T

hroughout the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), various divisions perform all kinds of repairs and preventive maintenance in order to keep the ship operating. Most tasks involve painting, sanding, grinding, paint chipping, or non-skid application and all these jobs have one thing in common; they generate air contaminants that are extremely hazardous to our health and at times could be deadly.

The goal of the Respiratory Protection Program onboard is to create awareness so that our Sailors are able to recognize when respiratory protection would be required for the safe completion of a task. They are trained on their proper use, inspection, care and what type of respirator to use for the type of work being done. To maximize effectiveness, you want to make sure that the respirator is worn properly.

The only respirators allowed for use by the Navy are the ones approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). There are three types of respirators onboard the MKI; full face, half mask, and N-95 respirators.

The most common one is the half face respirator which provides sufficient protection with the proper filter or cartridge. Unlike the full face, it does not provide sufficient face and eye protection, therefore eye protection is required.

3 Things You Should Never Do When You Exercise

Mistake #1 Exercise when you have pain. Many people get into the groove during exercise and forget about some key principles for safe and effective workouts. Exercising when you have pain is one of them, and it’s the fastest way to develop a serious or persistent injury. Minor aches and pains can easily become chronic overuse injuries that plague us for years. If you feel pain during exercise, stop, rest and look for the cause of the pain. Sometimes all you need to do is make some minor adjustments to your equipment or body position to eliminate pain.

Mistake #2 The same workout routine day after day. To excel at a skill, you need to practice it. However, doing the same workout routine all the time can increase you risk of injury as well as lead to muscle imbalance, weakness and just plain boredom. It’s important to vary your workout routines from day to day and season to season. Cross training, combining endurance and speed training, and adding weight training or yoga are all great ways to maintain a high level of fitness without overstressing certain muscle groups.

Mistake #3 Ignore proper form during exercise. No matter what sort of workout routine or exercise you enjoy, using incorrect technique not only reduces the effectiveness of the workout but puts you at greater risk for getting injured.

The N-95 (surgical mask look-alike) only provides protection against dust particulates. It does not provide protection against vapor contaminants. As per OPNAVINST 5100.19E, surgical masks (blue or green) are for medical/dental use only and shall never be used as an air purifying respirator because they do not provide protection against air contaminants To qualify to wear respirators, personnel must be confirmed by an authorized medical representative (MDR) as having no deployment limiting medical conditions, and have a current annual preventive health assessment (PHA).

After getting medically cleared, personnel will then bring their fit test card signed by the MDR to the Safety Department where they will attend the mandatory respiratory training conducted by the Command Respiratory Protection Program Manager (RPPM) and shall pass a fit-test with each type of respirator. It is the user’s responsibility to inform the RPPM if any defects are found in the respirators or filters/ cartridges.

When in doubt on what PPE is required for a specific task, consult the MRC, MSDS, IH Survey, OPNAVINST 5100.19, ask your immediate supervisor or stop by the Safety Office.

Safety Department conducts respiratory training and fit-testing every Wednesdays at 0830 in the aft part of the Hangar Bay. The Safety Department is the main central control point of authorized source of respiratory protection equipment onboard MKI.

For more information go to: http://www.navyfitness.org/fitness/noffs

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