JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.
If you have a question or concern, please send an email to jbsapublicaffairs@gmail.com using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.
Q. JBSA Logistics Readiness Squadron has directed us to return to work full time.
This week we had a positive military member in our building walking around and our leadership was sent home but nothing was told to the rest of the people in the building. The positive military person was walking around the building for half of the day.
Are we still authorized to telework and if so why are commanders not directing telework and taking care of their people?
A. Thank you for the opportunity to address concerns regarding leadership actions taken in response to a COVID-19 positive member in your building. The short answer is that leadership across JBSA is encouraged to utilize telework and weather & safety administrative leave when appropriate to ensure the safety of our personnel.
Upon review of the specific incident, it was noted that the supervisor was one of the people sent into restriction of movement, which caused a delay with normal supervisory notifications of actions taken.
One lesson learned during this incident is ensuring employee notifications are made from the next level of leadership when direct supervisors are not available.
When a member is found positive, contact tracing is accomplished. All members in the building who have been determined to have direct contact with the member are placed in restricted on movement for 14 days; the office in which the person was working is locked/closed, and all of the common areas are cleaned and sanitized in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and 502nd Air Base Wing Public Health Officer Emergency guidance. After 24 hours, the member's office is cleaned and sanitized. A summary of the actions taken is then sent out to the squadron.
Q. Why isn’t the “Taj Mahal” at JBSA-Randolph illuminated in the mornings at 4:45 a.m.?
Last month the lights were finally turned back on. This week the lights are turned back off.
Saving energy is important but the Taj is a symbol of AF innovation – an Airman wanted to build a beautiful water tower and certainly succeeded.
JBSA-Randolph is also very dark in the mornings and the Taj is a beacon in the surrounding gloom.
A. Thank you for your praise of this national historic landmark. In an effort to save energy, the Taj Mahal is only illuminated during the hours of darkness when there is the most activity on the installation, from 5-7:30 a.m. and then from 8:30-10 p.m. daily. Efforts, both large, visible ones like this, and smaller ones like turning lights off in buildings at the end of the day, add up to significant energy savings across all of JBSA.
Q. I noticed a large flock of birds in the parking lot of building 977 at JBSA-Randolph.
While building 977 isn’t on the flight line, it seems odd to have such a large bird population at JBSA- Randolph. Are these birds a bird strike threat?
A. Thank you for keeping a watchful eye! The 12th Flying Training Wing routinely tracks local bird species, flight paths, and populations as part of our Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program.
At the 12th Flying Training Wing, they have a full-time wildlife biologist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on staff to help with our efforts in reducing aircraft bird strikes.
The 12th FTW safety team has been notified and will investigate the area. Thank you again.