JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
For the first time in more than 10 years, active-duty security forces personnel at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph are working eight-hour shifts. The changeover from 12- to eight-hour shifts took place Jan. 3.
Twelve-hour shifts for security forces Airmen became routine about a decade ago, when the Global War on Terrorism resulted in more deployments, but now there is an emphasis on eight-hour shifts to combat fatigue and provide more training.
"Eight-hour shifts used to be the norm," Capt. Antwan Floyd, 902nd Security Forces Squadron operations officer, said. "Security forces went to 12-hour shifts because of increased deployments. Deployments were so heavy they didn't have enough people to do eight-hour shifts. What we were able to do was come up with a schedule of rotations to go into eight-hour shifts without additional manpower."
Floyd said part of the reluctance to commit to eight-hour shifts was due to a possible worst-case scenario where as many as 50 security forces Airmen would be deployed for about a two-month period. He said eight-hour shifts were possible except for those periods, but that would have required shifting back and forth between eight- and 12-hour shifts.
"Nobody wanted to do that, so we went to straight 12-hour shifts," he said.
But Floyd said the worst-case scenario is the exception, not the rule.
"We're responsible for 25 deployments (at a time), but they're usually staggered, so the most that are deployed are about 13 at a time," he said.
Floyd said problems of a 12-hour shift included the inability to mandate physical training and provide adequate combat skills training for Airmen, who had to come in on their days off for PT and one day of training per month.
"Those 12-hour days are actually 14-hour days because they come in an hour early to arm up and they leave an hour late," he said. "We were able to cut four hours out of the day, so that was big time. Now they can get in PT five days a week."
The squadron will also be able to offer combat skills training in two-week blocks every quarter.
"They'll be getting more combat skills training that will better prepare them for their deployments," Floyd said.
Another issue was diminished productivity due to fatigue.
"The fatigue factor was huge," Floyd said, especially late in their shift and on the third day of their schedule. "We were seeing more accidents, more mistakes being made and less production."
Floyd said Maj. Robert Ford, 902nd SFS commander, endorsed the new schedule in November, and Col. Scott Peel, 902nd Mission Support Group commander, approved it in December.
"We were able to accomplish it without accepting any additional risks," he said.
Ford said personnel were used to 12-hour shifts, but are now excited about the new schedule, where they work six days in a row and are off for three days.
"They were being asked to do more and more during their deployments, but not getting the training," he said. "Now they will get that. The most important thing for me is that we'll be able to get better training and have PT five days a week."