4th Fires Brigade in Iraq: setting the conditions for safe operations.

The 4th Fires Brigade is halfway through its rotation in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) V, and we are pausing to identify areas where we have set the conditions for safety and where we can improve.

Our organization consists of three battalions and eight company-sized units for a total of 3,000-plus Soldiers and 700 pieces of equipment that are either organic to the brigade or under our operational control (OPCON). Within that framework, these units have hundreds of different missions, ranging from our organic target acquisition battery's (TAB's) mobile training team (MTT) mission to provide technical and tactical expertise on the employment of the Army's new lightweight countermortar radar (LCMR) to the headquarters and headquarters battery's (HHB's) mission to conduct convoys for the brigade commander's movement throughout Baghdad.

In the monthly review of our safety program, we have identified some key building blocks that have enabled us to conduct varied operations throughout our battlespace safely. During these operations, we've experienced minimal accidents and injuries to our Soldiers and equipment while still maintaining our focus on warfighting and accomplishing the mission.

Not all our success comes from actions typically thought of as "risk mitigation," although risk mitigation certainly is part of our routine planning process. The following elements have proven significant in keeping our Soldiers safe and successful.

Brigade Safety Officer. Our safety officer is a key member of the commander's safety program and is responsible for ensuring that safety is observed throughout the brigade. He consolidates all safety guidelines and standing operating procedures (SOPs) that are significant to every scenario and event Soldiers may encounter daily.

For example, we continuously train our Soldiers on convoy operations and evaluate their performance and actions before, during and after convoy operations. In response to the Soldiers' actions during simulated training scenarios, additional safety guidelines and procedures have been developed and added to the convoy SOP.

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Daily risk assessments are the foundation of our risk management strategy. At the morning battle update brief (BUB), the brigade safety officer assesses the hazards for the day. He begins this process each Sunday when he updates a weekly composite risk assessment based on the projected weekly missions, other coalition operations, weather, the current enemy situation, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). Then each morning before the BUB, the safety officer ensures that the risk assessment is still valid and makes any adjustments.

During the briefing, he focuses the battalion, battery and company leadership on key hazards they may face that day. The BUB provides an opportunity for the commanders and safety officer to come together and discuss current safety issues.

Command Relationships. Another key building block of our safety program is the relationship between the commanders and the special staff. The commanders and staff have a mutual trust and understanding regarding the safety program. Every effort has been made to ensure that free dialog continues between the command teams and the safety subject matter expert (SME).

This policy has created an environment where subordinate units can meet and discuss the issues at the monthly safety meetings or incident review boards objectively without fear of the discussion turning into a "blame game." This special relationship also allows for positive safety reinforcement with weekly safety inspections.

At the Wednesday morning BUB, the safety officer announces the current inspection's focus. This focus is determined using input from the subordinate units. The safety officer conducts each inspection, providing the subordinate commander an additional set of objective eyes on the commander's safety programs. The inspection covers a wide variety of areas, such as fire extinguishers, documentation in the dispatch books and the type of protective eye wear worn by Soldiers.

The results of the previous week's inspection are displayed at the BUB, but care is taken to ensure only trends are displayed--not which units had the issues. This strategy preserves the open working environment between the subordinate units and the safety officer while highlighting areas that need additional focus.

Safety Counsel Meetings. Monthly safety counsel meetings are opened by the brigade commander or the deputy commanding officer (DCO) and conducted by the brigade command sergeant major (CSM). These meetings provide a forum for dialog on current trends and issues.

The safety officer always is present and helps capture the brigade's trends and TTPs for success. The CSM keeps the focus on what we have done, what we did well and where we can improve. This forum atmosphere keeps the focus on fixing an issue rather than simply providing time for a standard pitch by the safety officer.

Safety Stand-Downs and Other Programs. In the event of an incident occurring or a unit isn't following safety guidelines, the brigade adopts a "heightened awareness" posture at the unit level. The unit conducts a safety stand-down for 24 hours to provide corrective training and safety awareness.

Instead of the usual white flag, a red flag is flown over the headquarters building during this time. The red flag lets others know that the unit is conducting additional safety training or investigating an incident that occurred as a result of non-compliance with safety guidelines.

The brigade holds a regular weekly leadership development program that is mandatory for the separate company and batteries and optional for the battalions. These programs are taught by various staff sections and highlight critical components of combat operations for our leaders. Topics include changes to the convoy SOP, use of the improved first aid kit, the best way to incorporate the various electronic warfare (EW) systems to counter the radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) into convoy operations, the latest enemy IED TTPs and composite risk management.

Other safety measures include training events and increasing our safety posture by providing a fresh look at areas where Soldiers might become complacent, such as when conducting repetitive missions in a combat environment.

Weapons and Equipment Training. Weapons ranges, such as the M2.50 caliber, M240B and M249, feature prominently on unit training calendars. The ranges' focus is on more than simple qualification or familiarization with the weapons. An important part of the safe operation of crew-served weapons is how to mount and remove them from the turret of a vehicle, load and unload them, and properly clear the weapons.

Brigade training and competitions, such as the Ml 114 up-armored high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) lanes and competition, provide opportunities for Soldiers and leaders to broaden their combat training in a controlled environment while demonstrating their proficiency in essential war fighter skills. The Ml 114 lanes focus on training the unit's convoy SOP and battle drills in a crawl-walk-run format. The M1114 competition reinforces that training by providing an opportunity for Soldiers to determine who the best is at what they do.

Events, such as the semi-annual combat logistics patrol lanes, provide an excellent opportunity for leaders to check unit safety factors and procedures and certify sections in the Soldiers' abilities to conduct the tasks. Soldier's caring programs help identify at-risk personnel and are an effective risk-reduction tool and key component of the unit's safety program.

Individual Counseling. Our units conduct individual counseling with Soldiers on a regular basis. The need for safety during day-to-day operations is reinforced during counseling. Our units counsel Soldiers who are getting ready to return home on leave, which ensures safety expectations are explained down to the Soldier level throughout the brigade. Every supervisor also maintains a leader's book to help implement the appropriate risk-reduction measures for the section and identify potential areas or personnel who pose an increased risk to themselves or the unit.

Risk-mitigation controls are a series of links in accident prevention, and it takes only one successful link to keep an accident from happening. Most accidents are not caused by a single error; rather, they're due to a series of failures in control measures. Any leader or Soldier can prevent an accident from happening, but only if they know the control measures.

Here's an example: A Soldier had a Class C incident when he lost his footing and fell while dismounting from the back of a family of tactical vehicles (FMTV) vehicle while carrying a heavy load. Attempting to break his fall, the Soldier pushed himself away from the vehicle. However, he landed on his side and fractured his elbow.

After a thorough investigation, the brigade leadership determined that the cause of the accident was simply a result of failure to observe the common safety measures. This incident could have been prevented if any one of the following controls had been observed: the Soldier should have been trained properly on the new vehicle, systems and operations; the Soldier should have used a ladder to mount and dismount oversized vehicles such as the FMTVs; the Soldier should have maintained three-point contact to mount and dismount the vehicle; and the Soldier should have used designated loading docks to load and unload heavy cargos.

As our brigade continues its mission, our Soldiers likely will encounter significant changes in their surroundings that will require different approaches. As circumstances change, the existing courses-of-action (COAs) will become outdated and require changes. To maintain our units' competence and effectiveness, our brigade safety officer will continue to develop safety programs to tackle every situation. In addition, we will continue our other programs to ensure Soldiers are safe while accomplishing their missions. They deserve nothing less.

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy J. Daugherty is the Deputy Commanding Officer of the 4th Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq. In his previous assignments, he was the Executive Officer (XO) for 3d Battalion, 82 Field Artillery (3-82 FA), 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and also the battalion's S3 during Operation Desert Strike in 1996 in Iraq; Fire Support Officer (FSO) for 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division; a Battery Commander in 1-7 FA, 1st Infantry Division, in Bosnia; and a Platoon Fire Direction Officer (FDO) for 2-3 FA, 1st Armored Division, in Germany and in the Gulf for Operation Desert Storm.

Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Gilbert L. Canuela is the 4th Fires Brigade CSM in Iraq. Among other assignments, he has served as CSM of the 24th Infantry Division and Fort Riley, Kansas; the Army Test and Evaluation Command and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; the 1st Armored Division Artillery in Germany; and 1-41 FA, 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, deploying with the battalion to Kuwait during Operation Desert Thunder in 1998.

Captain Jared J. Sutton is the Brigade Liaison Officer for the 4th Fires Brigade in Iraq. He commanded B Battery, 2-20 FA, 4th Fires Brigade, at Fort Hood. He previously served as the S1 and S4 of 2-20 FA during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) V. His other assignments include serving as an FSO for III Corps Headquarters at Fort Hood, FSO for 4th Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and as a Troop and Anti-Tank Company FSO for 1-2 ACR, also at Fort Polk.

By Lieutenant Colonel Timothy J. Daugherty, Command Sergeant Major Gilbert L. Canuela and Captain Jared J. Sutton