Cutline

Bob Roedell, as a quality assurance specialist, (back to camera) can’t seem to catch all the problems, demonstrated by the tennis balls, being put to him all at once by Subject Matter Experts. The SMEs are (from left) Jacki Chase, Reggie Legaspi, Dennis Crowley, Jim Anderson, Capt. Emory Chenoweth, and John Delaney. Photo by Joe Feliciano

ACs, SMEs praised for their work

By Bill Bartkus

Activity Coordinators and Subject Matter Experts with Naval Air Depot North Island Teaming for Process Improvement program recently received accolades during the second annual Appreciation Day activities at Seaview Heritage Park on the base. TPI Program Manager Virginia Lovell, Code 6.B, coordinated the arrangements.

Lovell said that September’s terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have changed Americans’ lives forever. “More than ever, the daily roles we play at NADEP North Island are critical to the very quality of our nation’s defense,” she told the crowd. “More than ever, your roles as Activity Coordinators and Subject Matter Experts are essential to the products we provide to the fleet in support of the warfighter.”

NADEP North Island Commanding Officer Capt. Emory Chenoweth shared his thoughts on the ever-increasing importance of the Depot’s mission: Service to the Fleet. “The things that we have in our plant today, that our artisans are placing their hands upon and repairing this day, within a short period of time could be installed in aircraft and weapons systems that will be operating in the theater of operations off the coast of Saudi Arabia and in the Persian Gulf,” said Chenoweth. He was referring to the then-proposed U.S. retaliatory response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 in New York City and in Washington, D.C.

“It’s obvious to me and I’m sure it is to you as well that what we do has a direct and real impact on the readiness support posture of our forces,” the captain said. “So what you’re doing is absolutely critical, it’s important for us to be there, both for the Navy but also for the artisans. They’re (our forces) relying on us to make sure that our processes and procedures are as absolutely best as they can be and that we give them the support that they need.”

He cited Lovell for her enthusiasm, energy and work ethic that she brought to the TPI program.

Chenoweth showed the crowd the Seattle Post-Intelligencer article about the fatal Alaska Airlines crash off the coast of Port Hueneme, Calif. that happened on Jan. 31, 2000. He pointed out that the article reported that the airlines’ maintenance procedures and documentation were very rigorously inspected by the FAA. “There are some good parallels to be drawn between their procedures and the things that we find to be important,” Chenoweth said. The article noted that the FAA found that Alaska Airlines’ manual did not adequately define procedures for in-depth aircraft inspections and that the airlines’ own audits failed to find and correct problems in maintenance practices. “The FAA’s threat of taking away the airlines’ maintenance authority was intended to spur the airlines into correcting its problems,” the article read.

“What I consider your roles to be and the way you have faithfully executed them is preemptive in nature, not reactive,” Chenoweth said. “We’re trying to get ahead of our processes, identify the deficiencies, make them more robust, and ensure that we’re going to get that quality product every time to the fleet.”

To prove his point, Chenoweth conducted a demonstration using the Activity Coordinators and Subject Matter Experts. He had Bob Roedell, Code 6.3.2.2, as a Field Service Quality Assurance officer, stand in front of a line of SMEs, which he selected at random. Chenoweth gave each SME a tennis ball, which they threw in unison at Roedell who managed to catch only two of them. He wanted to show how one person couldn’t catch all potential problems, hence the need for a team.

Following the demo and after each SME retrieved their tennis ball, Chenoweth continued his remarks as he made each SME drop their ball. “Our contamination programs will be so air-tight and sound that will be in full compliance with all the governing procedures. We’re going to make sure that all the daily servicing actions are completed in accordance with the publications.” He said that all of our force removal dates will be adhered to and “hoses and tubes will be marked.”

He said that we have a partnership with Production and that we will make sure that everyone understands that there’s one hand for the man or woman and one hand for the ship. “Safety is important in everything that we do,” he said.

Regarding technical publications, Chenoweth said that the NADEP would work the best it can with the resources that we have to insure that we do maintenance by the books. “And the books will be as best as we can humanly make them as accurate and as well maintained and as well documented as possible,” the skipper said. “We’ll make stringent technical directives compliance our way of life.

“We have people lined up shoulder to shoulder to effect the most solid chance for getting quality products out of the NADEP,” Chenoweth mentioned. As he threw a lone tennis ball to Roedell, who caught it easily, Chenoweth said, “So if one comes in I’m confident that this team can make it happen and conquer it.”

Activity Coordinators and Subject Matter Experts received polo shirts, Commanding Officer’s Coins and plaques from the skipper.