Creech revives IDS, aims to improve quality of life

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada --  In an effort to improve quality of life for Airmen at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, the Integrated Delivery Service program has reemerged   as of July 2015, to help serve the Airmen with issues in areas such as career field manning, financial troubles, resiliency, and quality of life concerns.

The IDS is a cross-functional organization consisting of key helping agencies on base such as, public affairs, first sergeants council, chaplain corps, key spouses, human performance team, Airman's council, and other organizations coming together to help build resilient Airmen.

"We serve as an action arm for the wing leadership," said Chief Master Sgt. Paul Pohnert, 799th Air Base Group chief enlisted manager. "At the CAIB [command action information board], which is a meeting where wing leadership comes to discuss some of the things that are affecting the Airmen these concerns are either brought to higher headquarters or are directed back to the IDS to handle things at the local level with fact finding and taking care initiatives." 

The IDS meets monthly to assess any trends affecting Creech Airmen. Once a trend is identified the appropriate   plans of action is implemented to solve the problem.

"We've identified some issues so far and are working diligently to take action," said Jenna Lightfoot, 99th Air Base Wing community support coordinator. "Ultimately we need the Airmen and non-commissioned officers at the meeting so we know what is really going on, otherwise it's just people sitting in a meeting trying to figure out what it is they really need."

Pohnert added that the IDS is meant to take what Airmen are struggling with, communicate with members about the issues, utilize whatever resources it can, and better the quality of life for the Airmen.

Topics of concern brought up to the IDS are talked through by all the combined agencies and if the solution is possible, one agency will take the lead to ensure the solution is implemented.

"We will take any suggestions but ultimately it depends what the issue is and if it's in our scope our control," Lightfoot said. "Some complaints we won't be able to take care of, such as how long the drive is, but for the ones that are just out of our control in general will be elevated higher than the installation level."

The IDS is a mandatory service for all bases, however, because installation control of Creech AFB is assigned to the 99th ABW commander at Nellis AFB, the IDS was a consolidated program for both bases for almost three years.

Since the Creech AFB poses its own set of unique challenges and has continued to grow in personnel assigned, the program was split in July of 2015 to allow adequate attention for Creech specific issues.

"The things people at Creech experience can be completely different than what Nellis does and for that voice to be heard we thought it was necessary to reenergize the IDS at Creech," Pohnert said.

The next meeting will be held 23 November, 2015, at the Airman and Family Readiness Center from 11:00 a.m. to noon. For more information or to submit a suggestions or concern, please attend the meeting or contact Jenna Lightfoot at jenna.lightfoot@us.af.mil.