Tyndall sergeant earns 325th FW FOD Preventer of the Year award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Tyndall Staff Sgt. Benjamin Dean, 325th Maintenance Squadron, aircrew egress systems craftsman, earned the 325th Fighter Wing Foreign Object Damage Preventer of the Year award during the 2012 Maintenance and Staff Professionals of the Year banquet in Hangar 1 March 15.

The Monett, Mo. native said it was great to receive the award. It is given for finding something out of place, either in the aircraft or on the flight line, such as leaves, rocks, pens, or discarded bolts which could cause damage if sucked into an engine, cause an aircraft to become disabled during flight or cause an ejection seat to cease functioning. A FOD preventer is someone who, on a regular basis, finds foreign objects or who finds a problem with a process that is causing foreign objects and inputs preventative measures or a process to prevent this deficiency.

"I am very happy to be recognized for my contribution to the mission," he said. "I have always strived to do the best I can at my job and it feels like others have taken notice of that.

"I once found a pen lodged in the sequence start switch on the ejection seat, which could prevent it from functioning properly. I also found a pilot glare shield cover under a seat, a pencil, and a nickel all within a few days of each other."

Sergeant Dean has been in the Air Force for nearly eight years and has worked in the maintenance career field, primarily egress, throughout his career. His favorite part about his job is making sure pilots stay safe.

"I ensure that all of the ejection systems that I work on will work properly," said Sergeant Dean. "That sounds simple, but it isn't always. I enjoy the challenge of finding things that by fixing, you can save someone's life. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a system like hairline cracks in the seat structure, corrosion, improper adjustment of parts, damaged parts from chaffing or wear.

"These things do not always stand out and we don't test the seats, so the hunt for these problems is where most of my enjoyment comes from. And of course, knowing that I could save someone's life."

The MPOY banquet recognizes the achievements of the maintenance group and honors maintenance professionals each year.

The original maintenance professional award was established in 1979 to recognize outstanding performance of direct, sortie-producing maintenance specialists. Support, training and staff personnel make vital contributions to effective sortie production. Tyndall recognizes these important professionals in their diversified career fields.

For more photos from the event, Common Access Card holders can click here.