Smoking privileges: stop abusing them or start losing them

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Musal
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
Are you a smoker? If you are, pay attention: this article is directed at you.

Smoking on Goodfellow Air Force Base is governed by Air Force Instruction 40-102, which limits smoking to designated smoking areas. In addition to the 10 on Goodfellow, listed below, the back and side patio areas of the Event Center and the adjacent covered pavilion are considered designated smoking areas - for the moment.

Since these areas were cleared for smoking, some abuse has been observed: cigarette butts left strewn about the courtyard, trash in the butt disposal cans and more trash littered on the grounds. The flower beds are full of butts and trash, even though ashtrays and trash cans are readily available. It even appears that some users of smokeless tobacco have taken to spitting on the ground, an unsightly and unsanitary lapse in common courtesy.

The Event Center staff provides ashtrays to extinguish cigarettes as well as butt cans for proper cigarette disposal. This is both to cut down on litter as well as to minimize fire danger, which is definitely a concern in dry West Texas.

Additionally, trash cans are provided. These are for trash disposal, while butt cans are for butt disposal only. Both are expected to be used, and individuals caught littering may have disciplinary action taken against them, according to Master Sgt. Brandon O'Neil, 17th Training Wing Legal Office.

"You are given a break by being allowed to smoke in that area," said Ray Kazura, Event Center Director. "It's your responsibility to clean up after yourself. If we don't all pitch in together, it's going to go away." Mr. Kazura added that the Event Center, like many other base facilities, does not have the staff available to clean the trash and butts that have been found in the smoking area.

"We're all adults, and we expect you to act like adults," he said. Mr. Kazura's sentiments were echoed by Col. Richard Ayres, 17 TRW commander.

"A lot of money and effort have gone into making the Event Center the best morale-booster it can be," Col. Ayres said. "If it is taken for granted by people who cannot clean up after themselves, the money spent fixing it is money that could better be spent on other morale projects."

"We want the Event Center to be a place where people can go to relax, and for some people that includes smoking," he added. "I don't want to take away that freedom. Unfortunately, if this continues to be a problem around the Event Center, that privilege may be lost. Consider this fair warning."
Designated smoking areas:

Area 1 - 17th Medical Group: West of Bldg. 1001 loading dock, immediately behind the pavilion.
Area 2 - Equipment Rental: Northwest corner of Bldg. 736 and east of Bldg. 741.
Area 3 - Theater: West of Bldg. 812 and north of Ballfield 2.
Area 4 - Goodfellow NCO Academy: West of Bldg. 901 and northeast of Bldg. 910.
Area 5 - Base Exchange: East corner of Bldg. 222 and northwest corner of Bldg. 213.
Area 6 - 17th Civil Engineer Squadron: North side of Bldg. 3519 in northwest corner of the lot.
Area 7 - 17th Logistics Readiness Squadron: Southeast of Bldg. 3420, east of the
parking lot and west of Apache Trail.
Area 8 - 17th Security Forces Squadron: Pavilion 3322, east of Bldg. 3321 and west of Bldg. 3323.
Area 9 - Fire School: Southeast of the hazardous materials wing and northeast of Bldg. 3453.
Area 10 - 17th Training Support Squadron: Northwest of Bldg. 530, southeast of Bldg. 533.