Can you hear me now?

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joanna Kresge
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  Members of the 2d Medical Group, Barksdale AFB, La., were recently trained by technicians from Westone Laboratories, Colorado Springs, Colo., to fit molds for custom earpieces. 

Westone Lab produces the Attenuating Custom Communications Earpiece System which not only provides hearing protection, but also improves the quality of sound aircrew members get from their headsets. 

"We only have one qualified flight doc at the 917th, and he's only here on the [drill] weekend. He has to fit it [custom molds] in with all the other duties he has," Lt. Col. Chris Rounds, 917th Standardization/Evaluation, said. "It's going to make it easier for us now to send reservists on orders down to the 2d Bomb Wing and have their med techs do the impressions." 

"Now that we have six or eight qualified technicians at 2d Wing versus our one certified doctor, we can finish up with new fliers as they come in," he said. 

Approximately 75 percent of Barksdale personnel who were fitted with the ACCES wear them on a regular basis. This number, according to Colonel Rounds, continues to rise as more and more of Barksdale's some 300 fliers become interested in the technology. 

"I heard about ACCES through the 49th Test Squadron, our host unit" said Capt. Mary Hill, 53rd Test Management Group/Detachment 1, 53rd Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. "Everyone had such great success with them, so it wasn't a hard decision to make."
"The fitting went extremely smooth," she said. 

Capt. Maxwell DiPietro, 2d Operations Support Squadron Life Support officer said he's confident in the eight newly ACCES trained technicians. "Our Medical Group is made up of great professionals." 

"If the Reserve has the materials ready to go, we have the qualified technicians who can do the pouring for them," he said.