MEMORANDUM FOR: ALL NOAA EMPLOYEES FROM: Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere SUBJECT: Update on Safety Stand-Down Regarding Use of non-NOAA
Aircraft
On November 18, 2004, I ordered a safety stand-down on any activity in which
non-NOAA aircraft were being used for official NOAA business. This order was
issued to ensure the safety of our NOAA family until such time as NOAA has
a safety policy for the use of non-NOAA aircraft approved by the NOAA Executive
Council (NEC). I directed Rear Admiral Samuel P. De Bow, Jr., Director of NOAA Marine
and Aviation Operations (NMAO), to develop a safety policy for NOAA by
April 1, 2005. In February, NMAO circulated a draft NOAA Administration
Order (NAO) containing this policy. Due to the significant number of
constructive comments received, I am granting an extension to July 1,
2005, to provide you with a NEC-approved policy. On March 16-18, 2005,
NMAO will host a workshop addressing the comments received on the draft
policy. Working with representatives of the affected
Line and Staff Offices, NMAO will redraft the NAO for final review. I
am pleased with NMAO’s progress and the collaboration across NOAA
to develop a comprehensive policy. Please continue to work closely with
NMAO on this issue. Safety is NOAA’s
number one priority, the safety stand-down shall remain in effect until
a
safety policy for the use of non-NOAA aircraft
is approved by the NEC. Thank you for your continued diligence in addressing
this high priority issue for the organization.
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This message was generated for the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere by the NOAA Information Technology
Center/Financial and Administrative Computing Division
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