A before and after of the 4 Wing Mural, which was materialized through the 4 Wing Online Suggestion Box – Supplied Photo
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With ideas ranging from the hours the back gate is open, to a beautiful mural on what was once a blank canvas, the 4 Wing Online Suggestion Box gives members at Cold Lake the opportunity to make their community a better place.
The online suggestion box is found on the 4 Wing DWAN Splash Page as part of the Lessons Learned Program. Current Wing Lessons Learned Officer Major Kael Rennie says an online way for members to share ideas and opinions allows the added benefit of the members seeing where their suggestion ends up.
“The idea for the Online Suggestion Box came from then-Lt Matzner who was with 1 Air Maintenance Squadron (1AMS) with added suggestions from Sgt Thomas of 4 Operational Support Squadron (4OSS) back in September of 2019. Their original concept was an online system that could see “suggestions for improvement” at 4 Wing.
“The idea was to move past the old paper and pencil wooden Suggestion Box that you see at various places and make it so that the originator would be notified of receipt of their submission, who was taking action, what action was being taken and the estimated and final completion times. This would give feedback to the originator and everyone else can see what has been submitted and what actions have been taken.”
So far, Rennie says, the suggestions have improved the lives of members at the base.
“We have refined the aim to be “Quality of Life” submissions at 4 Wing.”
“Things like changing hours on the back gate (Opening at 5 AM instead of 6 AM) to better accommodate going to the gym in the morning. A recommendation to paint a mural on the back side of the small arms range to beautify the base. Adding a step in the RP Ops work ticket process to notify originators when the work was completed, or even changing the traffic light pattern at Kingsway and Glenwood to allow the Mackenzie RHU’s personnel to merge easier in the morning rush hour.”
Anyone with access to the DWAN network at 4 Wing can submit a suggestion. Rennie says the ideas are still coming in, including ways to keep vehicles warm in the winter at 4 Wing.
“We have also received multiple submissions requesting the installation of electrical outlets in parking lots like the IBBS Long Term parking lot, the Medley Terminal parking lot and a few others. These requests have been forwarded to 4 MSS and have been added to the Wing’s long-term infrastructure upgrade plans.”
When a suggestion is submitted, the timeframe varies depending on how fast it is implemented.
“We check the Online Suggestion Box at least once a week and acknowledge via email to the originator that we have seen it and are processing the suggestion. From there, it really depends on the scope of the suggestion to determine the timeframe of the response.”