Whiteman Express manager addresses safety at gas station pumps

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) has installed new safety measures at its gas station pumps on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

Each pump is now outfitted with an extender/retractor, which is designed to allow drivers to pull the hose around to the opposite side of their vehicles while adhering to the one-way traffic pattern through the gas station.

In addition to announcing the facility update, Emma-Jayne Cariglio, the store manager of the Whiteman Express, addressed a safety issue.

“Despite the large signs we have posted at the entrance to our pumps and also the signs on the pumps, customers are still leaving their vehicle when they fuel,” she said.

Cariglio said that, in the last six months, there have been six instances when people have driven away from the gas station with the pump hose still attached to their vehicles.

“In these instances we do charge a replacement fee and a police report is completed regarding damage to property,” she said.

Drivers who cause this damage are responsible for replacing the nozzle, fuel hose and breakaway swivel, which cost more than 249 dollars.

Depending on the circumstances of the incident, the security forces Airmen responding to the scene could also issue the driver a ticket.