WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO -- The first quarter week-long, base-wide exercise for 2019 begins Feb. 4, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base personnel will once again be called upon to respond to a variety of emergency scenarios.
Included in this week’s events is a natural disaster exercise, with severe weather response and sheltering. During this portion of the exercise, as well as other times throughout the week, alert sirens could be sounded and may be audible in areas adjacent to the base. Residents in the surrounding communities are reminded that those alarms are only a part of the exercise, unless informed otherwise by base officials.
Safety first is the overarching consideration for all exercise events and all are asked to be especially alert to any potential hazards throughout the period. Even though the center of exercise activity may be focused elsewhere on the base, the effects of those activities could extend to the entire installation.
Additional effects of the exercise could include:
- “Giant Voice” loudspeaker announcements might be heard.
- Gate traffic could be backed up or rerouted to other entry locations if activities dictate.
- Emergency response vehicles will be seen and heard moving around the base.
- Travel may be congested.
- Some roadways may be temporarily blocked.
- Security measures could be increased.
As is the case each quarter, the exercise events slated for the week are to meet annual exercise requirements as prescribed by Air Force instructions.
Installation Inspection Team members, easily identifiable by the bright-yellow reflective vests that each wears, will evaluate the response to the exercise events throughout the week.
Some Airmen will also be involved with activities associated with deployments. Base personnel at several locations will be tested on the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). These potentially life-saving portable electronic devices, when used properly, can automatically diagnose potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and then, through defibrillation, allow the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.