Wright-Patterson AFB to conduct quarterly exercise Published March 29, 2012 By Derek Kaufman 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Base officials will conduct quarterly exercises here April 30 - May 4. Several independent scenarios are planned ranging from simulated terrorist attacks to a natural disaster with mass casualties. Many base operations will continue as scheduled with minimal disruptions, however personnel should expect multiple emergency responses and periods of tightened security. Delivery of services such as issuance of military identification cards could be temporarily interrupted, officials said. Some exercise activities are timed to coincide with Ardent Sentry 12, an annual NORAD and U.S. Northern Command exercise that is primarily focused on Defense Support of Civil Authorities. "The emphasis is on realism, so we ask for everyone's patience and to please plan for possibility delays across the installation," said Kraig Bradford, an exercise planner with the 88th Air Base Wing. Temporary gate traffic back-ups and re-routings are likely and access to some buildings may be briefly interrupted during peak exercise periods and increased Force Protection Conditions, or FPCONs. Expect visible response by firefighters, security forces, medical personnel and other agencies. Base residents and neighbors may overhear sirens and announcements over the installation "Giant Voice" emergency notification system. "Each major event is scripted in advance and the training audience response is observed by Exercise Evaluation Team members," said. Mr. Bradford. "These quarterly exercises are extremely valuable for first responders, unit control centers and specialized teams, as well as our senior leadership who help focus the resources to manage the response and preserve our mission capability."