Second quarter base-wide exercise begins May 2 Published April 19, 2016 By Will Huntington 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio -- The second quarter week-long, base-wide exercise for 2016 begins May 2 and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base personnel will once again be called upon to respond to a variety of emergency scenarios that the base populace could potentially face. 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. These events will include natural disaster responses including severe weather sheltering, validation of continuity of operations plans, accidental release of hazardous substances and search and recovery operations. Coincident to Wright-Patt's exercise, but not a part of it, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Logistics Agency will conduct other emergency management exercise activities on a limited portion of the installation. Their activities are tied to a larger, external exercise being conducted in the Dayton metropolitan area. With safety as the overarching consideration, the base's exercise scenarios should be treated as though the events were actually occurring. Even if the center of activity may be focused elsewhere on the base, personnel should follow established base and unit emergency response procedures and respond to base leadership direction. As a reminder, Wing Inspection Team members will evaluate the responses to the exercise events throughout the entire installation. Some of the following effects of the exercise, as well as those of the FEMA/DLA exercise mentioned above, could include: - Gate traffic could be backed up or rerouted to other entry control points if a gate is closed. - Emergency response vehicles will be moving around the base. - Travel may be congested. - Some roadways may be temporarily blocked. - Security measures could be increased. - "Giant Voice" might be activated. During this exercise, alert sirens may be sounded along with telephonic and electronic notification methods, such as text messages and emails via the base's emergency alert system. Family members who reside in base-owned housing, and not employed by the government, need not respond to these notifications. However, the exercise messages can serve as an important reminder that they and others should consider what their reactions might actually be to these type of events, should they ever actually occur, and then formulate effective family response plans of their own. Doing so now could make a big difference later on. Alarm sirens may be audible in communities adjacent to Wright-Patt, but residents in the surrounding area are reminded that those the alarms are simply part of the exercise, unless informed otherwise by base officials. Some base personnel at various 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.