If the worst happens are you ready?

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Bethany Trapp
  • 433rd Airlift Wing
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The wing completed an annual requirement February 4th and 11th during the A and B-UTAs. The requirement was a National Disaster Response Exercise that started at 7 a.m. and continued until each squadron heard the all clear from command post.
The scenario was a tornado warning.
“The exercise performed is based on locality and the region,” said Senior Master Sgt. David Abildgaard, Readiness Superintendent of Civil Engineering. “You wouldn’t have a hurricane or a blizzard exercise here.”
Along with performing the best suited exercise, several outcomes are expected.
“(Members are expected) … to identify and correct problem areas, to strive to make things better the next time around and prepare for real time emergencies and contingencies,” said Sergeant Abildgaard. “Should these people deploy over to the desert, you still have to deal with the natural disasters of that region,” he said.
Emergency management troops inspect each squadron according to established criteria, and the inspection begins at the sound of a three to five minute steady tone. “First and foremost was to account for their personnel,” said Sergeant Abildgaard. “Then identify the type of natural disaster because they need to know how they should be responding.”
After hearing the all clear, they would assess the damage decide if there were any casualties or any members who need aid rendered he said.
After the exercise, staff from Emergency Management assess the exercise and lessons learned.
“Two words need to be highlighted - common sense,” said Tech. Sgt. Carter Goth, emergency management specialist. “If you can use common sense, you can save your life. Be aware of your surroundings in case you have to take cover and train on what you need to do because if you don’t practice you won’t know what to do.”
“The main things I would look at is knowing where your specific shelter is, not being caught outdoors, knowing what to do when an all clear is announced and knowing what a three to five [minute] steady tone is,” said Master Sgt. Shane MacDonald, emergency management specialist.
Emergency Management was formerly known as Full Spectrum Threat Response. Before FSTR they were known as Disaster Preparedness.
The official name changed several times but EM is still the source for preparedness.
The wing passed but there’s room for improvement.