JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A variety of emergencies - from active shooter incidents and accidents involving aircraft or chemical and biological substances to severe weather events - can compromise the safety of the people who live and work on Department of Defense installations.
Because communication is vital in all of these situations, it is important emergency notifications reach everyone who lives or works on a DOD installation.
At Joint Base San Antonio, members of the 502nd Air Base Wing Command Post at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, with inputs from senior leaders, bear the responsibility for notifying JBSA members via the "giant voice," which can be heard outdoors on all locations, and telephone messages. or read via computer pop-ups and emails.
"For an emergency, we activate every device until the situation is over," Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Butler, 502nd ABW command post superintendent, said. "The ultimate goal is the safety of personnel and resources."
JBSA uses Air Education and Training Command's emergency notification system, the AtHoc Interactive Warning System, to notify base members in times of crisis, Butler said.
"AtHoc is the tool that allows us to activate modes of communication," he said. "We trigger the system whenever there's an emergency and we can specify how the message is distributed. The system is strictly for emergency situations, not for routine messages."
Most computers at JBSA, with some exceptions at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, are equipped with AtHoc software that can be updated by users through the AtHoc IWS self-service module, Butler said.
Users can click on the purple globe icon on the bottom of their computer screen and enter or update their contact information, allowing them to receive notifications by all communication modes, not just computer screen pop-ups. Users also receive weekly reminders in the form of pop-ups to update their information.
Butler said people should submit their phone numbers and other contact information so they can receive emergency notifications using all communications modes.
"Even if you have AtHoc, you won't get a phone call if you haven't provided your phone numbers," he said. "There is no mandate for civilians to enter their information, but a wise person will do that."
When phone numbers are not included, the only methods of emergency notification are computer pop-ups and mass emails, Butler said.
Command post controllers also tailor messages to specific JBSA locations depending on the emergency situation, Butler said.
"For example, we'll pinpoint JBSA-Lackland if there's an active shooter situation there," he said. "Then, based on direction from senior leaders, we will disseminate information accordingly to other locations."
Butler said severe weather, including thunderstorms, hail and high winds, accounts for most notifications.
"The system is used daily to disseminate various weather-related information," he said.
Although notifying the installation is one of members of the command post' s responsibility, the team is also the link that notifies first responders.
"In times of emergency, we are involved with leaders and command centers to make sure emergency responders are notified," he said. "We work hand-in-hand upon receipt of these issues and get the information out to the first responders and to leaders who make decisions for disaster support."