HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – September is National Preparedness Month, a time to focus on planning and preparing for emergencies.
This year’s theme for service members and civilian employees is “Response Actions,” emphasizing the importance of knowing what to do when an emergency occurs.
“A collective approach is essential to ensure we are prepared for any crisis,” Col. Charles Silvanic, installation commander, wrote in a memo to members of the workforce. “We must all embrace a culture of proactive preparation and response readiness to safeguard our capabilities and ensure mission continuity.”
Every organization at Hanscom AFB has emergency plans that address various scenarios and outline how personnel should respond.
“Practice your established procedures and know when to execute them,” said Abraham Ashley, 66th Civil Engineering Division Office of Emergency Management program manager. “Know the threat and hazard and know your response action.”
The goal is for personnel to respond consistently and predictably during an emergency.
“When the fire department shows up to your building, they want everyone to react the way that they think that they should be reacting. Everyone goes to the rally point,” said Ashley.
Knowing where to go, what actions to take and when to take them can help protect personnel and minimize disruptions to mission operations.
A link to the Base Orientation Preparedness Guide is available on the Hanscom AFB homepage. The guide provides information to help personnel prepare for and respond to emergencies.
“Please do your facility exercises and know what to do,” said Ashley.” The Office of Emergency Management is here to support you. Take the five minutes now, save your life later.”