By Kyle Ford
Editor
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Whether it is snow or freezing rain, the installation’s emergency services are prepared to handle winter’s stiffest blows.
Cold temperatures and precipitation struck Fort Belvoir between Jan. 23 and Jan. 28, but emergency services responded with salt, plows and increased personnel to keep the community safe and secure.
The first significant storms of the season have come and gone. However, community members are encouraged to continue exercising caution and follow the garrison’s safety messages.
“If they tell you to stay off the roads then just stay off the roads,” said Capt. Josh Rohrbach, Directorate of Emergency Services patrol captain. “The more people driving in bad conditions create more chances for accidents.”
Belvoir accumulated its first snowfall of the winter season Jan. 24, according to the Operating Location-Oscar, Headquarters, Air Combat Command, Fort Belvoir Weather Operations staff. Official snowfall measured at Fort Belvoir was a little less than an inch (.70 inch). The installation also picked up traces of snow during the
weekend. On Monday from 6:24 to 8 a.m., freezing rain landed on post.
The snow and ice presented potential dangers to the community but the installation’s emergency services’ preparation and execution helped minimize risk. Rohrbach said DES employees set out cones near slippery areas, staged power generators to ensure traffic lights kept working and prepped message boards near entrance gates to inform residents of road closures.
To Rohrbach’s knowledge, traffic lights didn’t lose power and no roads were closed. Perhaps the work of the Installation Support Services’ employees was a key reason behind keeping roads passable.
Terri Gulan, ISS roads and grounds manager, said ISS used brine, salt and sand to keep roads clear. The brine reduces the amount of snow sticking to the ground and causes any snow that happens to stick to melt faster, Gulan said. From Jan. 23 through Saturday, Gulan said ISS employees worked 12-hour shifts preparing or clearing roads, parking lots and sidewalks. ISS employees didn’t need to use plows during the storms because of the lack of accumulation. However, trucks were positioned in various areas around post in case of emergency. On Monday, ISS employees started salting and sanding roads at 4 a.m., to limit the affects of freezing rain.
“We were ahead of the storms,” Gulan said.
The work of ISS, DES and other garrison directorates helped Garrison Commander Col. Gregory D. Gadson make final decisions on post operation procedures during and after the inclement weather.
“We prepare situational awareness reports to inform the command, directors and partners,” said Dwight Bolden, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security operations specialist. “The commander uses this to determine operations and hours.”
Gadson also utilized information from Fairfax County and the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management to understand road conditions, outages and additional factors impacting Belvoir’s ability to operate. The garrison remained open throughout the precipitation.
Fort Belvoir utilizes a variety of communication channels to ensure community members know exactly what the operating status of the post is at any particular time.
The installation’s emergency communication platforms include: email (Listserv), social media (Fort Belvoir’s Facebook, Twitter and Home pages), Belvoir AM radio (1610 AM) and the (703) 805-3030 information hotline phone number.
People can visit www.belvoir.army.mil, to find the operating status of the Garrison on the top right under “Quick Links.”
For information on emergency response visit http://www.acsim.army.mil/readyarmy/.
