Perfect practice: Vance AFB quarterly exercises simulate AF Operational Readiness Inspections

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  • By Tech. Sgt. Mary Davis
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Team Vance now hones its skills on a quarterly basis, allowing for more intense training and mimicking wing operational readiness inspections.
"We've changed the format from a monthly exercise to a quarterly exercise block," said Maj. Robert Truax, Exercise Evaluation Team chief. "The new format decreases negative impact on the wing and is set up in a block of time like an ORI, which makes it more realistic."
Although major commands frown upon giving advance notice of an exercise, switching to a quarterly format allowed the EET to provide the dates of the exercises to the base populace. The next quarterly exercise block takes place Monday through May 19.
"Letting the base know in advance will help people plan in advance for possible traffic delays and decreased services in some areas," the major explained. "Also, the EET members are experts from their units. This format minimizes the impact on the EET members and the time they spend away from their units."
Some of the areas the exercise covers as an Air Force standard include major accident response exercises, terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters, enemy attacks and medical readiness, which are performed separately from wing exercises. Air Education and Training Command's guidance provides additional information about deployment exercises, severe weather, hijack prevention.
"We may mention when the exercise takes place, but not what it will involve," said Major Truax, a native of Wilmington, N.C. "This adds to the realism of the scenarios."
One major change with these exercises is the way people are notified of significant events, he said.
"The base alerting system integration is a way to communicate important information immediately," the major said.
The messages are provided in three different mediums: telephone, base siren and public address and network alerting system, said Master Sgt. Robert English, command post superintendent.
"This system was implemented in August 2005," Sergeant English explained. "It's a one-button system that has the capability of making thousands of simultaneous notifications to keep Team Vance informed with up-to-date information."
Though some may find the notifications annoying, the major said, it is a necessary evil to ensure people receive critical data to make the right choices during a crisis. People should also pass along information that isn't sensitive in nature to spouses to keep them abreast of events that might be of concern, he said.
Exercises aren't real, but people should participate like they are.
"We would like people to play like these scenarios are real," Major Truax said. "There are some authorized simulations, but if you simulate too many things, you may never know if your process really works in an emergency."
The main thing is preparation, the major said.
"We want people to be primed and ready for the unexpected and aware of what is going on around them to make the right decisions."