TESTER Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Happy holidays! Tester will not publish again until Jan. 7
Vol. 72, No. 49
Celebrating 72 Years of Community Partnership
Frocking photos Page 3
Sonobuoy testing system Page 4
Wreaths Across America Page 7
December 17, 2015
gency preparedness personnel at christopher.zamora@ navy.mil • Right click the purple globe on the bottom right of your NMCI computer screen, click Access Self Service and then click on the Devices tab Installation website or phone number Visit www.cnic.navy.mil/patuxent or call 301-342-BASE (2273) Pax River’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/NASPaxRiver (not an official source) Delay/closing information will also be sent to local television and radio stations, but Pax River personnel should not confuse the base’s reporting status with the dismissal or closure announcements of the federal government, Office of Personnel Management and Naval District Washington, as they don’t affect Pax River. For details and definitions regarding emergency reporting and the use of administrative leave, refer to NASPAXRIVINST #12610.7G – Employee Reporting Procedures During Emergency Situations. U.S. Navy photo illustration by Shawn Graham
Where to obtain base delay/closing info By Donna Cipolloni NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
Be prepared for winter weather by knowing how to obtain the information you’ll need on delays and alternative work scheduling at NAS Patuxent River. In the event of an emergency situation during non-working hours, information will be relayed as soon as possible to various sources for dissemination. Official sources for information include:
AtHoc The recommended and effective system whereby users can choose to have emergency messages sent directly to their home, cell phones, TTY/TTD phones, pagers, faxes and personal or work emails – but registration is required. To register, follow any of these steps: • Visit www.ReadyNavy.mil, click on Stay Informed and then Wide Area Alert Notification from your NMCI or One Net networked computer • Email you contact information to the air station’s emer-
Entry gates holiday hours NAS Patuxent River Gate 3 and Webster Field Back Gate closed Dec. 15-Jan. 10 Pax River Gates 1 and 2; Webster main gate and NRC Solomons open with normal hours of operation All gates resume normal operations Jan 11.
Preparing for bad weather at Pax River By Donna Cipolloni NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
Winter arrives Dec. 22; and so does all of the potentially bad weather that comes along with it. When a storm bears down on southern Maryland, it sets into motion a rippling wave of activity that spreads out across NAS Patuxent River. Even before the snow starts to fall, personnel aboard the installation are discussing their plan of attack and as soon as the first flakes hit the ground, it’s full steam ahead. Snow removal “Once there’s a one-inch accumulation, it’s considered a snow event and we activate the snow removal process,” said Lt. Johnathan Zisko, production officer with Public Works. Plows will begin clearing Priority 1 areas first — main roads and essential parking — and will only initiate Priority 2 areas, such as the airfield, when it has stopped snowing and there is no more than an inch of snow left on the ground, Zisko said.
“The goal is to get as many people back to work as we can and then get the planes back in the air quickly thereafter,” he noted. “Through it all, I’ll be talking with the [Public Works Officer] who will be communicating with [NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Heidi Fleming]. To fly or not to fly Over on the airfield, airfield division (AFD) personnel will remove the E-28 arresting gear offline and begin marking strategic taxiway and runway lights to avoid plow damage and will conduct frequent Runway Condition Reading (RCR) checks to monitor runway friction. “When you get a ‘nil’ reading, it means an aircraft will experience little or no braking action when the pilot applies the brakes,”explained Jim Fletcher, airfield manager. “At that point, we’ll go through the Air Ops officer and he’ll brief [NAS command] about closing the airfield down.” Once plowing begins out on the airfield, Fletcher noted there will already be a plan laid out as to which areas are cleared first. “Naval Test Wing Atlantic sets the priorities
based on what they need,” he said. “If VX-23 has an aircraft that needs to ‘get out on a boat,’ for example, that’ll be our priority. We’ll get the VX-23 ramp opened up, so once we start flying again, they’re the first to go.” It usually takes about two days to get everything cleared and runways will reopen only if there’s good traction, and only after AFD personnel have conducted a complete sweep and FOD (foreign object damage) check. “They’ll want to make sure the snow plows left no snow removal equipment parts on the airfield,” Fletcher added. Command decision As the NAS commanding officer, Fleming ultimately determines what course of action is taken in any emergency condition that results in changes to the installation’s normal operation; and her decision not only affects Pax River operations and personnel, but spills over into the community as well. In addition to being briefed about the air station’s situation during bad weather, Fleming also communicates with the St. Mary’s County
U.S. Navy Photo
school district and emergency operations center. “The decisions made are definitely not just Navy-related,” said Mike Quigley, Pax operations officer. “If 22,000 people are coming onto the base, it directly affects [the county’s] ability to plow. They may even ask us to delay opening for a while so they can clear Route 235 and other main arteries.” Quigley also noted that if schools are closed and the base is closed, the situation presents a childcare issue for essential personnel who must report for work.
See WEATHER, Page 2