Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Inclement weather affects Fort Carson’s reporting procedures....... read more read more
By Amber Martin
Garrison Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — It’s that time of year again when winter weather impacts the road conditions, and the inclement weather can vary across Colorado Springs, but the best plan is to be safe and stay informed.
The commanding general’s primary intent during adverse weather is to maintain the safety and accountability of both military and civilian employees who live and work on Fort Carson.
“Ultimately, it is a personal decision whether an individual feels capable of getting to work safely,” said Maj. Marc D’Eredita, chief of operations, 4th Infantry Division. “If an individual is unable to safely get to work, they must contact their supervisor and inform them of their status.”
In order to maintain the safety of personnel it is important to understand the expectations and reporting procedures that Fort Carson’s Public Affairs Office shares when a weather call is made by the commanding general or his designee. It is significant to recognize commanders of major subordinate units, separate battalions and tenant units can make decisions for their organization within the limits of their authority, with respect to winter weather and the safety of their Soldiers and employees.
Information will be disseminated to several different platforms including Fort Carson’s website, the Fort Carson and 4th Inf. Div. Facebook, Weather Hotline at 526-0096 and Twitter pages. The mass warning notification, ALERT!, will also send out a mass message to personnel signed up to receive these alerts. Each brigade and directorate has personnel managers who have been identified to enroll their personnel into the system.
Individuals can enroll up to 10 emails and 10 phone numbers so Family members can also receive notifications. Personnel can choose to receive the notifications through their work email, home email, work phone number, land-line phone and cell phone or by text message.
“If (service members) are deployed or TDY (temporary duty) it’s important for (Family members) to be enrolled so that they still receive those messages about the post closures or delayed openings,” said Charles Aucoin, installation emergency manager.
All employees are expected to report on time, unless a delayed arrival has been officially authorized. This means both military and civilian employees are expected to make a diligent effort to report for work, regardless of the weather or road conditions. This expectation does take into consideration that road conditions will differ across Colorado Springs. If road conditions will prevent personnel from traveling safely, they should contact their supervisor immediately.
“A two-hour delay means weather is ongoing or moving in and/or the effects of recent inclement weather have created dangerous road conditions,” said D’Eredita.
In the event of a delay, Soldiers will arrive two hours after their normal reporting time, which is the 6:30 a.m. physical training formation, unless otherwise specified by the commanding general or his designee. This means all nonmission essential Soldiers would be expected to arrive no later than 8:30 a.m.
A two-hour delay for civilian personnel means that two extra hours are given to arrive as close to their normal reporting time and as safely as possible. Normal reporting status means there are no delays and military and civilian personnel will report at normal times.
If inclement weather rolls in while personnel are already at work on Fort Carson, a phased release status may be disseminated. A phased-release status involves all nonmission-essential Soldiers and civilians to be released based on the distance their home is from Fort Carson. Personnel who are 15 miles or more will be released at the time the phased-release begins, followed by those who live 5-15 miles from post, 30 minutes after the initial release, and lastly, those who live on Fort Carson or within 5 miles will be released one hour after the initial phased release.
Other reporting statuses pertain to mission essential personnel, emergency services and training and mobilization essential personnel. Supervisors will notify employees, annually and in writing, of their status as mission essential and of their unique responsibilities and obligations.
All medical clinics will open at their normal time unless otherwise noted, however it is advised to call ahead.
“Our clinics and services remain available during severe weather because our health care mission continues 24/7,” said Col. Eric S. Edwards, commander, Evans Army Community Hospital. “If a patient feels it’s unsafe to travel to their appointment, we encourage them to call the appointment line to reschedule. The safety of our patients and staff is always a priority. We also want our patients to know if they require care during severe weather, our emergency room is always open.”
Additionally, District 8 schools are on a different decision cycle and may not match up with what Fort Carson is implementing. Parents with school-age children attending on-post schools should enroll in the school’s messaging system and watch local TV news for announcements concerning school closures and delays.
Administrative leave may be granted by the commanding general or his designated representative if their primary route to Fort Carson is closed by the state of Colorado or any other local authorities. Employees may remain on administrative leave until the roads are reopened and allow sufficient time for them to travel safely to and from work.
For current reporting status during inclement weather, visit http://www.carson.army.mil/, the “U.S. Army Fort Carson” Facebook page, @UsArmy_FtCarson on Twitter, call the Fort Carson Weather Hotline at 526-0096 or monitor local news casts or TV stations.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2019 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 356802 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Inclement weather reporting procedures, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
