35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
10/9/2013 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- As everyone drops to the floor to don their mission oriented protective posture gear, a voice resonates across the base, infiltrating work centers and rattling ears.
Controlled from a central location at the 35th Fighter Wing Command Post, members here have the important task of informing the base of the most current exercise alarm conditions and real-world weather warnings.
"Our number one priority is the people out there, so we want to refrain from passing along incorrect information," said Staff Sgt. Maida StarEagle, 35 FW Command Post senior controller. "Our objective is to make the right notification the first time, every time.
There is a lot of pressure involved in the job. We must enunciate our words loud, proud and clear, or lives could be lost because they received the incorrect posture level."
The giant voice is a standalone system which is manned around the clock. It can be activated by the wing commander whenever he deems a message is worthy of mass notification, like during wet bulb globe heat stress conditions. The command post is staffed with three members during an exercise, and two during normal operations. A senior controller is at the helm of the giant voice, and junior controllers also help to run other command post duties, StarEagle noted.
In the event of a threat or worldwide situation that changes Misawa's defense, alert or force protection, the command post will first receive the notification. After the message has been authenticated, Col. Stephen Williams, 35 FW Commander, will be alerted and he will direct the command post on how and what to disseminate to the masses.
"We are the eyes and ears of the base," StarEagle said. "We are the first to know and to alert and direct the base on what to do. Afterward we report to higher headquarters on what actions were taken, so they are aware we are in the correct posture to carry out our wartime mission"
When a tsunami hit in 2011 after a 9.0 magnitude undersea mega thrust earthquake, command post personnel were able to notify military and base members on current conditions.
"We got many calls because there was a lot of confusion and people were in a panic," said StarEagle. "We were using the giant voice frequently to transmit updated messages from the commander, because the land and cell phone lines were down. The only source of information was by government phone lines and us. People living off base could hear the Japanese messages but cannot understand what was being said.
The command post sets a high bar for getting the word out, aiming to have a message out to the base within a minute of being notified.
"At Misawa, we have to make sure we get the notification out before putting on our own MOPP, because the base populace comes first," StarEagle said. "We must also act professional when relaying the commander's message," she said. We have to stay calm cool and collected during an exercise or real world incident. If we sound panicky, then people will panic as well."
There are 50 giant voice poles strategically placed around the base, and they can be activated in sections. There are also backup systems and alternate locations to operate the giant voice from, ensuring the commanders message is delivered.
"During a wartime situation it is critical because, for the Air Force our mission is to get the jets up in the air and fight, and we keep the people on the flight line in the correct posture in terms of MOPP gear and mission readiness," said Airman 1st Class Preston Mikesell, 35 FW emergency action controller. "We want the base populace to be in the know of what's going on, especially the dependents because since they are not in the military and do not get the same notice the military members do."
The giant voice can even work during a power outage as the base has solar panel banks to recharge the batteries.
There are only seven certified controllers in the entire command post who are certified to broadcast messages through the giant voice. The unique thing about the position is each controller must be certified by the wing commander or vice wing commander.
"It's a great feeling knowing the wing commander has entrusted you to do this job, especially being so young," Mikesell said. "I like knowing that if there were some kind of war-time situation, I'll be the one telling everyone what is going to happen and which actions to take."
Whether it's a real world incident or an exercise scenario, controllers at the command post's giant voice system will deliver updates, so the next time there is an announcement from above ... listen.
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