BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. –
(NOTE: As the combatant command for North America, US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) provides defense support of civil athorities during manmade and natural disasters.)
Buckley Air Force Base is hosting the Emergency Operations Center Director Course from August 2-5. Individuals attending the course are stationed at various locations throughout the Air Force, ranging from civilian to colonel.
The course teaches students the responsibilities of an EOC director. They are familiarized with other sections within an EOC, and how to properly direct each section to safely gain control of all emergency situations.
“Coming into this course, I expected to gain a solid familiarization with the concept of the operations, processes and procedures that will be expected for implementation at an EOC,” said Lt. Col. Scott A. Schmunk, deputy commander of the 821st Air Base Group at Thule Air Base, Greenland. “I find that the course has been very valuable in terms of the education and information that is being passed onto us.”
The EOC Director Course consists of classes that teach different approaches to emergencies, including the use of the Air Force Emergency Management Program, Disaster Response Force (DRF), Incident Command System (ICS), and hazardous materials (HAZMAT).
After completion of this course, EOC directors will know how to safely approach and gain control of any incident while keeping the base population safe, minimizing the loss of resources and maintaining mission capabilities.
“They need to know how to run any Air Force EOC or something equivalent off base,” said Joel D. Stokley, assistant director of the Air Force EOC Director Course. “If you have a good EOC working with the commander, you can handle any incident on or off base.”