Once In A Generation Storm

My first month as a Base Defense Operations Controller (BDOC) was a lot. The training process for any position can only cover so much. Especially when tested against the randomness and chaos of reality. This goes double for positions with high responsibility for life and safety. Having the weight of 40 friends and teammates lives on my hands, along with over 3,000 service members, isn’t something you can prepare for. BDOC must coordinate and command on duty Security Forces teams for anything from minor traffic accidents, to bomb threats and active shooters. We keep the flow of any response under our control, so our teams on the ground can focus on what’s immediately in front of them.

I took my job seriously. I knew that a lapse in protocol, judgement, or communication, could put lives at risk. So, I took training for this position deadly serious. Memorizing Quick Reaction Checklists and Standard Operating Procedures like they were instructions on how to breathe. Even with that mentality, I couldn’t have prepared for one of the most stressful responses in my career.

The duty station I was assigned to at the time was prone to Typhoons. With the regularity that Typhoons hit land, the local populace and base were resistant to the weather. Air traffic and weather monitoring work great together to make sure that planes aren’t landing during the worst of the winds and rain. Every once in a while, a storm has to hook or juke our predictions in a way that makes it impossible to prepare.

Such a storm hit while I was still getting my feet wet as BDOC. A storm that wasn’t supposed to hit us, decided to make a sharp turn and ruin our sunny week. Coordinating with the rest of the base to get non-essential personnel to shelter in place, change over essential shifts, secure facilities, and so on is the easy part. Barely bat an eye, even at short notice. What I wasn’t ready for was the two civilian aircraft that needed to make an emergency landing on our airfield due to weather. Something that due to the miracle of advances in technology, hasn’t needed to happen at this base in over 30 years. SOP’s and QRC’s buried, forgotten or just untouched for 30 years.

Information and requests started pouring into BDOC from other agencies and departments. Souls onboard between the two aircraft exceeded 300, including 6 prisoners. Type of aircraft, which runway they will land on, and exact parking spot. Some people calling to tell me information but ending what should have been a statement with a question mark. Some attempting to dictate and act on information that is squarely Security Forces responsibility. Communication was failing. Too many departments knew they had a role to play but didn’t know how or when to do it.

Patrols were dispatched, buses manned. We had to get over 300 civilian passengers from their plane, off our airfield, and to the civilian airport in the middle of a storm. While making sure no one got lost or hurt, no one got a chance to see restricted parts of the airfield or base, all at an airfield never meant to take or offboard this many passengers. Logistically it was a nightmare. Luckily, there was a quick reaction checklist buried in our binder of over 400 potential responses. It dictated how I needed to guide our team through everything. The security patrols were in place, escorting the aircraft itself, then the civilians and buses. After the aircraft landed, it took us less than an hour to get everyone sent on their way.

I wish I could say I was the hero of the day. While I was recognized by the commander for my role in this shit show, I just muddled through and tried to adapt. If anything, I was part of the problem at first. I had misheard another department, there were never 6 prisoners on the planes. There were 6 VIP’s that needed additional transport assistance instead. Luckily, the patrols I sent to assist in securing the prisoners adapted quickly. Assisting the VIP’s as if it was all part of the plan. Without finding that forgotten Quick Reaction Checklist, I would’ve been lost, confused, and probably disciplined for malignance of duty. Having our security patrols out of place could have led to the base being exposed to contraband or weapons, or just a child getting lost in the mix and getting hurt. As Security Forces it’s our job to keep the base, everything and everyone on it safe.

In Security Forces there is a phrase I don’t hear repeated too often elsewhere. When it comes to high-risk scenarios, you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to your training. While I didn’t train for this specific response, I trained in how to use the systems at my disposal exhaustively. I knew what resources to use and who to communicate with to accomplish a once in a generation novelty. We can’t prepare for everything, but we can get pretty darn close.

While this event was a novelty, the rest of the year was set on proving that idea false. A few months later we had another civilian aircraft diversion to our airfield. Then on two separate occasions, maybe three, we accepted refugees from neighboring islands due to other storms. We were prepared and ready for it though.