Photo By Christopher Carranza | Staff Sgt. Ashley Bever, 403rd Force Support Squadron Non Commissioned Officer in...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.— The Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, aka AFPAAS, is a notification system designed to inform Airmen and their families who are directly affected by major emergencies, such as hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes and evacuations due to these natural disasters or crisis events.
“Hurricane season is here and it is a very busy time of year,” said Staff Sgt. Ashley Bever, 403rd Force Support Squadron Non Commissioned Officer in charge of Installation Personnel Readiness. “Not only do we have to worry about natural disasters here on the coast, but in the Air Force Reserve, I am responsible for the accountability of over 3,500 personnel and family members who are all over the United States.”
As per Air Force Instruction 36-3808, Total Force Accountability is defined as the accurate accounting of Air Force personnel at all times, regardless of location. In the event of a national crisis or natural disaster the IPR office is the focal point of accountability reporting actions on an installation.
During the month of June, HURCON, or Hurricane Condition, Exercise 2019 was a base-wide scenario that tested Keesler Air Force Base’s response to a hurricane affecting the base. AFPAAS was utilized during the exercise to account for the 403rd Wing’s Reserve Citizen Airmen.
“403rd (Wing) personnel did exceptionally well accessing AFPAAS and accounting for themselves during the exercise,” said Maj. Jonathan Brady, director of inspections for the 403rd Wing Inspector General Inspections office. “AFPAAS is an effective tool and platform used Air Force wide to provide leadership instant and updated information on the status and whereabouts of their personnel, which is absolutely crucial during times of emergencies, crisis, and disaster response situations.”
The system standardizes a method for the Air Force to account, assess, manage, and monitor the recovery and reconstitution process for personnel and their families affected or scattered by a wide-spread catastrophic event. It provides valuable information to all levels of the Air Force chain of command, allowing commanders to make strategic decisions which facilitate a return to stability.
“AFPAAS not only maintains information about the individual members, but also for their family members,” said Brady. “This is very important too, because many times family members may relocate to locations separate from the base personnel who are having to work through the situation, key personnel being one example.”
AFPAAS is accessible to service members through three different options.
1. Logging into the Air Force Portal by using a Department of Defense Common Access Card,
2. Username and password access from non-government computers via the AFPAAS website or,
3. Mobile application via the USAF Connect App, under Emergency.
“Notifications are sent out to all personnel as quickly and as efficiently as possible to ensure their safety,” said Bever. “AFPAAS is used to obtain 100 percent accountability of all personnel and family members regardless of location.”
For more information on AFPAAS or to update personal information visit the website at https://afpaas.af.mil.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2019 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 331583 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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