Photo By Scott Sturkol | Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) Chief of...... read more read more
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A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) mission possible, and many Fort McCoy garrison organizations have played their parts from the very beginning.
As soon as word came that Fort McCoy would be tasked with the OAW mission, the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) opened the Installation Emergency Operations Center (IEOC), providing a place for personnel to gather to handle and monitor the unexpected mission.
“DPTMS led the planning effort for the reception (of the guests) and handed over the draft plan to the task force,” DPTMS Director Michael Todd said. “The task force then rehearsed the plan twice and tweaked it just prior to the arrival of guests.”
The IEOC helped fill the interim between the mission tasking and the arrival of task force personnel. Eventually, staff members who’d been stationed at the IEOC returned to their original duties and helped supplement Task Force personnel instead.
“As the Task Force Joint Operations Center (JOC) became fully operational, the DPTMS transitioned back to steady-state base operations support with the addition of providing a liaison officer to the JOC,” Todd said.
“We receive daily fragmentary orders (FRAGO) from the task force and fulfill taskings from the FRAGO.”
Todd said he’d like to acknowledge two staff members who led the efforts for DPTMS.
“Lewis Evans did a fantastic job in the IEOC throughout from an operations as well as planning perspective,” Todd said. “Larry Sharp did the heavy lifting for the liaison officer duty to the JOC and kept the garrison apprised of task force requirements.”
While Installation Safety Office (ISO) personnel continued to do the same types of tasks they had before the OAW mission, the scope expanded. Staff members conducted safety inspections of buildings before they were handed over to Task Force McCoy personnel or the Afghan guests. They procured and provided additional face masks to help ensure compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. They even helped make sure the masks fit personnel properly.
“ISO also performed mask fit testing for medical personnel assigned to the task force who were involved in providing care to the Afghan guests,” Fort McCoy ISO Safety Manager Randy Eddy said. “The ISO performed over 120 fit tests for these individuals.”
ISO continues to help Task Force personnel, both Soldiers and contractors, with tasks that need safety input, Eddy said. This includes conducting weekly meetings to monitor and resolve safety issues. It also involves remaining flexible, as safety issues can pop up and need resolution without warning.
“I would like to acknowledge Dale Marsolek for his flexibility to perform the fit testing for medical personnel with little or no advanced notice,” Eddy said.
Another aspect of safety is security, and the Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) has been vital.
DES augmented its police force with the 411th Military Police Company of Fort Hood, Texas, training the Soldiers so they could assist in both manning Installation Access Control Points and patrolling.
The mission has involved partnerships with a number of nongovernmental organizations and contractors, and Physical Security had to vet these personnel before they could come on the installation.
“All NGOs and contractors who did not possess an office DOD ID card were issued an installation access card,” DES Director Mark Reaves said.
“Physical Security had to create new policies and procedures in order to accomplish this vetting mission.”
The Fire Department worked with local ambulance providers to learn the temporary medical clinic location and policy and procedures to access post. Fire Department personnel also helped educate Afghan guests about their buildings’ fire alarms and fire extinguisher usage.
As the mission continued, police took on the task of directing guests and other pedestrians away from high-traffic areas.
They also closed off roads in the housing areas to make them more pedestrian-friendly and set and enforced lower speed limits within the areas the OAW guests were concentrated.
Many staff members had to shift work schedules or work additional shifts, especially in the early days, to help accommodate the OAW mission.
“I would like to recognize the chief of police and the fire chief. Without their leadership we might not be where we are today,” Reaves said. “The police had a dual mission (OAW and garrison), where the Fire Chief had three missions: OAW, garrison, and community support.”
As the OAW mission continues, garrison personnel will continue to support the safety and wellbeing of both guests and personnel.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2021 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 410841 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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