Command post implements new emergency management notification system

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Gabriel Valdez
  • 17th Training Wing Command Post Superintendent
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Technology has enabled new ways of accomplishing age-old tasks, from travel vouchers to assignments and pay. That truth finally caught up with the 17th Training Wing Command Post in the form of the AtHoc Emergency Mass Notification System, or AtHoc.

For decades, effective command and control only required verbal instructions passed over a telephone or loudspeaker, and systems existed to accomplish that task, but with the overwhelming presence of computers in the modern Air Force workplace, new methods exist which make telephones seem slow by comparison.

Anyone who has been at an on-base computer for a local exercise this summer has seen the little boxes pop up on their desktop. These "pop-up" alerts on your computer are a central facet of AtHoc. The program integrates telephone, e-mail and computer pop-up alerts into one system, enabling rapid dissemination of time-critical information through any or all of these devices. It even allows the command post to prioritize the numbers called - trying a work or cell phone number during the duty day instead of a home number.

AtHoc enables the command post to call or e-mail the entire base to report early dismissals or delayed reporting directives. It also lets them select only essential impacted personnel based on a specific mission function, like security forces augmentees or the search and recovery team. With AtHoc, any one of these notifications can be completed within 15 minutes.

While the speedy notifications play a critical role in mission accomplishment, everyone assigned to Goodfellow still needs to do their part to make the system work to their benefit. Each person must access AtHoc through their work computer and update their personal contact information. This includes a work phone number, a work e-mail address and even their deployed status. When out-processing, members should remove all of their personal contact information to avoid inadvertent contact by the system after they have moved. Instructions for updating personal contact information are available through the command post.

To students and other short-term residents of Goodfellow, this may seem like a passing inconvenience; rest assured, it's not. AtHoc is being used at many Air Force installations, including those in deployed locations.

Senior Airman Erika Miller, a command post controller here, used the AtHoc system while deployed in Kyrgyzstan to alert and secure the base during the Kyrgyzstani uprising in the summer of 2010. Due to her swift action and the rapid notification of the AtHoc system, U.S. and allied service members were able to lockdown the base, assume the directed defensive posture and protect crucial assets from harm, while ensuring the critical flow of men and material through the air base remained uninterrupted.

Although the mission at Goodfellow is rarely as dramatic as Airman Miller's deployment, the protection and safety of our personnel must be a priority. AtHoc fills the crucial gap, communicating the situation and instructions from our leaders to those who need it most - the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and civilians who are the mission.
Instructions for updating contact information in the AtHoc system
  1. Right click the AtHoc icon at the bottom right of the screen (purple circle on the right side of the taskbar) and select "Access Self Service."
  2. A new Internet Explorer page will come up. Once it's done, click the "My Info" tab and verify the current information. Update each field as they apply.
  3. Click the "Devices" tab and update the fields as needed. Be advised that each field in which data is provided will be available for notifications, per the commander's discretion. Participants requesting text message alerts should be advised they will not be reimbursed for any text messaging charges incurred.
  4. Lastly, click the save button.