ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- September is National Preparedness Month, and as part of this campaign, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Office of Emergency Management is providing information and literature throughout Arnold Air Force Base as a reminder of how important it is to prepare for an emergency.
“Beginning in 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began National Preparedness Month as its annual national outreach, sponsored by its FEMA Ready Campaign,” said James Dill, the Installation Emergency Manager at Arnold AFB, headquarters of AEDC. “It is observed each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.”
The 2025 National Preparedness Month theme is, “Preparedness Starts at Home,” meaning family preparedness and being ready for natural or manmade disasters starts in the household.
According to Dill, it takes a lot of planning to ensure the people and facilities on base stay safe.
“On a daily basis, planning is what we do, he said. “Ninety-nine percent of our efforts are to ensure there is a viable and tested plan to respond, mitigate and recover from any and all situations.
“This process includes collaborating with other AEDC organizations and the Inspector General to exercise and validate the process. Checklists are developed and followed as guidelines to keep each organization on track. During the other 1 percent of the time, we are in ‘crisis mode’ and working out of the Emergency Operations Center to support the Incident Commander at a tactical level.”
In his job, Dill said he actually has two roles.
“I am the Installation Emergency Manager and Chief of the Emergency Management Flight,” he said. “The EM Flight is part of the Civil Engineering Branch and is responsible for complying with all Air Force Instructions, Air Force Manuals, etcetera, to ensure the installation is ready to respond, mitigate and recover from any incident or accident, whether manmade or natural. As the Installation Emergency Manager, my main goal is to ensure AEDC leadership is aware of any and all issues that may impact the operation and successful completion of our mission. I conduct immersion briefings with all newly assigned senior leaders on the EM program, EM policy, structure and capabilities upon their assignment to AEDC.”
He added that AEDC Installation Office of Emergency Management is not your “typical” AF Emergency Management function.
“Comprised of three civilians, there are certain things that we are not able to do compared to offices that are staffed and funded at higher levels,” Dill said. “Traditionally, an EM flight consists of active-duty Air Force EM personnel and Department of the Air Force civilians, and range anywhere from six to 16 personnel total.
“Due to our manning, equipping and staffing levels, we rely heavily on mutual aid agreements with local first responders to support our mission and fill any response limitations once our organic resources have been exhausted. Having a strong relationship with our local community partners makes our job easier.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that being prepared at home was critical. Supplies ran short and getting basic household items became problematic to say the least, so having a plan was paramount. In the EM world, being able to successfully accomplish the activation of the Emergency Operations Center virtually was something that had to be figured out, and fast. Mr. Neil Felver and Mr. Mark Anderson worked tirelessly to establish and test that ability using Microsoft Teams. After some trial and error we were able to not only establish an amazing capability that has proven itself a gamechanger but to set a benchmark for other EM programs and agencies to follow.”
Felver, who is an Emergency Management Specialist, has worked as part of the AEDC EM team for 15 years and stated that the team’s duties are constantly evolving.
“Emergency managers are trained professionals who are tasked with the responsibility of helping communities, installations and organizations anticipate hazards and vulnerability and undertake measures to more effectively deal with disasters when they happen,” Felver said. “As emergency managers, you quickly find out that there are so many responsibilities that having ‘defined’ roles or duties is nearly impossible, especially at a small installation like Arnold. So, you’re quickly immersed into a ‘one team, one fight’ mentality, with the goal being to protect base personnel by producing the best products possible, whether that be an Installation Emergency Management Plan or community awareness. There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes in Emergency Management to ensure we’re ready for any incident that may happen here at Arnold Air Force Base.”
Felver added that, in addition to the workforce being prepared for an emergency that occurs on base, they should also be ready and equipped for an emergency at home.
“Before an emergency happens, be sure to sit down with your family and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go and what you will do in the event of an emergency,” he said.
Some items to put on a home safety checklist that Felver mentioned include planning an escape route, staying in contact with family, shutting off utilities if needed, having insurance papers and other vital records on hand, reviewing safety skills, caring for any animals, and assembling an emergency supply kit.
“It’s important to note that no plan or kit will be complete,” he said. “Like our base plans, they should be a living document to change and add to as you go.”
If an Arnold employee witnesses or is involved in an emergency while at work, Felver said to immediately dial 911 and advise that the emergency is at the base.
“The first and only thing anyone should do is call 911, because there are a lot of unknowns with every situation and it’s better to leave that to the professional firefighters, police and emergency responders,” he said.