Winter roads ahead

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  With snow-covered winter days in fast approach, it is highly important for Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen, civilians and families here to familiarize themselves with the various road condition levels.

Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Dehoet, 5th Security Forces Squadron police services noncommissioned officer in charge, said there are four road conditions Minot members should be aware of:

Green - describes normal day-to-day travel conditions.

Yellow - describes a degraded environment when CAUTIOUS travel and working conditions exist.

Red - describes a degraded environment when HAZARDOUS travel and working conditions exist.

Black - describes a degraded environment when NO TRAVEL or working conditions exist, except for storm-essential personnel and bona fide emergencies.

"If the weather is expected to hit condition red, usually there will be an issuance of early release," explained Sergeant Dehoet. "This allows individuals to get home before the weather hits."

Master Sgt. Steven S. Ekker, 5th SFS, has been in charge of assessing road conditions for the winter, and he explained there are various factors that must be taken into consideration each day for determining road conditions.

"On any given day we have a flight chief on duty here 24/7 who, as part of his job, goes out periodically throughout the day and conducts road assessments," said Sergeant Ekker.

The flight chief will examine road visibility, wind speed, temperature, weather, time of the day and evaluate any road hazards, he added.

"We assign a point value to each of these various conditions," said Sergeant Ekker. "We then compile these numbers into our weather matrix grid which determines the appropriate road condition level for implementation."

The flight chief then issues the recommendation for a road condition level to the 5th Mission Support Group commander, who makes a final determination.

According to Sergeant Dehoet, 90 percent of the time the road conditions on base will be yellow during the winter time. With that said, he provided his own forecast for when the first snow of the year would come and what this means for Minot Airmen and their families.

"Honestly the first snowfall can happen any day now," said Sergeant Dehoet. "It's typically the first snowfall that causes the biggest obstacle for us because it's when accidents occur the most."

He expressed the necessity of driver caution during these first snowfalls, especially for new drivers who have never driven in the snow before.

As soon as the first snowfall arrives, both Airmen and civilian contractors from the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron snow patrol division will be in charge of ensuring the roads and parking lots on base are clear of snow.

Sergeant Ekker expressed his gratitude to the snow patrol division for the great job they do at taking care of the roads on base.

Information pertaining to command notifications of changes in work schedules due to weather conditions can be obtained by visiting the Minot Air Force Base Web site or by calling the base's road condition hotline at 723-1190.