Snow, ice and other adverse weather affects road conditions on Fort Belvoir and can result in closures and work delays.
To stay informed on road conditions and U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir's level of operations, community members can check several media outlets:
• Garrison webpage: www.belvoir.army.mil
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fortbelvoir
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fort_Belvoir
• Belvoir Emergency Alert Radio: AM 1610
• Belvoir Information Hotline: (703) 805-3030
The garrison commander decides whether to release garrison employees and Soldiers early, allow them a morning delay or cancel all non-mission-essential operations based on road conditions and recommendations from the Directorate of Emergency Services police force and Directorate for Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security Emergency Operations Center.
Road conditions are categorized by color and posted at all installation gates and media outlets. According to Fort Belvoir Regulation 115-1, the color codes are as follows:
• Green: all roads are clear and safe
• Amber: road conditions are deteriorating and drivers should use caution.
• Red: road conditions are hazardous, including packed snow and ice, poor visibility and/or more than four inches of snow; or dangerous driving conditions. Only mission-essential traffic is permitted.
• Black: road conditions are extremely hazardous and only emergency vehicles are authorized to be on the roadways.
When the road conditions are red or black, no one should be driving on post who does not have to be there, said Frank Hentschel, DES deputy director.
"It complicates any emergency response and they could get themselves into a hazardous situation," he said. "By not coming on post, it allows our emergency responders and our maintenance people to better clear the roads and take care of any situation that is going on."
During inclement weather, the garrison Public Affairs Office updates information on road conditions and operations on all garrison media outlets regularly.
"We provide information updates first and foremost on the official webpage, but because social media is becoming more and more the preferred method of people receiving information, we're very diligent about getting it on Facebook," said Don Dees, Fort Belvoir Public Affairs Office command information chief.
Garrison operations information is also sent out to civilian broadcast and radio outlets, but the most up-to-date information will be on garrison media, Dees said.
The decision to close the base, release the workforce early or have a delayed arrival time in the morning applies to all garrison employees. (Emergency services are always in operation.)
This decision might differ from that of the Office of Personnel Management, which announces operations for the federal workforce within the National Capital Beltway, because Fort Belvoir is outside of the beltway area, according to Fort Belvoir Regulation 115-1.
Tenant units on Fort Belvoir also make their own closure or delay decisions, with input from the garrison, based on their own mission priorities, the regulation states.
"If there's any doubt at all about your personal status, you should contact your immediate supervisor," Dees said.
When the garrison is closed or operating in the limited capacity, tenant-unit employees should be aware that some services may not be available, such as Child Development Centers, he added.
The garrison commander also sets the snow removal priorities for the installation, which is why certain roads are always cleared of snow first, and other roads may have to wait longer to be cleared. The list of prioritized roads and parking areas for snow removal is available in Fort Belvoir Regulation 525-1.
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