KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Winter in Rheinland-Pfalz is anything but predictable from year to year, and when the weather becomes adverse, tough decisions regarding road conditions, duty reporting and school closings must be made quickly for safety reasons.
"During inclement weather conditions, our number one concern is safety, especially that of our children," said U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Commander Col. Keith Igyarto. "We have to make the right decisions in regard to duty reporting and school closures early to ensure people receive the message in a timely manner."
When adverse weather occurs overnight and driving conditions are negatively affected, military police units report these conditions to the garrison's Director of Emergency Services Lt. Col. Steven Kane between 2 and 3 a.m.
"I inform the garrison commander of the conditions, and we review the MP reports and also take into account the forecasted weather for the affected installations," Kane said. "After reviewing all the information, the commander determines the necessity of school closings and delayed duty reporting for Soldiers and civilian employees. If there are delays or closures, the information is communicated to the USAG-RP community between 4 and 5 a.m. via AtHoc messages, the USAG R-P Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/army.rp/) and AFN Kaiserslautern Radio at 100.2 FM (105.1 FM beginning Jan. 18).
If weather conditions begin worsening in the morning after people are already at work and school, the commander will determine early release and school closures before noon if possible, so school buses can transport children home safely.
To receive notifications on AtHoc, visit the USAG R-P website at http://www.rp.army.mil/ and click on the "AtHoc Mass Warning/Notification System Registration" on the left side of the page.
For current road condition information 24/7, community members can access the most up-to-date road conditions and weather warnings for all garrison installations via the IMCOM-E Road Conditions and School Closures site at: http://www.imcom-europe.army.mil/webs/sites/staff_org/safety/road_conditions/default.aspx
This site is updated by the Directorate of Emergency Services based on their military police patrols on the various installations. It's important to note, however, that the driving conditions reflect the designations for on post only, and not the local communities surrounding the installation. The road conditions outside the gates can vary widely from better to worse than what is indicated for government vehicle travel on post.
The IMCOM-E site displays road conditions with designations of Green, Amber, Red or Black.
• Green -- Road conditions are normal;
• Amber -- Road conditions vary from normal to dangerous. Vehicle operators should exercise additional precautions. Most installations should be open, but stay tuned for possible late reporting or early release;
• Red -- Road conditions are hazardous. Exercise extreme caution. Individuals are discouraged from driving privately-owned vehicles unless absolutely necessary. Possible late reporting or early release of personnel and closure of services;
• Black -- Road conditions are extremely hazardous. Government Owned Vehicles used off base or off post are at the discretion of the owning commander. POVs should not be on the road. Installations will likely be closed.
The "Last Updated" time on the site is in the process of being fixed to start showing the correct Central European Time of the update. Presently, the times shown are from the network server that hosts the site in Texas, which leads to confusion as to how current the actual conditions are.
There is also a known issue in accessing this IMCOM-E site from home computers using internet provider Kabel Deutschland, which blocks the .mil sites. Customers have called Kabel Deutschland so they can individually modify the IP address to allow .mil access, or (if you are technically proficient or do an internet search on how to modify DNS servers), you can circumvent the issue per the IMCOM-E Information Technology staff by modifying your home computer's DNS server to add 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. For more information on accessing .mil sites, please contact your commercial internet service provider.
Again, motorists should drive more cautiously off-post, because roads may be more hazardous in the local communities surrounding installations, especially at higher elevations such as Baumholder and Sembach..
"Early assessments and notifications are critical in keeping our USAG-RP community safe," the commander said. "We are doing our best to make sure everyone knows how the process works so they can receive the correct information automatically or know where to access it."
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