EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE: Fort Bragg conducts full-scale evacuation of Soldier Support Center

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The Fort Bragg garrison team and its partners worked in conjunction to conduct a full-scale evacuation of the Soldier Support Center at 8:47 a.m., Oct. 20.

As the fire alarms sounded throughout the building, staff and customers calmly exited the building and went to the designated link-up locations. Meanwhile, the Fort Bragg evaluation team assessed the evacuation and moved from floor to floor evaluating system processes.

“Success was due to the service directorate fire marshals executing the evacuation according to the emergency action plan,” said Garvey Lowery, Directorate of Public Works SSC building manager.

The garrison team performs training exercises on a regular basis to ensure the post is prepared for emergencies and bad weather.

These types of exercises keep the garrison teams ready and identify potential gaps and shortcomings in procedures and processes.

The public was informed in advance about the exercise and instructed to schedule as few appointments as possible for the morning of Oct. 20.

“While we wanted to test our emergency response, we also understood the importance the Soldier Support Center plays,” said Shane Woodmancy, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security installation operations security officer. “We knew going into the exercise we needed to limit interruptions as much as possible.”

Following the exercise, the team will reconvene to assess what went well and adjust procedures and processes that didn’t go as expected.

“These types of situations give the team a safe environment, where mistakes can be made without detrimental consequences, to practice their skills and to test critical systems within the building,” said Woodmancy. “These mistakes or missteps help us grow as an organization and improve our plans so when a real-world situation occurs, we are ready.”