FORT CARSON, Colo. -- The Mountain Post will turn off power installation-wide April 26 to assess back-up power generation capabilities following a congressional mandate requiring Department of Defense services to test their ability to operate without power in an emergency.
This Black Start Exercise is expected to last around eight hours for identified essential service locations.
“It’s really to test our resiliency in critical facilities that should have backup generators,” said Col. Sean Brown, Fort Carson garrison commander. “Not only will this help test our generators but also the contingency plans we have in case of a power outage.”
Many facilities can expect services to slowly start returning within 30 minutes to an hour after the initial blackout.
“We will gradually return power to more facilities throughout the day, and about 85% of the facilities will have power back after the first two-and-half hours of the exercise,” said Brown.
Power outages are frequent in today’s environment, whether from a natural disaster like heavy snowfall or a thunderstorm, or from an enemy threat.
According to the Department of the Army, “Installation energy resilience is vital to the Army’s ability to meet strategic challenges around the world.”
The exercise will be challenging for those who work and live on post, but preparing in advance can reduce stress for everyone involved. Tips, like leaving the refrigerator closed to help keep things cold, as well as other important preparation information can be found on Facebook at U.S. Army Fort Carson, and on the Fort Carson website at home.army.mil/carson.
“Please bring your patience and start preparing now so we can be Army Ready and Fort Carson strong,” said Brown.
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