Safety Tipps and Information

What To Do When Bad Weather Hits The Garrison

by Nathan Van Schaik, USAG Schweinfurt Public Affairs Office

SCHWEINFURT, Germany — You wake up at the crack of dawn and Mother Nature has left a gift at your front door: a foot of snow and bone-chilling temperatures. Now what?

RobLake15-17Nov2012Whether you’re a Soldier, parent, student or civilian, there are some valuable sources to aid you in your next decision.

Inclement weather brought on by the autumn and winter months can deliver a blow to military garrisons and the surrounding area, affecting your decision to travel.

Garrison officials and street cleaning crews will do everything they can to keep services running. Snow and ice, however, may result in changes in road conditions, school closures, work delays or a temporary shutdown in some garrison services.

Be in the know. Here’s how:

  • Stay connected to www.bamberg.army.mil In the right hand column there is a “Weather Info” button. Click it to find out about school closures, road conditions and weather conditions.

  • Tune into AFN Bavaria radio at 98.9 FM . Radio DJs will provide up-to-the-minute updates on conditions in the Franconia Military Community.

  • If you live in government housing and have access to AFN television, turn to channel 1, the Atlantic channel. Crawlers along the bottom of your television will provide critical closures and road and weather conditions information.

  • If you have an AFN decoder, turn to channel 11, which plays AFN Bavaria radio. 

  • If you are a Soldier and are still unsure, call your staff duty officer for further guidance.

  • To locate a traffic jam — known as a “stau” in German — go to www.bayerninfo.de. Click on English (top right), “Traffic Condition,” and look for the stau signs along your route.

  • If you want to see where MPs check the road conditions, check this briefing

Road conditions are set at green, amber, red or black. These levels only pertain to conditions for military tactical and non-tactical vehicles. All DoD sedans, station wagons, carryalls, vans, buses and public works vehicles are considered "non-tactical."

Contrary to popular belief, the road condition does not dictate whether you as a Soldier, civilian or student should come to work or school, though it is an indicator that you should practice extreme caution commensurate with the current condition. The directorate of Emergency services asks community members not to call the MP desk, but visit the website instead.

The garrison commander will determine school closures and work delays by 5 a.m. This information will instantaneously be routed to www.bamberg.army.mil and AFN and made available to the public. So stay connected, tune in, turn on and before leaving your house, use good judgment and err on the side of safety.

 

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