Alert pole malfunction on Tinker Air Force Base, no cause for alarm

  • Published
  • By Daisy Grant
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

A wavering alarm tone sounded from a single alarm pole in the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group at Tinker Air Force Base at 10 p.m. Oct. 16 and 7 a.m. Oct. 17, but the base community should not be alarmed.

Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Daum with the Tinker Air Force Base Command Post said the alarm was a result of a controller card in the master board of the alert pole malfunctioning. The pole has been shut down for about a week for upgrades to the controller card.

Scheduled tests of the system occur at noon every Wednesday.

For non-test situations, the base community should know what different notifications are broadcast through the system signal and how to respond.

A 3- to 5-minute steady tone from the alert system indicates an incident is imminent or in progress, while the same length of wavering tone indicates an attack or hostile act is imminent or in progress.

In either situation, individuals on base should take cover and account for personnel or family members.

The repetition of the phrase “lockdown” with a location coming from the alert system indicates an active shooter situation. Individuals on base should implement lockdown procedures based on their location.

The announcement of “all clear” from the alert system indicates the threat to base has ended. Individuals should account for personnel and report hazards, injuries and damage as a result of the threat.