TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Military members on and off Tinker Air Force Base and all Tinker family housing residents can register special needs family members with first responders to aid in response to their home.
The emergency responder’s list was approved by base leadership in late April 2024 and is the first of its kind in the Department of Defense.
Master Sgt. Bryan Sodders, 963rd and 964th Airborne Air Control Squadrons’ first sergeant, developed the program while stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida, and completed it after being assigned at Tinker.
“During COVID at Eglin AFB, our first responders had a database of whether or not patients had COVID in order to keep everyone safe,” Sodders said. “I realized that type of information would be great for Airmen and families with special needs, such as my son who is autistic.”
At Tinker, Sodders worked closely with the Exceptional Family Member Program Office Family Support Coordinators, April Railey & Priscilla Miller, to develop this pilot program and take this program DOD-wide.
For example, firefighters will know before arriving at a fire in base housing there is an EFMP family member in the house whose mobility may be impaired and understand they need to make entry to find that person. Or, Security Forces will have noticed that a family member could show signs that mimic intoxication due to their disease and adjust their procedures.
“We reference the EFMP list on every call to housing,” said Jeremy Thomas, Tinker AFB deputy fire chief. “Luckily, we haven’t had any issues yet. However, we highly encourage those with EFMP family members to sign up for the emergency list.”
Miller said she presented this program at the EFMP Worldwide conference as a best practice and as a result, eight other bases across the DOD have implemented the program.
“This program is completely voluntary,” Miller said. “There is no requirement for any family to use it but, if you have someone in your family who might need this extra layer of protection, this might be just what you need for peace of mind.”
According to Railey, the EFMP Family Support program is open to any person who must see a doctor more than twice a year, as well as children with Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP).
Anyone, whether military, retiree or civilian who live in base housing or off base, can sign up their special needs family member, child or adult, according to Railey.
Families can register at: Emergency Responders List Form and can provide as much detail as they are comfortable with, said Miller.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about enrolling in the registry, please email the org box at 72FSS.FSH.EFMP@us.af.mil or call 405-739-2747.