Blizzard reminds Airmen of winter safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Abigail Klein
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The Nov. 5 blizzard provided Ellsworth not only with ten inches of snow, it provided the community an example of the importance of following winter safety precautions.

The night of the blizzard, a 28th Maintenance Squadron crew chief was working his part-time job at a local retail store in Rapid City, S.D. He was able to view the snow falling outside the windows but received no information from his manager, customers or the local radio stations about the road conditions.

"My shift ended at about 10:30 p.m., and I didn't think to call the base hot line about the current road conditions," the Airman said. "That was my first mistake."

He then began a slow drive on Interstate 90 towards his home at Ellsworth, while also listening to local radio stations to keep updated on road conditions.

"It wasn't until I reached Exit 67-B that I heard the radio announcement I-90 was closed," he said.

With increasingly limited visibility and a radio confirmation of the closure of I-90, he decided to pull-over to the side of the road and call his wife to notify her of his situation.

"I've been stationed at Ellsworth for the past four years, and I thought the best thing to do at this point was to wait until the storm calmed down before I began driving again," he said.

The length of the blizzard forced him to stay on the road longer than he estimated.

"I kept waking up every two hours to turn-on the heater," he said." I kept doing this until 6 a.m. when the car battery died, roughly seven hours after pulling over."

After again calling his wife, he dialed 911 and notified them of his situation. The 911 operators placed him on a waiting list to be picked up by local emergency responders, who were already occupied with other vehicles stranded on the roads.

At this point, the 70 mph winds occurring during the blizzard caused snow to reach the windows of the Airman's vehicle. Unable to use his heater, the Airman's situation became more precarious as he had no cold weather to keep warm. 

This prompted the Airman to call the Ellsworth fire department to see if they could coordinate a speedier rescue. After receiving the call, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Hansen, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief assistant and acting fire chief during the blizzard, immediately began organizing the Airman's rescue.

The snow removal crews on base, however, were only able to travel from the flight line here to the Rushmore Center in the span of an hour. The decision to find a faster means of transportation to the Airman was immediately planned as the Airman's cell phone had died, leaving the members of the fire department unaware of the stranded Airman' s condition, said Lt. Col. John Allen, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron commander.

After more deliberation, Tech, Sgt. Robert Watkins, 28 MXS aerospace ground mechanic, was reminded that his neighbor in Rushmore Heights owned a snowmobile. Despite the difficult traveling conditions, Sergeant Watkins then obtained the snowmobile from his neighbor, packing warm clothing and a thermos of hot tea his wife had made for the stranded Airmen.

At 11:30 a.m, Sergeant Watkins arrived to the Airman's location. He and the Airmen snowmobiled to the visitor control center to warm-up. They then traveled to the Ellsworth fire station where they waited until early Friday morning for the streets to be plowed.

The Airman's 12-hour ordeal could have been avoided if he had followed a few winter safety precautions, said Staff Sgt. Travis Padgett, 28th Bomb Wing ground safety technician.

"During the winter months, people need to build a winter kit and store it inside their vehicles no matter where they are going," Sergeant Padgett said. "This kit should contain chains, a shovel, blankets to keep warm, flashlights, matches, candles, a First Aid kit, non-perishable food, bottles of water, emergency flares and jumper cables."

The Airman' s decision to stay inside his car was a good idea, no matter how close he may have been to shelter, Sergeant Padgett said. If stuck in a vehicle during a snowstorm, use the heater for short periods of time (about 10 minutes) until help arrives. This should be performed every hour until help arrives. Sergeant Padgett also recommends the following: 

· Tie a brightly colored cloth (preferably red) to the antenna for rescuers to see.

· Leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so you can be seen.

· Keep moving your arms and legs to keep blood circulating and to stay warm.

· Keep one window away from the blowing wind slightly open to let in air.

Find out the current base road conditions by calling (605) 385-7623 before attempting to drive, Sergeant Padgett said. People can also be notified of local road conditions by dialing 511, the American Traveler Information center. Following these simple steps may help people avoid being stranded on the road, or faring better if they do become stranded.

After analyzing the situation, the rescued Airman realized how if he prepared, his night would have been much different.

"It's important to call before you head out on the road," the Airman said. "I could have avoided being stranded if I had just called."