When the red light flashes, command post controllers react quickly because any delay could impact the mission of this base.

The alarm could be a call about inclement weather. Or it could be a call for a first sergeant about a Red Cross notification. It could signal force protection changes or deployment actions, even direct messages affecting the base’s surety mission.

Whatever the message, 39th Air Base Wing command post controllers get the information to the wing commander fast, no matter the time of day.

“We are the nerve center for the base and its mission,” said Tech. Sgt. Michelle Appline, the command post’s NCO in charge of training. “And we all understand our work can have a big effect on the mission.”

The 13 controllers here are on duty all the time, working 12-hour shifts. These Airmen are responsible for reporting time-critical information to base leaders. They also transmit vital situation reports to higher headquarters and coordinate with key base agencies during all emergencies.

“Being a command post controller, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Senior Airman Terrance Turner, a senior emergency actions controller. “There are aspects of our job that are routine. But for the most part, when the phone rings, you never know what you are going to get.”

Incirlik’s command post receives five to 10 official messages per shift from U.S. Air Forces in Europe, European Command or NATO. If one of these messages directs actions at Incirlik or one of its geographically separated units, then base leaders get the message. If needed, the commander will then activate the battle staff.

One of a controller’s toughest tasks is being the main link to decipher information for leaders to run the base, Sergeant Appline said.

“We have young Airmen and junior NCOs that have to get timely, accurate, detailed, information directly to the wing commander,” Sergeant Appline said. “So we rely on all the units to pass the information to us so we can have the answers to the questions the leadership will have about any given event.”

When the battle staff is called up, representatives from all units assemble in the command post to keep Airmen apprised of the emergency and to keep the flow of information coming and going at a fast pace.

“We gather information from many different agencies when the battle staff is activated,” Airman Turner said. “It can be quiet at times, but when an emergency happens, it happens fast, and 20 different things are going on at once. We still have to handle incoming messages as well as maintain radio contact with different agencies on base.”

Although the job can get tough in an emergency, controllers have checklists that help them navigate through various circumstances and unforeseen problems.

“In any given situation, we have a quick-reaction checklist and it tells us who to call and what information we need for that specific situation,” Sergeant Appline said. “We have one for almost every incident you can think of. We even have a catch-all list.”

Checklists would not be helpful without the controllers’ keen decision-making abilities. Judgment is something controllers learn with experience on the job. The controllers are expected to use good judgment to disseminate information to the right people.

“The most exciting part about being a controller is knowing that if things go down we are right in the middle of it,” Airmen Turner said. “We have the capabilities to give the commander the information needed to make a good and well-informed decision.”