EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 412th Test Wing’s Ridley Mission Control Rooms (RMCC) recently updated and shared their sanitization procedures to help mitigate the health risks across the enterprise, April 6.
“In the fight against COVID-19, agility is proving to be increasingly important as what is known about the virus can change rapidly,” said Daniel Osburn, 412th Test Wing Technical Director. “In response to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, the team that operates the Ridley Mission Control Rooms has already updated their sanitization procedures to help mitigate the health risks to Edwards personnel and others across the enterprise.”
Just last week, the 412th Range Support Squadron rolled out new control room sanitization procedures to protect the dedicated personnel who continue to conduct the test and evaluation mission in control rooms at Edwards Air Force Base.
These enhanced procedures begin in the pre-flight briefings held at the combined test force (CTF) level and incorporated throughout the entire mission process.
The range team sanitizes Mission Control Rooms (MCRs) with pre-mission work area disinfecting procedures that include all common test touchpoints, and during missions, all personnel practice a disciplined seating plan to support social distancing. The updated procedures also incorporate the latest guidance from the CDC regarding the use of face coverings.
The MCRs also complete post-mission sanitization in between missions to maximize health and safety to the workforce, to prepare for follow-on missions at RMCC.
These best practices to fight against the spread of COVID-19 were not intended to protect Edwards airmen only. Over the weekend, the sanitization procedures were distributed to 18 other Department of Defense and civilian-operated ranges across the nation including ranges and control rooms operated by other Air Force units as well as the Navy, Army, Marines, and NASA.
In addition, in the last few days, the sanitization procedures have been shared with Crisis Action Teams that stood up specifically to fight the virus.
“The RMCC has established the benchmark and their procedures are phenomenal, which will go a long way in helping our team build confidence as we continue operations in a COVID-19 threat environment,” said 412 Test Wing Commander, Col Matthew Higer. “Team Edwards is leading the joint-fight against COVID-19 through the development of agile and innovative procedures and through the proactive sharing our best practices with others.”