Air base residents prepare for winter in Misawa

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kelly White
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  As the first snowflakes of this winter season lay a blanket of white on Misawa Air Base, the Airmen of 35th Fighter Wing are prepared to survive and thrive during wintry weather. 

"Last week, our safety office briefed more than 4,000 base residents, during 20 different briefings, on the challenges of winter driving in Northern Japan and how to prepare for the coming winter," said Lt. Col. David Murphy, 35th FW chief of safety. 

And the Airmen of the 35th FW are taking these winter safety messages to heart. 

"I had all-weather tires that I knew needed replaced," said Staff Sgt. James Isley, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Electronic Warfare Systems production supervisor. "When I saw the slide that showed the stopping distance between all-weather and winter tires, I went to a tire shop as soon as I got off shift Saturday to have winter tires put on my car. It only took about half an hour to get it done," he said. "This was important to do because I'm getting ready to deploy and my wife will be driving, with our 18-month-old in the car, while I'm gone this winter."

A Japanese National Police representative was among the speakers at one of the Nov. 10 briefings to share his views on getting through the winter months safely. 

"We were glad to have the JNP come to one of the briefs to inform us about safe driving in the winter environment," said Colonel Murphy. "This speaker has extensive experience with accidents caused by snowy and icy roads, and we were happy to get his perspective on how to drive safely on slippery roads."