JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- On June 30 and July 1, families will gather at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to take part in the many events during the biennial Arctic Thunder Open House.
With so many incoming guests, JBER Security Forces personnel will be hard at work to ensure safety and security are of the highest standard during the event.
The Richardson and Boniface gates will open to the public both days at 8 a.m.
“All traffic entering through the Richardson and Boniface gate will be directed to ATOH general parking,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Dennis Rivers, 673d Security Forces Squadron section chief of training. “Department of Defense ID card holders wishing to attend ATOH are encouraged to use the Government Hill gate and park in the designated parking areas.”
The Muldoon and Government Hill gates will also be open for normal DoD and military traffic; access to ATOH will not be available through the Muldoon gate.
Once ATOH traffic has entered the installation through the Richardson and Boniface gates, they will be guided to the general parking area.
“Traffic will be controlled with cones and manned Traffic Control Points to ensure a safe and orderly flow of traffic directly to the general parking area,” Rivers said. “From there, visitors will be directed to an Entry Control Point where they will pass through metal detectors and be screened for any prohibited items.”
Items prohibited during the open house include: bags with dimensions exceeding 20"x10"x10", recreational vehicles, coolers, alcohol, backpacks, duffle bags, large purses, Camelbacks, paint, balloons, large camera bags, illegal drugs including marijuana, weapons (including brass knuckles, mace, pepper spray, box cutters, firearms and knives), military uniforms worn by non-military members, gang affiliated colors or clothing, bicycles, scooters, skates, skateboards, go-carts, wagons, and umbrellas.
Vendors arriving at ATOH will pass through the same security screening during their commercial vehicle inspection at the Post Road gate, Rivers said.
Once the ATOH events of each day start to come to a close, traffic patterns will change to allow for the reversed flow of traffic.
“The Richardson and Boniface gates will stop allowing general public access to the installation at 2 p.m. and return to regular DoD and military ID checks,” Rivers said. “Outbound lanes at theses gate will remain clear for ATOH visitors exiting the installation. Once visitors have departed, traffic patterns will return to normal operations.”
For more information on ATOH, visit https://www.arcticthunderopenhouse.com.