Beale AFB certified StormReady community Published March 13, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Ramon A. Adelan 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Members of the 9th Operations Support Squadron weather flight has worked with the National Weather Service Sacramento Office, to certify Beale Air Force Base as a StormReady Community. StormReady is a program created by the NWS to ensure that communities have the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property at all stages of a severe weather event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs. The program contains six guidelines, each with their own unique criteria. The guidelines are communications, NWS information reception equipment, local weather and water monitoring equipment, local warning dissemination, community preparedness and administrative tools. In order to be classified as a StormReady community, the community would have to meet at least one criterion within each guideline and have an emergency operations center. Beale exceeded qualification meeting 22 criteria making the base 366 percent qualified. In addition, 1st Lt. Douglas Ferguson, 9th OSS weather flight wing weather officer, orchestrated two Skywarn Spotter seminars allowing the NWS to train and certify 34 new storm spotters throughout Beale and the surrounding community. "Our priority objective is to be ready for any type of weather," Ferguson said. "Being able to plan in case of an event and to educate Team Beale on safety precautions is our intention." Some information courtesy of the National Weather Service website.