Operations Center Playbook
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OPERATIONS CENTER PLAYBOOK Phone and Email Tips (Sample Conversation) 1 Key Messages and Discussion Starters 2 NORAD Tracks Santa History 3 How Does NORAD Track Santa? 4 Common Questions and Answers 5-8 List of 2012 Program Contributors 8 Country Tracking Sheet 9 If contacted by a media organization, refer them to the media center at: (719) 556-1910 or (719) 556-5128 Please do NOT conduct any interviews over these phone lines. Also, please do NOT make outgoing phone calls from these phones. **PHONE AND EMAIL TIPS** Feel free to talk to the caller, embellish, and most of all, have a good time! Because of the high volume of calls we receive, please try to keep your conversations short. Also, remember that you are representing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the NORAD Tracks Santa program; therefore, please do not commit Santa to bringing any particular gift! **SAMPLE CONVERSATION** Please use the following script when answering the phone. Hello, NORAD Tracks Santa! This is _____ [rank/name]. How may I help you? Where is Santa? According to our NORAD Radars and Satellites, Santa is currently located in _______. [look at map]. He should be in ___________ very soon! When will Santa be at my house? Only Santa knows when he will arrive at your house. We do, however, know from that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep! It seems Santa typically arrives between 9:00 p.m. and midnight. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other homes. He does return later…but only when children are asleep! Can I track Santa online? Yes! Check out the NORAD Tracks Santa website at www.noradsanta.org! You can also track Santa on Cesium (3D) and Bing Maps (2D), OnStar, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and on our official mobile apps. The apps are available for iPhones, Android phones, Windows Phones, and Windows 8 tablets. All apps are free! (Other Questions: See Questions/Answers section) Thanks for calling! All of us here at NORAD wish you Happy Holidays! End of Call Note: Don’t forget to ask the person where they’re contacting you from. 1 **KEY MESSAGES** Our ultimate goal is to provide good will and cheer during the holiday season. Outreach should focus on NORAD’s role in helping Santa have a safe journey. NORAD conducts a special mission on Dec. 24 – tracking Santa across the globe. We strive to ensure Santa experiences safe travels during his yuletide journey. With our trusted partners, NORAD defends North America by: outpacing all threats, maintaining faith with our people, and supporting all during times of greatest need. WE HAVE THE WATCH, Santa! **DISCUSSION STARTERS** NORAD has confirmed the vehicle being pulled by all nine reindeer is in fact Santa’s sleigh. The sleigh is extremely full! NORAD’s radars have a firm lock on the glowing object moving quickly across the skies and can confirm that it is Ruldolph’s bright red nose. Santa looks pretty chubby in his sleigh. He must really enjoy his snacks! Did you leave a snack for Santa? Do you know what reindeer eat? I heard they love carrots! We see plenty of toys and gifts in his sleigh! Were you good this year? Santa must be a great pilot! He has flown for centuries and, as far as we know, he has never run into anything. NORAD has special Santa Cams that are used only once a year during the holidays. These Santa Cams take videos of Santa as he flies around the world! If you want to see them, go to the web site, www.noradsanta.org and look at the map to see where he’s been spotted so far. Important notice to all kids around the world: After more than 50 years of tracking Santa, we do know that Santa only comes to homes where children are asleep. Maybe it is time to go to bed! NORAD will keep tracking Santa until he finishes his trip. 2 **NORAD TRACKS SANTA HISTORY** On Dec. 24, 1955, a call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. However, this call was not from the President or a general, it was from a young child in Colorado Springs who was following the directions from a department store advertisement printed in the local newspaper – the youngster wanted to know the whereabouts of Santa Claus. The ad said “Hey, Kiddies! Call me direct and be sure and dial the correct number.” However, the number was printed incorrectly in the advertisement and rang into the CONAD operations center. On duty that night was Col. Harry Shoup, who has come to be known as the “Santa Colonel.” Col. Shoup received numerous calls that night, and rather than hanging up, he had his operators find the location of Santa Claus and reported it to every child who called in that night. Thus began a tradition that rolled over to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) when it was formed in 1958. Today, through satellite systems, high-powered radars and jet fighters - Canadians and Americans join communities worldwide to track Santa Claus as he makes his Yuletide journey around the world. Thousands of volunteers man telephone hotlines and computers to answer calls and e- mails from children (and adults) from around the world every December 24th. Live updates are provided via the NORAD Tracks Santa Website (in eight languages), over telephone lines, and via e-mail to keep curious children and their families informed about where Santa really is and if it’s time to get to bed. Updates are also provided via social media on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In December 2011, the NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site clocked 16.8 million unique visitors (another term for unique computers) from hundreds of countries and territories around the world. Volunteers answered more than 102,000 phone calls and more than 7,000 e-mails from children around the globe. More than 1 million people tracked Santa via mobile app. Santa trackers answered questions and conversed with more than a million fans of NORAD Tracks Santa on Facebook and Twitter. NORAD Tracks Santa has become a truly magical and global phenomenon, delighting generations of families everywhere. 3 **HOW DOES NORAD TRACK SANTA?** Radar It all starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system has 47 installations strung across Canada's North and Alaska. NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole every Christmas Eve. The moment our radar tells us that Santa has lifted off, we begin to use the same satellites that we use in providing warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America. Satellites These satellites are located in a geo-synchronous orbit (that’s a cool phrase meaning that the satellite is always fixed over the same spot on the Earth) at 22,300 miles above the Earth. The satellites have infrared sensors, meaning they can see heat. When a rocket or missile is launched, a tremendous amount of heat is produced - enough for the satellites to see them. Rudolph's nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. The satellites detect Rudolph's bright red nose with no problem. SantaCams The third system we use is the Santa Cam. We began using them in 1997 - the year we put our Santa tracking program on the Internet. NORAD Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many places around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year – December 24. We turn the cameras on about one hour before Santa enters a country then switch them off after we capture images of him and the Reindeer. We immediately download the images onto our website for people around the world to see. Santa Cams produce both video and still images. Jet Fighters The last system we use is the NORAD jet fighter. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots, flying the CF-18, take off out of Bagotville, Quebec and welcome Santa to North America. Then, at numerous locations in Canada, other CF-18 fighter pilots escort Santa. While in the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15s, F16s or F-22s get the thrill of flying with Santa and the famous Reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph. Even though Santa flies faster than any jet fighter (Santa actually slows down for us to escort him), all of these systems together provide NORAD with a very good, continuous picture of his whereabouts. 4 **COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ** Please use the Q’s/A’s below to address any questions you may receive. If you are ever in doubt about an answer, request help from a Public Affairs Officer on duty. **NEW for 2012** Q: Why is does your map show Santa in a different location than he is on Google Earth? A: Santa moves quickly, and we’re confident that our data showing Santa’s location is correct. Through more than 50 years of Santa tracking, we’ve developed the military technology and expertise to pinpoint Santa’s exact location. Note: NORAD is using Bing maps and Cesium technology to track Santa in 2D and 3D. Refer users to www.noradsanta.org to view the map of Santa’s journey. Q.1 How long has NORAD been tracking Santa? A.1 NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), began tracking Santa in 1955.