Handling Noise Complaints

Track scheduled exercises and construction to get ahead of noise complaints. To reduce the number of noise complaints, use these tips to inform the community:

• Publicize that public affairs is the single point of contact for addressing noise concerns and answering questions about an installation's relationship with and participation in the local community. Ensure contact information is easy to find to prevent further frustration.
• Send out public service announcements across multiple platforms warning of disruptive or ongoing noise. Explain the purpose of the noise and how it serves the military and/or the public, if possible.
• Maintain important noise-related information on the base's website for users to easily find, including the possibility of noise, the reasons for it and when it might occur.
• Create a webpage where civilians can submit a complaint form and track submissions in one place for easy reference.

Noise complaints may come in through various channels. One possibility is a phone call. Follow these tips when taking a noise complaint over the phone:  

• Ask appropriate questions (location, description of aircraft or source of the noise, time, date, etc.) in order to confirm the base is, in fact, the source of the noise. 
• Reference and maintain current fact sheets and questions/answers.
• Explain the exercise or activity responsible for the noise and why that activity is necessary, if known. 
• Share how often it will likely take place and the usual anticipated duration, if this is a regular or ongoing activity.
• Collect as much information as possible (name, contact information, address, etc.) to facilitate follow-up contact, especially if the caller requests it. 
• Log the complaint and let the caller know a detailed log of complaints is kept and regularly reported to the command group. Consider using a Noise Complaint Log Template.
• Avoid making promises you cannot keep. Remember that the follow-up will be the time for more in-depth discussion.

Approach the call with the proper demeanor:

• Communicate the need to record the caller's information clearly and politely. 
• Keep a calm tone throughout the conversation.
• Avoid sounding defensive.
• Tell the truth. Do not stretch the truth or selectively release information.  

If proactive community involvement did not prevent the caller from becoming excessively annoyed, the caller will likely call their elected official. In this case, it will be important to provide a comprehensive, detailed log of the military response actions underway.

After noise complaints come in, evaluate them and reflect on how to better handle noise in the future to minimize or eliminate complaints. This is why detailed logs and notes are important. Look for ways to improve proactive information before any noise occurs. Don't just focus on communication, but consider education as well. Maybe the complaint logs reveal the community isn't aware of why the noisy activities are necessary or the steps the base may be taking to reduce the noise's impact. That may be your proactive communication focus.

You will also want to keep your logs for further analysis. Maintaining historical noise complaint logs allows you to look for trends over time. Use analysis to plan appropriate ways to counteract emerging patterns of complaints or circumstances. Advise the command and community councils regularly on trends, spikes in volume or significant details.

Analyze the logs for ways to improve communication during a call as well. Detailed notes in the log may reveal ways to improve how things are communicated. For instance, there may be multiple legitimate reasons given to different callers for why a particular exercise is necessary, with some reasons better received than others. You may be able to adjust tactics according to what you find.

These are just some examples of findings and actions that may come from noise complaint evaluation. Your findings will be your own, but evaluation is key in continuously adjusting and improving your handling of noise complaints.