I am not sure about Ft. Sill, I just left the Army and was at Schofield Barracks. vaping is treated as smoking there, not allowed with in 50 ft of any govt bldg.
At our weapons school house, no rules prohibit vaping, so we have two choices. Vape wherever till the OIC gets fed up and shuts it down for everyone, or police ourselves and keep our department looking professional with some rules. So we are doing the smart thing and writing our own instruction. Places we intend to prohibit vaping:
In class or in laboratories.
In formation
During quarters, training or formal meetings
In the p-ways (hallways) or elevators
during evolutions where distractions are unsafe
When transiting outside the building (for example walking to the parking lot)
In someones personal office unless invited to do so.
In the galley and messdecks during meal hours
There are a couple other times I think, but I cant remember them right now.
The goal of this is to keep all of us looking professional and military, and not giving anyone a reason to ban it to the smoke deck only. This basically just identifying when vaping isn't appropriate. Things people should already know, but if they didn't now they do!
I'm a retired Navy Command Master Chief (=Command Sgt Major or AF Command Chief), recently started vaping, and work on several Naval Bases in San Diego. Vaping and decisions on how vaping should be regarded are very much being discussed. Surprisingly there are lot of people on the side of sensibly allowing it. However many of the active duty (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) are making it easier for leaders to make a firm decision.
The number of complaints from non-smokers and the number of fire alarms being set off are the two largest points for treating vaping exactly as smoking is treated - shipboard and shore.
This does not have to get the point of becoming a directive or instruction like the AF, although it will simply because of the few that lack respect for those around them or the affect they have. But hey, I've been proven wrong from time to time - and this one time I would very much like being wrong.
Don't being blowin clouds in barracks rooms! It sets off alarms bringing undue pressure to resolve the issue. Don't continue to vape in an environment when a coworker has a concern. Maintaining consideration for others and the expected professional work environment as seen by those who visit your spaces - can go a long way to avoiding written instructions, regulations, or rules.
I've talked with quite few of the senior enlisted leadership in San Diego (Army, Navy and Marine Corps) and I think they'd prefer to keep the status quo - but will act if they feel they need to. And we even have people at NAVFAC figuring out ventilation requirements and how to adjust fire alarms to make buildings a little more vape friendly (not the term they are using, but just the same). Keep them on your side.
I dislike rules per see - but the following post offers some pretty good guidelines -
I saw something interesting today at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth VA. I was walking by the exchange on the inside of the hospital and across from it is a barber shop and a GNC. Inside the barber shop I see a sailor holding this stick thing to his face. i double take and recognize it as an ego with a T2 or CE4 on the top. He takes a mouth hit and then inhales it. A tad bit of vape comes out of his mouth when he inhales the hit. I carried on so I missed the exhale if there was much of one. I was kinda shocked to see that inside the building. I had been stealth vaping in the head at the far end of the building while I was waiting on the missus and would have never though to see someone vaping in plain sight in a place like that.
I wonder what the stance is on vaping at that facility as the entire campus is supposedly smoke free.
I saw something interesting today at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth VA. I was walking by the exchange on the inside of the hospital and across from it is a barber shop and a GNC. Inside the barber shop I see a sailor holding this stick thing to his face. i double take and recognize it as an ego with a T2 or CE4 on the top. He takes a mouth hit and then inhales it. A tad bit of vape comes out of his mouth when he inhales the hit. I carried on so I missed the exhale if there was much of one. I was kinda shocked to see that inside the building. I had been stealth vaping in the head at the far end of the building while I was waiting on the missus and would have never though to see someone vaping in plain sight in a place like that.
I wonder what the stance is on vaping at that facility as the entire campus is supposedly smoke free.