Quartermaster Soldiers conduct aerial delivery and fuel system supply point training

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wyatt | Soldiers from 240th Quartermaster Support Company recover six pallets of supplies and parachutes dropped by 37th Airlift Squadron C-130J on Kirsten Drop Zone during the Low Velocity Aerial Delivery (LVAD) mission Jan. 22. This training ensured crews of Soldiers stand ready to conduct aerial delivery in an operational environment. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christian Ramirez, 240th Quartermaster Support Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command)  

BAUMHOLDER, RP, GERMANY

01.22.2015

Courtesy Story

16th Sustainment Brigade

Story By 2nd Lt. April Lybbert
240th Quartermaster Support Company

BAUMHOLDER, Germany – Soldiers from 240th Quartermaster Support Company’s Fuel and Water Platoon left the morning of Jan. 22 for Kirsten Drop Zone in Baumholder, Germany, to train on Fuel System Supply Point (FSSP) missions. The mission supported the monthly Low Velocity Aerial Delivery (LVAD) training.

The 240th QMSC’s Fuel and Water Platoon is the only bulk fuel asset under U.S. Army Europe. The petroleum supply specialists, or fuelers, typically focus on bulk fuel with tankers and retail fuel operations for 16th Sustainment Brigade units. The Soldiers broadened their knowledge base and prepared the unit for upcoming fuel missions by training on the FSSP.

Aircrafts from the Air Force’s 37th Airlift Squadron dropped six pallets of supplies for the Soldiers to recover.

More than 200 pieces of equipment stored in 12 shipping containers make up the FSSP system. The Soldiers secured the drop zone and transported the FSSP containers with rough terrain forklifts and began setting up.

Twenty Soldiers set up two 20,000 gallon collapsible tanks, about the size of a racquetball court, and two 350 gallon per hour (GPH) pumps with hose and nozzle networks to receive and distribute fuel in the frozen fields of Baumholder. Each member stayed engaged during the whole process, fostering mission readiness and unit cohesiveness. Soldiers were able to set up the system in less than two hours, proving their knowledge of the system.

After constructing the fuel point, Staff Sgt. Carl Brantley of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, taught a class on FSSP bulk and retail fuel operations.

“On the opportunity to expand training,” Brantley said, “we were able to cross train some of our water purification specialists and gave our fuelers additional hands-on training time, which enhances mission readiness. The more training time we have on our equipment the more prepared we will be when we are out on operational missions.”

“It’s always good to go out and get your hands dirty during training,” said Spc. Christian Ramirez, a native of Long Beach, California, and a 240th QMSC fueler. “There’s no better way to learn and improve in your job than to get hands-on experience.”

• Date Taken: 01.22.2015
• Date Posted: 03.05.2015 08:50
• Story ID: 156015
• Location: BAUMHOLDER, RP, DE
• Hometown: LONG BEACH, CA, US
• Hometown: PITTSBURGH, PA, US