By Maj. James Palmer
555th Engineer Brigade
BAGHDAD –Joint Security Site and Forward Operating Base safety to life maintenance needs in Iraq often necessitate immediate emergency response requirements. Over the past 5 months, Task Force Dagger, 54th Engineer Battalion, has been able to assemble a team of qualified electricians and bill of material able to respond to a critical electrical event within 24-hours.
The need for an immediate response team became vividly clear over a short period during the 120-degree fahrenheit months when there was a tremendous load on electrical systems. The lack of qualified contracted electricians at each JSS or FOB compounded by the turnaround time between the initial call for assistance and when U.S. military electricians arrived at the JSS required the Task Force Dagger commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Lestochi, to develop a more responsive cell to meet these needs.
Lt. Col. Lestochi tasked the U.S. Air Force Detachment 3, 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron to develop a quick response team to rapidly respond to critical electrical emergencies. This new cell, the Emergency Electrical 9-1-1 Response Team, was built around four U.S. certified electricians, electrical bill of material and a pallet loading system truck and trailer.
Detachment 3 queried their bill of material database and, with Task Force Dagger's S4 representatives, Capt. Tyson Behnke and 2nd Lt. Brett Fuller, ordered the most commonly used electrical items previously used by Detachment 3 at the JSS and FOBs. These purchases built a healthy bench stock inventory. Detachment 3 carpenters refitted two 20-foot CONEXs to store and transport these electrical items on the PLS truck and trailer.
For the first time in Iraq, Detachment 3 set up a mobile electrical emergency response capability. They not only repaired failed systems, but also upgraded dangerous systems, thus preventing fires and electrocutions of service personnel, and providing quality of life enhancements to fuel combat readiness. The team made their maiden voyage with the 9-1-1 trailers during two hot summer weeks.
On Aug. 29, Senior Airman Shane Derrick, an electrician, led Senior Airman Omar Crovetto, also an electrician, and Airman 1st Class Josh Smith, a power production specialist, on a convoy to COP Zulu to repair a failed electrical system. Upon arrival, they immediately assessed the work to be done. To fix the system, they installed an 800-amp main distribution panel and associated generator transfer switch, a new panel in the gym, and 3 new air conditioners in the operations center. They also fixed some safety issues in the dining facility's kitchen. At this point, the three Airmen were informed that an electrical system had burned up at COP Summers and that they might have to leave COP Zulu before they could finish. Fortunately, the last items they needed to complete the job arrived that day, and they installed four 250-amp MDPs by the next day.
Airmen Derrick, Crovetto, and Smith convoyed to COP Summers on Sept. 3. They assessed a 400-amp MDP with 32-amp sub-breakers, which were too small for the 100-amp panels they fed. They replaced the 400-amp MDP and breakers with a set in their 9-1-1 mobile trailer. They also bonded the neutral and ground lines at the main 1,000-amp panel.
With the work at COP Summers complete, the three electricians convoyed to COP Iskan on Sept. 5. There they found 10 electrical circuits connected directly to bus bars with no protection from a circuit breaker. They also discovered a panel box which incorrectly had both 220-volt and 110-volt power in it. The team corrected these problems during a night-time power outage to minimize inconvenience to the customer. With power restored to the dining facility and morale/welfare/recreation area, and everything fixed to meet electrical code, the team returned to their base in Baghdad on Sept. 10.
Having the 9-1-1 trailers pre-stocked enabled the Air Force electricians to solve problems on the spot. Previous to standing up this capability there would be two trips made to a site: one visit to assess the problem and what materials were needed; the other visit to complete the work after materials had arrived. The time between system failure and the system being restored to operation is now greatly reduced, typically by several weeks. Another benefit of the 9-1-1 trailers is that ground travel on Iraq's dangerous roads is reduced by more than 50%.
The Emergency Electrical Response Team's ability to quickly deploy to JSS and FOBs that require immediate electrical upgrades has dramatically reduced the risk of electrocution and other danger to life risks posed by faulty electrical parts, overloaded or bypassed circuit breakers. This team is also an example of how Task Force Dagger is successfully engaging the diverse challenges faced in the current operating environment in Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2008 09:52 |
| Story ID: | 27371 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 445 |
| Downloads: | 306 |
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