Photo By Catherine Carroll | Jelani Ingram Huntsville Center Acting Branch Chief of Architecture, is working to...... read more read more
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville is supporting the US Army Corps of Engineers effort to support the FEMA-led response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
The Corps of Engineers has authority to work directly for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in executing Emergency Support Function #3 - Public Works and Engineering.
One of the FEMA Mission Assignments is to provide initial planning and engineering support nationwide to address medical facility shortages in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
As the USACE Mandatory Center of Expertise for Medical Facility Design, Huntsville Center engineers were quickly sought by Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, 54th Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of USACE.
“We got the mission assignment for planning and initial response,” said Wade Doss, Huntsville Center Engineering Director.
“We’re providing conceptual solutions. And identifying what needs to happen—performance work specs like notional schedules and deliverables they need from the contractor.”
However, Doss said Center leadership realized after the initial response MA, taking on a project of this magnitude would require more than the engineers and medical design experts at Huntsville Center.
“We received a request from the chief directly to us because we had the Medical Center of Expertise and what we leveraged the whole enterprise and pulled in the medical support teams from Little Rock (District) and Mobile District,” said Wade Doss, Huntsville Center Engineering Director.
Doss said experts from the USACE Engineering Research and Development Center were a growing part of the team too.
Our role HNC is points of contact—there’s two points of contact for each Major Supporting Commands in USACE and we’re answering their requests for information and requests for help from across the country.
Although staff in Huntsville most of the legwork creating or refining providing concepts solutions and engineering sketches, performance work statements, schedules and site survey screening factors, there was still a requirement for boots on the ground in New York; currently the epicenter of the crisis.
After the initial notification for assistance, Huntsville Center leadership deployed Anthony Travia, division chief with its Medical Center of Expertise, to New York to assist the USACE New York District in their facility and site assessment visits for the alternate care facilities.
This week, construction began as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan is refitted into a 1,000-bed hospital and an additional 1,800 field medical stations. The medical facility is slated to begin operating in a week to 10 days.
Anticipating other states following the lead in New York, a Huntsville Center Engineering Directorate team executed a rapid translation of technical requirements, transforming them into digestible documents for use throughout USACE.
“We have the mission assignment for planning and initial response. We’re providing conceptual solutions and identifying what needs to happen—performance work specifications like notional schedules and other deliverables they need for the contractor,” Doss said.
Jelani Ingram, Huntsville Center Acting Branch Chief of Architecture, recognizes his team’s efforts (directly or indirectly) have influenced decisions and response planning at the highest levels of government.
“It's great to be on the front lines and part of a mission that is working hand-in-hand with our medical professionals to combat this disease and help save lives,” Ingram said.
Doss said his team is doing all they can to support the critical mission of producing ACFs around the country, even though a maximum telework situation has the team working remotely from their homes.
“We have a team of about 30 and they are communicating well using email, phones, Skype, texts and group texts and conference calls—were using every form of communication available to cross-talk among team members,” Doss said.
Doss said delivering the program to the MSCs is challenging, his team is stepping up their efforts to produce.
“We’re getting a request for deliverables that would normally take weeks and we are getting them out in hours so were not talking perfection, we’re doing things the very best we can because time is of the essence.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville provides specialized technical expertise, global engineering solutions and innovations through centrally managed programs in support of national interests.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2020 10:15 |
| Story ID: | 366155 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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