Photo By Molly Cooke | Cpt. Joshua Moore and Staff Sgt. O’Neil Davis, both with assigned to brigade...... read more read more
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The 3rd Infantry Sustainment Brigade is unique because of its variety of Soldiers who bring quality qual¬ifications from ready to roll missions to recovery efforts for natural disasters. With the current hurricane season in effect for coastal Georgia and the southeast U.S., these capabilities are able to be leveraged to support relief efforts in the event of significant hurricane impact to the area.
“What makes our brigade standout is that we have more of a variety of qualified fuelers, financial operations personnel and recovery specialists,” said 1st Lt. Nate Wakefield, a hurricane support operations officer plan¬ner with the, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3ID SB. “We specialize more in ensuring more of the support aspect of that plus it’s within our name.”
For hurricane response operations there are 5 hurri¬cane conditions that are monitored. Each condition represents an observed hurricane-level event and the organization monitors its impact to the installation and its operations.
“HURCON 5 takes its place from June first to November thirtieth, that is when hurricane season begins and ends,” said Wakefield. “In this phase we identify Soldiers to be placed as a stay behind element in preparation for landfall when it does happen. These Soldiers are tasked for arms room guards and fuelers to ensure our gener¬ators are continuously running.”
As the HURCON descends to HURCON 4, the unit prepares additional assets and Soldiers to ensure that the correct level of support is being utilized and that the assets to perform the necessary tasks are staged and ready for support operations.
At HURCON 4 companies within the brigade begin staging for refueling support via the brigade’s bulk-fu¬el systems. Additionally units within the brigade begin to fill Handling System Compatible Water Tank Rack and water buffalos in case they are needed for recovery operations.
“In the event of a hurricane since 226th Composite Supply Company is away, the 135th Quartermaster Company will execute all the bulk fuel requirements on demand by providing the diesel for civilian gener¬ators and JP8 generators or additional fuels for certain civilian equipment,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shanique Clarke, the chief of petroleum systems tech¬nician with HHC, STB, 3ID SB. “For bulk water, 396th Composite Truck Company within this fiscal year is tasked with providing bulk water support and they will do that using the 2,000 gallon water compatible tank rack.”
The unit also conducts personnel administration coordination with the division operations center to account for personnel locations as they are either released to prepare for the incoming hurricane or are sent to conduct support operations missions for the installation or surrounding area.
At HURCON 3, which is 72 hours from expected landfall, the unit begins conducting direct support with the garrison Directorate of Public Works for refueling missions to ensure that generators around the installa¬tion are ready. Additionally, Soldiers tasked to support the Army Field Support Battalion will assist in the move¬ment of personnel from the installation to a designated safe area if required.
As the timeline condition for HURCON 2 is reached, the 287th Field Feeding Company will begin prepar¬ing to conduct meal support from a potential field feeding site via their mobile kitchen trailers. Soldiers throughout the unit additionally either continue evacuation operations or their assigned missions in support of the installation.
HURCON 1 is imminent landfall within 24-12 hours and the unit places a heavy recovery squad on stand¬by for recovery operations. This phase lasts a period of 12 hours prior to the hurricane making landfall to 12 hours after the winds of 50 knots or higher dissi¬pate.
Following the dissipation of the winds, the heavy recovery element begins assisting the installation with removal of debris from the installation and other necessary recovery operations. If needed the other sustainment and support elements will be release to conduct their missions in support to the installation as well and begin returning to normal operations.
“We will have a priority of work established for recovery operations and we will also initiate the recall of our critical work force personnel,” said Wakefield. “We pretty much continue on, get everyone back to home base safely and everyone is accounted for.”
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2020 10:41 |
| Story ID: | 375900 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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