Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Caycee Watson | A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo airplane with the 176th Wing, Alaska Air...... read more read more
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The Puerto Rico Air National Guard is now the proud owner of its first two
Disaster Relief Beddown Systems, which give the capability to provide quick response and support following any disaster that may impact the island.
After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017, it took
weeks for DRBS capabilities to arrive on the island and provide needed
support to Airmen responding to the disaster and recovery efforts. Each
system is stored in approximately 30 large aluminum shipping containers and typically delivered by numerous airplane cargo loads
"This is the first time we've had real disaster relief equipment," said Tech. Sgt. Carlos Guzman, a powered support systems technician with the 156th Civil Engineer Squadron. "Its primary function is to house responders or support personnel on a disaster relief response. Instead of days, maybe weeks, we may start packing as soon as conditions allow us to return to work."
A DRBS contains about 300,000 pounds of equipment necessary to support response personnel during disaster relief. One system includes 16 tents that can house up to 150 personnel and provides bathrooms, showers, and laundry machines. It also includes generators, lighting kits, and air conditioning to ensure operations can be placed in the most austere locations.
Each DRBS also comes with a reverse osmosis water purification unit, which can produce 600-1500 gallons per hour and up to 30,000 gallons of purified water each day.
"When a disaster occurs, a team will pack and deploy the DRBS to the
affected area," said Guzman. "It requires specialized personnel to assemble and operate." Most recently, DRBS kits from the Ohio Air National Guard were deployed to the southern part of the island early this year, to assist after earthquakes damaged multiple areas.
The 156th Civil Engineer Squadron at Muñiz Air National Guard Base will
maintain the equipment. Set up and support to operate a DRBS requires Airmen skilled in structures, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, power production and heavy equipment operation.
"These assets will save lives in the event of a disaster. Having them
prepositioned on the island will reduce the air traffic congestion, minimize
the time required to set up the full beddown system and eliminate the costs associated with air transportation to and from the island," said Lt. Col. Charles Comfort, the 156th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "In addition, when required, positioning in Puerto Rico enables rapid assistance provided to other islands and countries in the Caribbean and Latin American regions. Building bridges to the Americas is what our unit does best and this equipment enables our bilingual engineer force to provide critical assistance to devastated populations at the time when it's needed most."
The units were transferred to the PRANG from the 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard and the 119th Fighter Wing, North Dakota Air National Guard, and they are currently the only DRBS units permanently located on the island.
"Puerto Rico is in the hurricane route and vulnerable to any natural
disaster. With this equipment, we can assure self-sufficient housing for our responders in any disaster scenario," said Guzman.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2020 15:09 |
| Story ID: | 376025 |
| Location: | CAROLINA, PR |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, PRANG receives very own disaster relief beddown systems, by SMSgt Caycee Watson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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