Photo By Lisa Woodbury Rama | Equipment Operator 1st (EO1) Class Jessica Tate, left, Construction Mechanic 3rd Class...... read more read more
Naples, Italy -- Being willing to go beyond what is in your position description is common practice for the dedicated civilians working with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Europe, Africa, Central (NAVFAC EURAFCENT). High U.S. personnel turnover, challenges of recruiting for overseas positions and the length of time it often takes to get selected candidates on the ground can lead to gapped positions and individuals having to wear more than one “hat” for a while in order to make sure the mission succeeds.
Mr. Giampaolo (John) Bordonaro is doing just that right now and his efforts are keeping many NAVFAC EURAFCENT Public Works Department cranes lifting material for the warfighters across an area of operations that spans three continents. Bordonaro’s official position is Regional Weight Handling Specialist. His primary responsibilities include providing training, policy guidance and overseeing critical crane lift planning for eight public works department (PWD) supported sites.
"Mr. Bordonaro has been a key team member in completing a series of critical lifts in support of the Naval Support Activity Naples. From the initial planning, to the setup and execution of the lifts, I had complete confidence that Mr. Bordonaro had the safety of the operation and the urgency of completing the missions on his mind," said Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Caponigro, Director, Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Division, PWD Naples.
Bordonaro arrived in Naples in March 2021 and shortly thereafter Navy Crane Center directed all annual crane inspections, suspended due to Covid-19 issues, resume in June. There would not be additional inspection extensions because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Bordonaro and Edgar Catala, Transportation Branch Head, both knew the PWD Naples Crane certifications would expire in July and that they could not rely on support from the states so Bordonaro grabbed another hat, an extensive safety checklist and headed for the warehouses.
“When the Navy Crane Center’s Covid allowances for extension of deadlines to inspect and certify region cranes lapsed, we were left with few options to continue crane service. Previously used reach-back support was not an option. John was able to fill in due to his prior training and experience to ensure that the cranes did not go out of service,” said Mr. Charles Cotton, Transportation Product Line Director, NAVFAC EURAFCENT PWD Naples.
He was able to inspect all 18 cranes in the PWD Naples crane fleet prior to their certifications expiring, thus avoiding any interruptions to heavy lift requirements. Since then Mr. Bordonaro certified an additional four cranes during a site visit to Naval Support Activity Bahrain and is currently onboard Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy inspecting 27 more.
Bordonaro, a retired Navy Seabee, came to Europe from NAVFAC Southeast (SE) where he served as a Navy Crane Technician. He was the lead on developing a Personnel Qualifications Standard (PQS) manual for NAVFAC SE Crane Technicians and is a qualified crane technician and inspector.
NAVY REGION EURAFCENT could save up to $150,000 in reach-back support labor and temporary travel costs annually by having a certified crane inspector available to travel to all other NAVFAC public works departments. Based on Bordonaro’s success, the Command Weight Handling Program is reviewing options for permanently taking on this role.
“If you see something that needs to be done for the mission and know you’re the only one able and qualified to do it, then you do it. That’s how Seabees are.” said Bordonaro.
NAVFAC EURAFCENT plans, builds, leases and sustains facilities and provides essential base operating services and capabilities in the Europe, Africa, Central theaters to enable U.S., NATO and partner-nation forces to meet national defense objectives.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2021 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 411419 |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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