Photo By Senior Airman Karissa Dick | Airman 1st Class Dominic Varoz, 8th Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology...... read more read more
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KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea-- The 8th Maintenance Squadron “Dragons” aircraft metals technology section recently developed an innovative solution to address a persistent safety concern at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
The Wolf Pack has been contending with a longstanding safety challenge at the main entrance gate to Kunsan, where railroad tracks intersect the road and have led to multiple safety incidents involving Airmen crashing on bikes and scooters.
According to Staff Sgt. Edwin Gonzalez, 8th Civil Engineering Squadron “Dirt Boyz” pavements and equipment supervisor, the railroad tracks cannot be permanently covered.
“This was a safety issue with PTD’s [personal transportation devices] getting stuck in the tracks even though there is a sign there,” explained Gonzalez. “We were trying to figure out a way to fix it but we can’t fully remove them in case they reinstate use of the tracks.”
With numerous safety incidents reported in the past quarter, including one involving a member of the aircraft metals technology section, the team began actively brainstorming potential solutions in April.
“One of our members in the squadron ended up in a mishap after riding their bike over it and had to go to the ER. This is a common occurrence,” said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Ebarb, 8th MXS noncommissioned officer in charge of aircraft metals technology. “So our flight went out there [railroad tracks], we put eyes on it, and we came up with a concept.”
After inspecting the railroad tracks, the aircraft metals technology team returned to their shop to begin creating a small prototype.
“We started putting together a small section just to go out there to see how it fit, if it would be a level surface, and if PTD’s could go over it,” said Ebarb. “We verified it was a good concept and we rolled with it.”
Ebarb and his team had created a non-permanent solution to cover the railroad tracks. They presented their proposal to the 8th CES and Wing Safety and it was well received. In addition to strong support and positive feedback, they also received lessons learned from previous unsuccessful methods.
“They were all about coming up with a solution to fix the issue,” stated Ebarb. “We worked well with CES and Wing Safety. We had their good graces and we came up with a plan for who’s going to maintain this in the future.”
After successfully testing their prototype, the aircraft metals technology team moved forward with fabricating full-sized track covers using steel. According to Ebarb, this process began with precise measurements of the railroad tracks — rail-to-rail and depth — which were used to create detailed fabrication plans using computer aided drafting software. Once finalized, a water jet was used to cut sections of sheet metal and tubing, which were then welded together. Finger grip holes were added to the sides for easier handling and tension adjusters were used to ensure the covers remained securely in place.
Anticipating future issues, the team also collaborated with the corrosion section to enhance the railroad track covers. To improve visibility and reduce the risk of corrosion, the covers were painted with high-visibility yellow and black stripes and a specialized grip layer was applied to the surface to prevent slips and falls particularly during wet or icy conditions.
On June 6, 28 railroad track covers were successfully installed by the aircraft metals technology section.
“We went out to install them, butted them all together to make sure they would fit properly and straight along the track,” said Ebarb. “They worked!”
However, during the installation process Airman 1st Class Dominic Varoz, 8th MXS aircraft metals technology journeyman, noticed that the finger grip holes could lead to hand injuries when pushing the track covers flush against each other. To address this, Varoz designed a custom hook tool that can be inserted into the grip holes allowing safe positioning during installation and maintenance.
After installing the track covers, the aircraft metals technology team closely monitored PTD’s and vehicles as they crossed to ensure they performed well under real-world conditions.
“The first day we put it out there some of our South Korean friends were leaving and we saw a cement truck, 18-wheelers, a bulldozer and asphalt roller cross over it just fine,” said Varoz.
This enhancement directly contributes to the Wolf Pack’s mission readiness by reducing the likelihood of safety incidents that could render personnel non-mission-capable.
“We lose people left and right to incidents and they could be gone for months with an injury. This causes a drop in manning when you don’t have all hands on deck to help out with tasks,” explained Ebarb. “We think these track covers will drastically decrease mishaps from occurring, meaning more people will be ready for duty.”
Stepping beyond their traditional maintenance roles, the aircraft metals technology team applied their skills to broader base improvement efforts. This will not only decrease safety mishaps across the installation but it also demonstrated their commitment to supporting the mission in any capacity. As always, the Wolfpack strives for excellence; it's not just what we do, it's who we are.
“This is awesome. It has boosted team spirit within the section,” said Ebarb. “Coming up with this idea and having the team tackle it together has been great. We are leaving a legacy with our group, something that’s possibly going to nix any mishaps in the future. That's a big deal to us.”
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2025 20:02 |
| Story ID: | 500945 |
| Location: | GUNSAN, KR |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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