Photo By Staff Sgt. Brandon Little | Temperatures on the flight-line can sometimes reach up to 20 or 30 degrees higher than...... read more read more
By Sgt. Brandon Little
Task Force XII Public Affairs Office
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – It's highly unlikely that a terrorist will take the day off because it's just too hot outside or that he'll bring in a doctor's note recommending he stay indoors and not blow things up until it gets cooler outside.
The enemy doesn't take time off from what he does because of increasing temperatures, so Task Force XII aviators can't afford to either. However, working outside in these plus 100 degree temperatures can have a strenuous effect on a Soldier's body.
Since the sun doesn't show them any sympathy, Soldiers working on the flight-line must take certain precautions to prevent themselves and their buddies from becoming another heat casualty statistic.
"Working outside can be pretty rough at times," said Spc. Rene O'Neil, an AH-64 Apache Longbow maintainer in Troop N, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "Our workload has been steady for the last couple of months but the temperature has increase by about 20 degrees."
These aircraft maintainers are responsible for conducting preventative maintenance, checks and services to keep Task Force XII helicopters flying around the clock.
"Our aircraft have to be serviced either every 14 days or after they've been flown for 25 hours," said O'Neil, who hails from York, Penn. "We have to pay close attention to the flight schedule to know which aircraft is due for PMCS, because an aircraft can't overfly a PMCS."
Conducting a PMCS on an aircraft means first inspecting it for leaks or visible damage; all while braving the brutal sunrays and extreme heat bouncing off the concrete airfield.
If the temperature walking around the base is 100 degrees, it's probably somewhere between 120 and 130 degrees on the flight-line, said 1st Sgt. Jon Martin, the top enlisted Soldier in Company C, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment.
"I'm from Dallas so I'm kind of use to this type of heat, but it's important for us to watch out for one another and bring each other water," said Spc. Justin Khounborinh, an Apache maintainer in Troop O, 4th Sqdn., 3rd ACR. "There are plenty of first aid kits and Combat Life Saver bags out here, and we're all CLS qualified."
"Everyday (1st Sgt. Richard Bonney) makes sure we have plenty of water and ice out here," said O'Neil. "He's always making sure we take breaks and rotate between time in the sun and time in the shade. We also work as a team to get work done faster and we try to save big jobs that can wait until it gets a little cooler."
In addition to drinking water, these Soldiers must take other precautions to protect themselves from the sun's wrath.
"We try to make sure that the Soldiers are wearing sunscreen and boney hats if they have sensitive skin," said Martin, a native of San Diego. "We also make sure that all the Soldiers have gloves when they're working because the parts on those aircraft get hot enough to burn your hand."
A Soldier's diet and physical fitness can be key factors when trying to prevent heat injuries, he said.
"We really try to stress the importance of physical fitness, because if you're out of shape your body will definitely tell on you in weather like this," said Martin. "I also let the smokers and coffee drinkers in my company know the effect it will have on them in this heat."
Prior to deploying, Soldiers in Task Force XII also received classes and training on heat injury symptoms and ways of preventing these injuries.
Taking time to ensure Soldiers have protection against heat injuries helps keep aircraft flying even if the enemy decides it's a little too warm outside to cause trouble.
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2008 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 20205 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 107 |
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