Photo By Master Sgt. Joseph Harwood | The 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, OH, trains on a Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen...... read more read more
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The 179th Airlift Wing is cooking up something new in the world’s most advanced mobile kitchen. A Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer (DRMKT) was delivered to the C-130H Hercules flying unit and Air National Guardsmen of the 179th Force Support Squadron, Services Sustainment Flight (179th FSS) are training with the makers, Babington Technology, on how to use it in the event of a regional disaster. The 179th FSS has been chosen to maintain the asset for activation within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA Region 5. FEMA Region 5 includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
SMSgt Dana Togliatti, Base Services Manager of the 179th FSS, said “The State of Ohio was selected to receive the Disaster Response Mobile Kitchen Trailer (DRMKT) due to geographical location within FEMA Region 5, and state leadership selected the 179th Airlift Wing for this mission due to the C-130 cargo planes capability to transport the asset.” The 179th FSS has accepted the additional responsibility to train and maintain proficiency in utilization of this asset, along with training other units within FEMA Region 5 to use this asset. In the event of a natural disaster or other event requiring the level of field feeding the DRMKT provides, the 179th FSS would deploy with the DRMKT.” Togliatti continued “ The DRMKT, joining the Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen (SPEK) and Dining Facility (DFAC) already at Mansfield-Lahm, allows our members to train and cook in a wide range of environments, yielding more versatile and prepared expeditionary Airmen. In the event of a FEMA-related requirement, the 179th FSS will respond with ready airmen for activation, by either the state or federal government.”
What kind of additional work goes into taking on this asset? Technical Sgt. Michael Swick of 179th FSS, said “The DRMKT is an asset assigned to the 179th Airlift Wing, and so it will be stored,
maintained and utilized by the 179th FSS along with the much appreciated assistance of our 179th Civil Engineering Squadron, Logistics Readiness Squadron, Operations Group Loadmasters, as well as the 200th RED HORSE Det1. It takes many hands to keep an asset as large as this operational, stored and when necessary, transported. We are very appreciative of the help we've been given thus far.”
The DRMKT is designed to support the first responder’s primary mission, reacting quickly to contingency disasters. Fresh food cooked and served rapidly to the needy and hungry is morale-boosting and a key logistical component of any first response. It is extremely flexible, supporting any field-feeding scenario from quickly prepared boil-in-the-bag meals to restaurant quality meals for up to 1,000 people in under 90 minutes.
Will the 179th be able to use it for non-emergency/local use? Swick said “The DRMKT relies on the Babington Airtronic Burner and a diesel-powered generator, both of which require periodic use to maintain operational readiness. Additionally, we plan to maintain the readiness of the members of the 179th FSS by training regularly with the DRMKT.” Swick continued, “To build and maintain proficiency, we plan to prepare meals on the DRMKT regularly. Being that the asset is so new, plans are still in the works for it, but we do know it will be utilized for events such as the 164th Airlift Squadron's annual off-site survival training and any field training environments as requested.”
The DRMKT is quiet, effective, and efficient. It is capable of burning any type of distillate fuel (JP-8, for example) cleanly and efficiently with no smoke, odor or carbon monoxide. The Babington Airtronic Burners are designed to be safe and reliable in the harshest of conditions, with no exposed conduits or electrical wiring. The closed burner combustion system completely eliminates dangerous levels of heat buildup, exhaust fumes and noise. The entire DRMKT, with its tray ration heater, griddle, convection oven, sanitation system, refrigeration, air exchange fans, air curtains to remove bugs, lights and computer system operates on less than 2500 watts of power. That is about one-tenth the power required to operate a single commercial electric griddle.
Bill Hague, a retired Lt. Col. in the United States Marine Corps, works for Babington Technology and is training selected Air National Guard units as DRMKT’s are delivered to them. Hague said “In accordance with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiatives, The DRMKT is the most energy efficient field kitchen in the world. It’s rapidly deployable, a free-standing mobile kitchen ready for C-130 transport, built to be pulled by a standard heavy-duty pickup and designed for a fast setup and shutdown.”
The 179th Airlift Wing works with the Homeland Emergency Response Force (HERF) and FEMA Region 5 to provide support in the event of a regional emergency. This DRMKT is the 10th produced in the nation, the first for FEMA Region 5 and is exclusive to the Air National Guard as a FEMA response asset.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2017 12:52 |
| Story ID: | 250569 |
| Location: | MANSFIELD, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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