Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ian Safford | TOPEKA, Kansas – Pfc. Tomaas Washington, 170th Maintenance Company, prepares a...... read more read more
TOPEKA, KS. – In a mission that began in March, a Kansas National Guard team of 12 Soldiers and six Airmen have been sorting, inventorying and processing orders of personal protective equipment to be distributed to counties across Kansas. The supplies, located in a warehouse at Forbes Field, are shipped out daily to requesting counties and health departments across the state to meet demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyday we look at our orders from around the state and plan where the PPE needs to be transported,” said Capt. Amanda Frost, officer in charge of the transportation mission, 169th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. “Every day the trucks are sent out on missions and we have multiple missions throughout the day. While the trucks are delivering orders we continue to receive orders from across the state.”
The mission is split into two important tasks: inventory and transportation. The inventory side of the house is mainly taken care of by Airmen from the 190th Refueling Wing stationed at Forbes Field. The PPE inventory is brought into the warehouse where it is separated and stored by which state or federal agency it belongs to. The total count of PPE is then updated in the warehouse’s inventory records. As requests, or picks, for items come in, the Airmen go throughout the warehouse and put together each shipment for the requesting agency.
“PPE is coming to the warehouse to be stored and sent out,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Martino, 190th Air Refueling Wing. “We go and hand pick all the items requested and set them in a pile, then that's where our Army counterparts come into play.”
Soldiers of the Kansas Army National Guard group the shipments together by location to be logistically efficient. Drivers verify the items in their shipments, pack their trucks, then deliver their cargo to each of the requesting agencies. Upon return, trucks and vans are refueled and prepped for the next day.
“The collaboration has been outstanding,” said Frost. “As soon as help is needed on the floor our guys are out there helping with redistribution and counting. If we are overwhelmed with deliveries due to a large scale day, the Airmen will step up and help us with deliveries.”
With soldiers driving in close proximity to one another, and traveling through different counties, drivers take great care to keep themselves and those they interact with safe. All drivers wear masks when in close quarters with one another and also have gloves and other basic PPE for when they are delivering to counties that have been hit hard by COVID-19. When trucks return to Forbes, they are sanitized daily no matter where they traveled to.
Both Soldiers and Airmen take pride in the service they are giving to the community of Kansas.
“This is what every Soldier wants to do in the military,” said Spc. Cassandra Phillips, truck driver in the 137th Transportation Company. “Being able to go out, help your community, and see that what you are doing is beneficial is my purpose for being in the National Guard.”
“With this being such a global pandemic, being able to just help out my hometown, where I am from, means a great deal to me,” said Martino. “I am actually seeing the impact that I’m having —watching all these assets leave the warehouse, knowing that they’re going to good use, to help protect and save somebody's life.
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2020 18:25 |
| Story ID: | 370004 |
| Location: | TOPEKA, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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