By Capt. Jeffrey Witherspoon
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - The 121st Brigade Support Battalion has been training the Iraqi army's 10th Motorized Transport Regiment on their new fuel tankers.
The 10th MTR was given the 15 International fuel tankers by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. The vehicles are medium tactical trucks, built on the International WorkStar platform, previously known as the 7000 Series from Navistar Defense.
Prior to receiving the new fuel tankers, the 10th MTR requested training on the system from the 121st BSB's Logistics Training and Advisory Team.
The LTAT serves as a bridge between Iraqi and U.S. forces and synchronizes training in an effort to increase the Iraqi army's ability to sustain itself.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Tellez, LTAT lead non-commissioned officer, along with petroleum subject matter experts from the distribution company of the 121st, contacted the chief executive officer of International Trucks and collected several manuals and schematics to assist in conducting the training.
When the tankers arrived, they had all the basic issue items, but the technical manuals were in English.
The LTAT had the manuals translated into Arabic and, together with the 121st BSB's fuel specialists, took the information and focused on establishing a permanent fuel handler's course in conjunction with the new equipment training.
Before beginning the instruction, the 121st BSB took the time to assist the 10th MTR in properly parking the vehicles.
This focus on proper staging allowed the LTAT to teach some of the safety considerations when staging fuel tankers in a consolidated area.
Because there was no baseline Iraqi field manual for fuel operations, the LTAT referred to the U.S. Army's standards. They covered optimal and minimum distances between parked vehicles, grounding, parking vehicles away from electrical lines and sources, ways of capturing and avoiding spills to prevent fires, and leaving clear lanes to each tanker for fire control personnel and equipment.
Once the vehicles were correctly parked and all safety considerations had been addressed, instructors focused on the functional parts of the fuel tankers.
Tellez, a former instructor from the Quartermaster Center & School, demonstrated the proper preventative maintenance checks and service procedures for the vehicles while specifically honing in on identificating specific types of leaks.
Even a small fuel leak on a tanker could lead to a catastrophic fire.
The tankers have dual hoses, allowing for fueling from either side. The hoses were unrolled and the operators were taught how to checks for cracks, cuts and dry rot. The instructors highlighted that, with the pressure of fuel pumping through the hose, a hole or cut could result in large amounts of fuel spillage and a HAZMAT nightmare.
The instructors also covered "refuel on the move" procedures, which extend the time forces can spend on an objective.
This type of procedure requires a number of considerations, including predetermining the amounts of fuel to be added to each vehicle based on time, return to a formation afterward, and proper security for all stages of the process.
Date Taken: | 01.27.2010 |
Date Posted: | 01.27.2010 01:31 |
Story ID: | 44477 |
Location: | TALLIL AIR BASE, IQ |
Web Views: | 485 |
Downloads: | 357 |
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