Photo By JEWAUN MCELROY | A U.S. flag hangs over the “Dirt Boyz” sign at the 87th Civil Engineer Squadron...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – The winter season has arrived. Temperatures have fallen, and ice and snow become a looming threat . To combat this, the 87th Civil Engineer Squadron “Dirt Boys” are able and ready to protect the constituents of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The saying goes, “If you stay ready, then you don’t have to get ready,” and this is no exception for the 87th CES. Snow preparation involves more than just putting down salt and chemicals on the roads and airfields, discussions of snow operations begin months in advance.
“There are big meetings that happen every April and September to discuss snow response,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Douglas Maceiko, 87th CES pavement and equipment noncommissioned officer in charge. “The meetings plan for the upcoming snow season and facilitate a hot wash of what happened during the previous snow season to identify areas of improvement.”
These meetings ensure the team is staffed with trained personnel who are equipped with the proper materials and operational equipment to spread salt on the roads and parking lots as well as chemical on the runways. During the winter, augmentees from the 87th CES are utilized to meet the demand of treating the joint base, and they must be prepared. Training includes not only general knowledge of the equipment and materials, but also airfield driving permits and restricted area badges must be secured to ensure access to all required areas.
“There's a lot of training the person will have to go through to know what they're doing out there ,” Maceiko said. “Materials and manpower are limited, so we have to be mindful of operations while still being effective.”
The next step is diligently watching the weather by monitoring forecasts from various sources. The prediction variables can constantly change to include start time, duration, type and intensity , which impacts the action plan for treatment. Materials and manpower are finite, so the plan needs to not only be effective but efficient as well. Placing material down too early or using too much could be wasteful.
“The weather affects how our team prepares the roads,” Maceiko said. “The variables are numerous, but we just stay flexible.”
Preparation is imperative to ensure the missions on JB MDL happen, especially the airfield. Salt and brine can be corrosive to the airframes and runway, so the airfield and ramps are treated with anti-icing chemicals, E36 or sodium acetate.
“It is our job to prepare and protect the runways and ramps so planes can take off and land,” Maceiko said. “This is our coolest, closest opportunity that we have to directly touch this base's flying mission.”
Protecting the personnel, families and assets on the installation is a no-fail mission. Areas of treatment on the joint base are broken down by priority. Main thoroughfares and side roads that lead to essential personnel and critical facilities are treated first to ensure operations are sustained. Priority one areas include but are not limited to roads to the airfield, child development centers, medical group, chapel and commissary. Additionally, parking lots are salted to alleviate accidents and falls.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said Sam Carrico, 87th CES heavy equipment operator. “Our goal is to mitigate and prevent accidents.”
Adequate snow preparation makes it possible to prevent ice and snow from bonding to the road. The effort on the front end of snow operations help to mitigate the intensity of snow removal response. Even after the snow melts or is removed, the salt residue remains, allowing the 87th CES to continue protecting the joint base population.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2025 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 489075 |
| Location: | JB MDL, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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