Airman improves bio waste program on forward operation base

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Every day Staff Sgt. Chad Whitehead drives out to the edge of the Forward Operating Base Ghazni to dispose of biowaste. It's a necessary task to make sure that the health and sanitation of service members stationed here is maintained.

However, when Whitehead, a Forward Surgical Team Emergency Room technician, first arrived on FOB Ghazni, he saw there was a problem with the biowaste disposal program that needed attention.

"The waste incinerators were broken here, causing previous rotations to ship biowaste to other locations to get it disposed of properly," said Whitehead, who is also the NCO in charge of a mortuary affairs. "When we arrived, the base had accumulated a years' worth of waste located in a storage container outside our building."

FOB Ghazni is home to Polish, U.S. Army and Air Force service members. The Air Force FST is in charge of storing and disposing of all base's biowaste. Biowaste can consists of human and animal biomass, expired medications and used medical supplies.

"When our team's leadership noticed that (FOB) Ghazni had broken incinerators, we contacted the equipment's contractor to show us how to fix and use the machine," Whitehead said. "We have three broken incinerators here, so I took parts from two to make one operational."

Whitehead has put 800 man hours into burning waste during his deployment. It is a time consuming, but essential task.

"I have to drive about an hour to go get gas, drive to the opposite side to fuel the incinerators then wait for them to heat up," Whitehead said. "Once it's at the right temperature, I drive the waste to the incinerator in rotations, depending on the amount. Then every forty-five minutes I will check on the burning process."

According to Whitehead, disposing of the waste on base is safer for everyone.

"It's not safe to transport waste to another base to get burned, and it poses health risks to others when it piles up," Whitehead said. "It only makes sense to dispose of it on the base it's located as soon as possible. It will save the Air Force money and time."