Deployed Airmen scramble to replace 200,000 gallon fuel bladder

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  Like oxygen to the human body or sunlight to a tree, fuel is essential to an aircraft getting off the ground.

The Airmen of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels flight worked together April 2 and 4 to replace a 200,000 gallon fuel bladder.

"We have a crane come from the Civil Engineer Squadron to lift the bladder up, bring it over and lay it into the containment area," said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Cosentino, 380 ELRS fuels operations section chief and Bronx, N.Y., native. "Then we unroll the bladder and connect all the hoses to it."

The flight maintains, inspects and replaces equipment to ensure the mission can be accomplished safely.

"Maintenance is important so we can keep the integrity of not only our equipment, but the fuel inside," explained Tech. Sgt. David Bricker, 380 ELRS fuels facilities NCO in charge, deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "If the fuel gets contaminated, it could lead to problems with the aircraft causing in-flight emergencies and ultimately risking lives."

With only 60 people, the flight can move up to 600,000 gallons of fuel per day, depending on the demands of the Air Tasking Order.

Cosentino, deployed from McGuire AFB, N.J., said one of the best parts of the job is knowing how important the fuels flight is to the overall mission.

"Everybody contributes to the mission," he said. "But we actually deliver one of the key components to propel an airplane into the air."

With the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing transitioning into a more enduring location, maintaining the fuel supply is essential to the success of the ATO.

"Fuel matters because it is used to get aircraft in the air, and that's what is important," said Bricker, a Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native.