Airmen from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here are revamping the Air Force theater hospital, creating a brighter and safer environment for patients and providers.

The 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron and 332nd Expeditionary Medical Support Squadron have the lead roles in the renovation project.

The upgrade will improve patient flow, relocate the specialty clinics and replace the current tents, which are fire hazards, officials said.

Without help from volunteers from the three squadrons, “the success we have experienced thus far would not be possible," said Lt. Col. Patrick Dawson, the medical support squadron commander and hospital administrator.

"The motivation and morale of the more than 120 people helping with this project is high,” he said. “There is a great amount of synergy going on here. This is teamwork at its best."

The project, which will replace 95 percent of the hospital’s tents -- about 35,000 square feet of tent space -- began Oct. 30. If the weather remains agreeable, volunteers should complete the project Dec. 1, hospital officials said.

"Our goal is to not lose any medical and surgical capabilities whatsoever during this move," Colonel Dawson said. "We want to keep all of our resources active to be 100 percent mission ready at all times.”

Planning for the move involved coordination among the three squadrons. Each brings a unique expertise to the task.

"When all is said and done the 332nd ECS troops will have laid six miles of cable," Colonel Dawson said.

Three sections of the communications squadron are assisting to make the transition as seamless as possible.

The voice section is working to connect the phone and network wires. The network management troops are configuring the switches and encryption devices. And the radio troops will install the public address system.

One of the projects the civil engineers are working on is a drainage system to take water away from the facility during the rainy season, Colonel Dawson said.

"The communications and civil engineering Airmen have really stepped up to help us," he said.

Volunteers also moved patients and medical equipment from several intensive care wards during tent replacement phases. Along with Airmen from the three squadrons, the volunteers will place 80,000 sand bags around the facility and are projected to use more than 1,000 tons of dirt in force protection HESKO barriers around the tents.

"We are very appreciative of this help, the teamwork is outstanding," Colonel Dawson said. "This has become more than a hospital project -- it has become a wing project."