Airmen deploy for fuel-spill-response exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Robert Orrill
  • 611th Civil Engineer Squadron
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  Airmen from the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron deployed recently to a remote radar site 250 miles northwest of here for an annual three-day fuel-spill-response exercise.

The airmen tested their skills at the Tatalina Long Range Radar Site, one of the 18 remote radar sites that make up the Alaska Radar System.

The engineers are fully self-sufficient, according to Ron Lurk, the squadron’s chief of operations here.

“We try to bring everything needed to respond to a spill anywhere in Alaska during any season,” he said.

The 611th CES provides its own billeting, heavy equipment and highly trained professionals wherever necessary. The only limiting factor is airlift availability. The engineers are responsible to respond as far away as Eareckson Air Station, located on the Aleutian chain more than 1,500 miles away.

“Our team kits are 100-percent air transportable by C-130 (Hercules),” Lurk said. “Our equipment is staged and can be deployed in as little as four hours.”

The primary mission of the Alaska Radar System is to control and coordinate air operations within Alaskan airspace and to provide early warning and air defense against hostile attacks. As a secondary mission, the radar system provides continuous aerospace cover for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Tatalina is one of the many locations where the 611th Air Support Group’s small, but versatile CE squadron routinely works. Like most of the remote Alaskan radar sites, access is limited to C-130s, C-12s and small commercial aircraft.

Each year, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and federal Environmental Protection Agency officials require the group to conduct a spill-response exercise. On average, the typical site has storage capacity of 250,000 gallons of fuel. Some sites have as much as 1 million gallons.

The large amount of fuel is needed because all of the radar sites are independently powered and heated using diesel fuel. In the event of a catastrophic failure, the 611th ASG can effectively respond to a fuel spill up to 50,000 gallons without the need for additional manpower or equipment.

Each year, almost every 611th CES airman receives training and certification in the Incident Command System and specialty spill training. The ICS is an emergency-response system used nationally.

“When we respond to an emergency, the ICS allows us to combine with local, state and other federal agencies under a single command structure,” said Maj. Brian Pollock, 611th CES engineering and operations flight commander. “For example, if the spill enters a navigable waterway, the U.S. Coast Guard is folded into the ICS. Because we operate in Alaska, we use techniques and equipment specifically created for the arctic environment. Our response packages are tailored to the different climates and conditions we have across the state.”

During the Tatalina exercise, the team deployed its billeting, decontamination and water-recovery packages.

“We had a great exercise, and our new folks learned a lot,” said Master Sgt. Jeff Rosen, decontamination team chief.

The exercise scenario was already in full swing when the engineers landed at the site. Back at Elmendorf, the ICS command structure was already up and running. People there developed and managed execution of the response plans, building the overall spill-response strategy.

The 611th ASG airmen met all of the exercise objectives, according to Col. Steve Armstrong, the group’s commander, adding that Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation officials were highly impressed with the deployment.

“We stand behind our commitment to Alaska and the environment,” he said. “We feel we have demonstrated our ability to respond to a fuel spill at any of our sites within the state.”