Flight keeps base fueled up

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Warren Comer
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Keeping tent fuel drums filled and aircraft gassed up is vital at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. Without fuel, the mission stops and living spaces inside tents feel like a freezer.

That is why airmen from the 376th Logistics Readiness Squadron's petroleum, oil and lubricants flight tirelessly work to keep the equipment running.

"We're responsible for receiving, storing and issuing fuels and cryogenics products," said Senior Master Sgt. Russell Steger, flight superintendent.

The flight is a combined force with members from Denmark and the Netherlands working hand in hand with their U.S. counterparts and Kyrgyzstan contractors. Coalition troops working with the fuels flight had to be trained by U.S. airmen on how to use the equipment. They also devised checklists in multiple languages so everyone felt comfortable with the job.

"We work not only with Americans, but with the Danish as well," said Dutch Korporal 1st Class Kees Kranenburg from the flight. "It's definitely a great learning experience for us."

More than 40 people make up the flight. Its members conduct 500 stops daily to refuel the drums around tent city and more than 20 aircraft.

"We refuel every tent heater, generator and the (lighting carts)," said Steger. "We even refuel all the planes, including the transient aircraft."

"The planes are out flying over Afghanistan for everybody's safety," said Dutch Korporal Simone Kooi, another member of the flight. "But, planes can't fly without fuel. They can't fly without us."

The bladder fuel storage facility can be considered the heart of the POL flight. It holds and distributes all fuel used throughout the base. While it is considered small in comparison to storage facilities at other deployed locations, the storage facility processes almost 160,000 gallons of fuel a day. This is why people working at the facility need to maintain a constant eye on the amount of fuel remaining in the bladders.

"With the size of our facility, we have to get fuel almost every day," said Tech. Sgt. Ken Herring, noncommissioned officer in charge of fuel bladder storage.

"I don't think there's anyone on base that doesn't rely on us in one way or another," said Steger.