LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
A street sweeper used to clean the roads on Langley Air Force Base breaks down. The large piece of equipment is transported to the 633rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance shop and vehicle maintainers must begin rebuilding the truck's hopper - the holding tank for the road debris.
A task typically thought to be daunting now requires less manpower and less heavy manual lifting the installation of a five-ton power hoist. The Virginia Beach, Virginia-based 203rd Rapid Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer will be at Langley until June 27, 2014 to complete the project.
"We have been trying to get this overhead hoist installed for about three to four years," said James Wise, 633rd LRS vehicle maintenance materiel control supervisor. "The cost for a contractor to come out to perform the work was over $21,000, so we came up with the idea of having the REDHORSE squadron perform the job on their training weeks."
Along with saving thousands of dollars, opening the door for Total Force concept integration by giving both active-duty Airmen and Guardsmen the chance to learn from one another while working side-by-side, this project also provides the REDHORSE squadron with a large training opportunity. The new hoist will allow vehicle maintenance Airmen, who are responsible for maintaining the entire vehicle and equipment fleet at the installation, the ability to operate more efficiently.
"This hoist will free-up manpower so we won't have to pull people away from other tasks to help lift equipment," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Donald O'Neil, 633rd LRS vehicle maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge of vehicle maintenance materiel control. "We try to stick with the two-man concept on our jobs, and now two people can lift equipment, where before it could take six to eight individuals."
The training opportunity that the REDHORSE squadron receives by installing the hoist is the type of training they learn from the most.
"We love this kind of work," said Senior Master Sgt. Chris Hodge, 203rd REDHORSE squadron B-flight superintendent. "Our young Airmen are getting a great benefit from this project. They are able to physically put their hands on equipment. There is nothing better than hands-on training."
With active-duty Airmen and Guardsmen working together on the project, these Airmen are implementing the Total Force concept, making the idea of working together on future projects a simple decision.