TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Three Airmen from the 60th Aerial Port Squadron traveled to Sacramento Aug. 23 to perform a joint inspection with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Task Force 7.
Task Force 7 is one of eight FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces based in California and one of 28 in the United States. They specialize in the rescue of survivors from enclosed spaces such as collapsed buildings or crushed vehicles.
“We are tasked to be able to put an 80 person team, live-find search and rescue dogs and all of our equipment on the road within four hours if travelling by ground or on the tarmac, ready to load onto aircraft at Travis Air Force Base, California, within six hours of being alerted to an event anywhere in the United States and occasionally overseas,” said Chief Greg Powell, one of the unit’s team leaders.
Task Force 7 is one of only a few teams across the country based within a short distance of a major airlift port such as Travis AFB. When the team is going to be airlifted, it is imperative that pallets, vehicles and equipment arrive at Travis completely airworthy as delays getting the task force to its destination can mean the difference between life and death. Past deployments have taken this team to Oklahoma City after the 1995 bombing of the federal building, New York City after the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Oso, Washington in 2014 after a major mudslide.
The support provided by the 60th APS has proven invaluable to get the task force where they need to be in the shortest possible time, said Powell.
The JI is usually performed annually and is designed to ensure the task force’s cargo complies with U.S. Air Force regulations. This is especially important as the task force’s equipment includes a number of items that are designated as hazardous cargo such as gasoline and batteries. These items require special packing methods and additional documentation.
Unit Logistics Manager Brian Luiz explained because the unit never knows in advance whether they will be airlifted or travel by ground, their equipment is always packed on the same 463L pallets utilized by the Air Force.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Stacy Murray, Staff Sgt. Leah Johnson and Airman 1st Class Colton Figura weighed vehicles and equipment, reviewed documentation and provided training on pallet build-up best practices to Task Force 7 personnel.
These three airmen are very passionate about their jobs. This quickly becomes apparent as their faces light up and their gestures become more animated as they are asked to explain what is involved in the JI and why it is important, said Murray.
“We do a pre-inspection to make sure everything is legit and in compliance,” said Murray. “I’ve seen pallets downrange built by non-aerial porters where it’s two drums on one side of the pallet, both weighing about 4,000 pounds, and then you’ve got a small box on the other side of the pallet. When you take it off of the aircraft you can’t do it properly because the pallet wants to tip over as it’s coming off.”
The APS is approached for advice or training from customers outside the Air Force on a weekly basis, said Johnson. She described the process of recently weighing and finding the center-of-balance of an amphibious tracked vehicle for a U.S. Marine unit. She said that, while the vehicle was a challenge to weigh, she enjoyed learning from the experience.
Murray and Johnson spent several hours scrutinizing each deployable item’s packing list and documentation. Special attention was given to hazardous cargo. Figura spent the day weighing vehicles and trailers while explaining how to properly mark the weight and center of balance.
“I brought out the hazardous items so we can make sure they’re compatible with the aircraft,” she said. “Then we’re going to get the weights for everything and then the CB (center-of-balance) of the vehicles. That way, when it’s load planned, the weight will be distributed on the aircraft and it will be safe to fly. Then we’ll make sure the vehicles will fit on the aircraft.”
Near the end of the day Murray and Johnson demonstrated correct pallet build-up procedures with an emphasis placed on building balanced pallets and properly securing and tightening cargo nets to prevent load shifting.
A native of Roseville, California, Task Force 7 team member John Neuburger truly personifies the spirit of inter-agency cooperation. He serves as a firefighter with the Sacramento City Fire Department and brings additional skills to the task force as a 349th Air Mobility Wing Tech. Sgt. loadmaster in the 301st Air Refueling Squadron.
“It’s been good. It’s neat to see the two worlds. Yesterday I was doing a Unit Training Assembly at Travis, and I come in here today to participate in the JI,” he said.