Fairchild snow team keeps roads clear, base mission ready

Published Feb. 18, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Sam Fogleman
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The winter of 2013-2014 has brought Fairchild inclement weather, and the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron snow barn team members have continued to keep the roads and parking lots cleared for the base populace.

"Our priority one mission for snow removal is the active airfield, to include the alert routes on base," said Master Sgt. David Goff, 92nd CES heavy repair superintendent. "Priority two responsibilities include the remaining areas on the airfield and the main arterials throughout both the main base and the survival school side. Priority three responsibilities include parking lots and remaining roads."

Team Fairchild places much emphasis on remaining accessible, and the snow removal team here works hard at using their resources to keep the base mission ready.

According to Goff, the 92nd Civil Engineer Snow removal team works in coordination with contractors who plow several of the public facilities on base including the Base Exchange, Commissary, FunSpot, Child Development Center, post office, fitness center, education center and the library. The coordination between the 92nd CES and their contractor ensures consistency.

"The contractor will plow the snow to within .25 inches and push the snow to the edges of the parking lots," Goff said. "This task will only happen when directed to do so by the 92nd CES once accumulation is two inches. The contractor that provides this service is not required to de-ice after plowing, although once the 92nd CES Snow Removal Team has completed primary responsibilities, they can provide additional support to those areas as manpower allows."

Those familiar with the Inland Northwest are aware that temperatures and weather systems may shift rapidly. Due to the sudden changes, the snow barn goes to work fast in inclement weather situations to keep the runway and roadways clear from the base.

"How quickly we finish snow removal depends on many factors: temperatures, amount of snowfall, condition of equipment, operator availability, flying schedules and other issues," said Ted Strom, 92nd CES horizontal construction foreman. "Our primary mission is to ensure aircraft can fly, to and from Fairchild. We recognize flying can't happen if people can't get to work; that's why we try to plow the airfield, streets and parking lots simultaneously. We do our best to keep people safe during winter conditions, but we're limited on what we can do in a short amount of time, so we ask people to be patient, slow down while driving, and take extra care when walking in parking lots and on slippery sidewalks."

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