News>POL Fuels Movement of Forces, Protects Environment
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Senior Airman Zach Conoway carries a fuel hose to refuel a KC-135 Stratotanker at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight accomplishes more than 40 distribution runs daily. Conoway is a 376 ELRS fuels distribution journeyman deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. and is a native of Loganton, Pa. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Airman 1st Class James Hancock looks down at a bucket of fuel underneath a R-11 fuel truck at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, July 18, 2012. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight personnel inspect fuel samples for dirt or foreign objects from every truck before distribution to aircraft. Hancock is a 376 ELRS fuels distribution journeyman deployed out of Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. and is a native of Hampton, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Senior Airman James Crandall connects a fuel hose to a KC-135 Stratotanker at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight distributes up to 300,000 gallons of fuel to aircraft daily. Crandall is a 376 ELRS fuels distribution journeyman deployed from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. and is a native of Las Vegas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Senior Airman Matthew Kennedy holds a gas nozzle connected to a R-11 fuel truck at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight distributes up to 300,000 gallons of fuel to aircraft daily. Kennedy is a 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief deployed from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. and is a native of Pocahontas, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Senior Airman Jeff Beagley retracts a fuel hose into a R-11 fuel truck at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight, responsible for fueling military aircraft at the Transit Center, accomplishes its mission daily regardless of weather condition or number of airframes serviced. Beagley is a 376 ELRS fuels distribution journeyman deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Senior Airman Zach Conoway adjusts the fuel pressure flow on a R-11 fuel truck at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. A R-11 fuel truck can carry up to 8,000 gallons of fuel. Conoway is a 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution journeyman deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. and is a native of Loganton, Pa. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Airman 1st Class James Hancock inspects a sample of fuel from a R-11 Fuel Truck at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight personnel inspect fuel samples for dirt or foreign objects from every truck before distribution to aircraft. Hancock is a 376 ELRS fuels distribution journeyman deployed out of Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. and is a native of Hampton, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
by Staff Sgt. Matt Benedetti
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
8/8/2012 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, KYRGYZSTAN -- The Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants specialists of the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron diligently work around-the- clock, seven days a week, to ensure aircraft at the Transit Center at Manas can accomplish any mission assigned.
Comprised of approximately 50 personnel, the POL flight consists of fuel distribution operators, fuel service center technicians, bulk storage members, lab technicians and refueling maintenance specialists. The team plays an integral role in sustaining fuel flow to aircraft operations at the Transit Center.
POL operates the largest fuel bladder farm in the U.S. Air Forces Central area of responsibility with a capacity of about 4.5 million gallons of jet fuel. Additionally, personnel from the fuels bulk storage section receive approximately 1,000 tank trucks per month with an average of 30 deliveries a day.
Protecting the local environmental is an important facet of the flight's mission. "We inspect our systems daily as required and conduct spot checks on our processes throughout the duty day to ensure that we are adhering to environmental guidelines," said Fuels Manager Chief Master Sgt. Nathaniel Hawkins, a native of Richmond, Va., who is deployed from Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
"We have wing spill prevention, control and countermeasure plans in place that allows us to prepare for any contingency," he said. "In addition, all personnel handling POL are trained annually in: the operation and maintenance of equipment to prevent discharges, discharge procedure protocols, general facility operations and all applicable contents of the Facility Spill Plan."
"We conform to the same standards as we do in the U.S. and have an excellent safety record. We have not had a reportable fuel release," Hawkins said. Local preventive measures include a requirement for all storage tanks to be above ground. This practice minimizes the possibility of an undetected leak and allows for a secondary containment system for all liquids as a first line of defense.
Quality assurance is also a top priority for the unit.
The refueling maintenance and checkpoint teams conduct daily inspections on each refueling mechanism. Their inspections ensure that all refueling equipment operating on the flight line is in optimum working condition prior to being dispatched to deliver fuel to an aircraft. POL refueling operators pump, on average, 9.2 million gallons of jet fuel per month into coalition aircraft at the Transit Center.
Senior Airman Lee'Etta Norman, POL lab technician, performs analysis of the fuel by running close to 800 tests per month. She plays a central role in ensuring the fuel delivered meets U.S. Department of Defense specifications.
"Being a laboratory technician is so rewarding. I know I have personally tested the fuel for every coalition aircraft that touches down at the Transit Center," said the native of Birmingham, Ala., who is deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "It makes me very proud to know [the team's] contribution allows coalition aircraft to provide all manners of support."
"I'm so grateful that my supervisors have the faith in me to run such an important section," Norman said. "If we fail then the entire mission fails. No fuel, no mission."
