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POL Fuels Movement of Forces, Protects Environment

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matt Benedetti
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
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."