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POL shatters fuels record

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jerome C. Baysmore
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  It seemed like just another day to the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lubricants specialists here, but it ended up shattering records.

Transit Center POL flight broke their own record, March 11, by pumping 587,546 gallons of jet fuel in a 24-hour period. Their 51-person and four Kyrgyz-standing record was set February 18 with 544,758 gallons in 24 hours.

"We really didn't realize it at first because we were focused on the mission, said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Burroughs, 367th ELRS POL superintendent deployed from the 75th LRS at Hill AFB, Utah. "However, the passenger terminal breaking their transient record spurred us looking into it, and we found that we broke it.

"It's just another day of staying busy but the satisfaction comes from getting the mission done."

Staff Sgt. Michael Clark, POL laboratory and fuels storage technician and deployed from the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., agreed.

"It's a lot different than going to the desert because of the snow and cold," he said. "Back home, I'm also used to refueling about four aircraft with one truck. Here, it takes about three-to-four trucks per aircraft. More gas goes on a KC-135 than on a C-17, but we're keeping the mission going."

Sergeant Clark is one of several fuels quality- control lab qualified Airmen here who earned a special experience identifier through about three weeks of technical school and six months of on-the-job training to test fuel samples for proper additive levels and usage. Approximately one in 10 fuels Airmen across the Air Force receives the training.

"We pretty much have every piece of equipment that POL has in the inventory here," he concluded. "Pretty much everything."