Civil engineers keep roads, flightline clear

by Air Force Airman 1st Class Kyle J. Johnson
JBER Public Affairs

10/20/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The steel blade suddenly dropped six feet and slammed into the patched asphalt as the "rollover" snow plow ground to a bumpy halt.

The senior airman calmly reached up and to the left for the radio, "This is 71; we've got a broken plow cable here."

"How far out are you? You might as well bring it on in like that," came back the slightly garbled response.

He radioed back an affirmative as he started the rollover back up and let the rest of the Snow Parade go past, each driver looking slightly more befuddled than the previous one.

A hazard like a several-hundred-pound steel plow blade suddenly dropping to bare asphalt is a serious danger  to anyone around it, but to Senior Airman Alex Herschbach, a concrete and pavement equipment operator with the 773d Civil Engineer Squadron, it's just another problem that can easily be fixed.

The concrete and pavement equipment operators, or as they proudly refer to themselves, "Dirtboyz," are the reason JBER service members and employees can make it on base to accomplish their missions.

Every foot of road, every intersection that is clear of debris and every plane that takes off is testament to the work the 773d CES does when nobody's looking.

"We do fencing, cutting trees down, concrete, snow removal and whatever needs to be done really," Herschenbach said.

But what makes the 773d CES's job at JBER unique is what happens in the winter.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Bruce Green, who is also a concrete and pavement equipment operator and Herschbach's acting supervisor, said they begin the winter by nearly doubling the workforce with seasonal civilian employees, bringing the total personnel up to just more than 100.

The Snow Parade provides an opportunity for these seasonal employees to familiarize themselves with the equipment they will be using through the winter and root out defects that may have developed during the summer.

Green said JBER receives the second-largest volume of snow of any base. The only base that receives more than JBER is Misawa Air Base, Japan.

Consequently, JBER gets the highest quality snow removal equipment, said the Westland, Michigan, native.

There are several types of vehicles used to remove snow on JBER. Rollover snow plows are the ones that shave the snow off the roads every year. They have a 12-foot cone of high density plastic lined with steel blades mounted to the front.

Just one rollover snow plow costs $500,000, roughly double the price of an exotic supercar. Green said the Dirtboyz in the 773d CES operate 252 pieces of equipment currently valued at $54.7 million.
Green said the his element can move up to 140 inches of snow in the winter. They shave the snow off the roads, then carry it out to snow dumps in trucks where bulldozers pack it down and spread it out.

He said the weather never really gets warm enough to melt the snow, so it builds up all winter, building into piles that can grow up to 100 feet tall and just as wide.

Some of this snow even finds its way under the dirt and lasts through the summer well into next year's winter, Green said.

"I guarantee you there's snow out there right now," he said.

Due to their size, the machines Dirtboyz use to do this can be dangerous. Safety is something they are constantly aware of as they accomplish their mission.

"Safety is a huge priority," Green said.

The Snow Parade is the conclusion of a week's worth of briefings and safety training the Dirtboyz call Snow School.

In Snow School, service members and seasonal employees are educated and re-educated on the hazards of their job and the required safety measures that need to be taken to avoid injury or death.
"If you're not careful, you could take someone's life," Herschbach said as he looked down in thought. "I try not to think about that while I'm in the cab, you know? I just focus on the task at hand."

Herschbach explained they weren't authorized to wear jewelry of any kind on their fingers or wrists as machinery could catch and rip skin or digits off.

In addition to being constantly aware of safety, Dirtboyz must be constantly ready to work.
Herschbach laughed as he explained his hours, "I've had a water line break Friday night at like 5 o'clock. Well, it's got to be fixed you know?"

"I work whatever the mission dictates," he said with a smile.

The job may call him in and force him to change his plans, but Herschbach enthusiastically said he loves his job.

"I really enjoy my job. I like traveling and meeting people," said the Redmond, Oregon, native. "When you're cruising down the flightline at 35 mph in a rollover spraying snow 15 feet or so out, it's pretty fun."

The snow's coming, but 71's plow cable is fixed and the white stuff doesn't stand a chance.
It's all open road from here.