SMART trailer helps restore firefighters in rough conditions

FL, UNITED STATES

11.07.2023

Story by Michelle Gigante 

96th Test Wing Public Affairs  

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – In 2020, an F-22 Raptor crashed deep within the Eglin range. In the barren location with nothing but trees, snakes, fires, and jet plane wreckage, emergency responders endured sweltering 100-degree May heat for hours without access to restrooms or just a cool place to sit down and recharge.

It was a crisis that demanded innovative solutions, and that’s where the Eglin Fire and Emergency Services and the 96th Test Wing Innovation office Spark Cell team stepped in.

“We are spending millions on fire trucks, explosive ordnance robots, but we are missing the necessity of taking care of our Airmen,” said Joseph Suddarth, Eglin Fire and Emergency Services assistant fire chief. “We went to the drawing board and said this doesn’t look right.”

The two units collaborated with a manufacturer to design a capability that would reduce heat stress, promote better work and rest cycles when performing jobs in hazardous environments. The team came up with the Specialized Mobile Advanced Rehab Technologies or SMART Trailer that provides a climate chamber, restroom, decontamination shower, a place to store contaminated gear, provide hydration and charge batteries.

Thanks to the SMART trailer, fire department members can now depart from their operations as clean as they were when they started, despite the rough conditions they encounter during their missions.

While the facility can’t eliminate carcinogens, the mobile decon showers, gear extractors, and dryers, can reduce risks and aid cancer prevention.

Suddarth stated his team learned they have a higher risk of cancer from the contaminants they encounter on the job. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on a firefighter’s first day on the job there is a 9% increase of cancer diagnoses and a 14% higher risk of cancer-related deaths as related to the civilian population.

The SMART trailer is the first and only Air Force wide rehab trailer. With its extensive uses, other units could potentially benefit such as explosive ordnance disposal teams.

“I wish we had this when I was an explosive ordnance disposal technician,” said Steven Bailey, now the 96th TW chief innovation officer. “Whereas now we have this mobile cleaning chamber, where our people can reduce the likelihood of spreading the contamination.”

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Shelton, Eglin Air Force Base lead firefighter, shows to a crowd the Eglin Fire and Emergency Services Specialized Mobile Advanced Rehab Technologies Trailer at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Oct. 24, 2023. The SMART Trailer provides a climate chamber, restroom, decontamination shower, a place to store contaminated gear, provide hydration and charge batteries. The 96th Test Wing’s Innovation Spark Cell funded the SMART trailer and it’s the only one Air Force wide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)

Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter crash site

 

SITKA, AK, UNITED STATES

11.14.2023

Courtesy Photo

U.S. Coast Guard District 17  

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka pends investigation Nov. 14, 2023 after it crashed on Read Island, Alaska. The helicopter crash occurred Nov. 13, at approximately 11:05 p.m. All four crewmembers survived. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

USNS John Lewis Recognized for Life-saving Efforts At-sea with Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES

12.01.2023

Story by Bill Mesta 

USN Military Sealift Command  

 By Bill Mesta and Sarah Cannon, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

NEW YORK CITY (December 1, 2023)—The Civil Service Mariners (CIVMAR) who crew Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205) were recognized for life-saving efforts at sea by being presented the United Seaman Service’s Admiral of the Ocean Sea Mariner’s plaque at a ceremony in New York City, Dec. 1.

The AOTOS awards recognize mariners of vessels who, during the previous year, exhibited exceptional bravery, superb seamanship and devotion to duty while engaged operations at sea.

In December 2022, the crew of USNS John Lewis rescued a mariner from a sinking sailboat off the coast of San Diego.

Rear Adm. Phillip Sobeck, Commander, Military Sealift Command, served as the principal speaker for the event and recognized the ship’s efforts during his remarks.

“To the crew of MSC’s very own USNS John Lewis, represented here tonight by the ship’s master, Captain Dan Glazier, your quick and professional actions to rescue a sailboat and mariner adrift at sea for five days were consequential and lifesaving,” stated Sobeck. “You are an example of great Americans serving their Nation, just as over 4,000 CIVMARs aboard MSC vessels are doing around the world every day.”

The plaque presented to the USNS John Lewis’ crew read as follows, “While conducting operations roughly 210 miles off Southern California, the fleet oiler USNS John Lewis received an emergency transmission for a vessel in distress. The oiler immediately steamed through the Pacific locating a sinking sailboat,”

The sails were ripped off the sailboat during a squall approximately six days prior to the rescue.

“Unable to launch a small rescue boat due to 25-knot sustained winds, the (USNS John Lewis) crew skillfully maneuvered the 746-foot oiler alongside the battered sailboat,” the write-up continued. “Once alongside, the sailor scrambled up the pilot ladder to the safety of the ship.”

Once safely aboard USNS John Lewis, the rescued mariner received a medical examination, a shower, a hot meal, clothes and was transported to San Diego.

“Once we got this poor guy onboard, we found out that he had been stranded for five days!” said Capt. Dan Glazier, John Lewis’ Ship’s Master. “I’m glad we were in the area and were able to help. Everything has a purpose, and now this guy can make it home for the holidays rather than the alternative, stuck on the ocean.”

For more than half a century, the United Seamen’s Service has annually presented the AOTOS Award, widely regarded as the most prestigious accolade in the maritime sector. This award acknowledges exceptional contributions made by individuals and organizations towards the advancement of American seafarers and the United States’ maritime industry.

The 746-foot USNS John Lewis is the first of the new John Lewis-class of fleet replenishment oilers, and one of MSC’s newest ships, having been christened in 2021 and accepted into MSC’s fleet in 2022. It has the ability to carry 162,000 barrels of diesel ship fuel, aviation fuel and dry stores cargo. The upgraded oiler was constructed with double hulls to protect against oil spills and strengthened cargo and ballast tanks. The John Lewis-class of oilers will replace the current Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oilers as they age out of the MSC fleet.

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