Snow Barn puts winter worries at ease

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Yash Rojas
  • 354 Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The 354th Civil Engineer Squadron Snow Barn team responded without delay to remove accumulating snow and ice to sustain air operations February 14 after as much as 18 inches of snow on the Eielson Air Force Base community over the weekend.

The snow barn is responsible for clearing the airfield runway and main roads to support the flying mission and on-base community.

During the wintry weather, snow barn personnel operate as many as 25 different pieces of snow removal equipment per shift including heavy snow plows, snow blowers and snow brooms. Heavy equipment isn't the only tool at the team's disposal.

They preserve airfield and road access through adaptive planning and intensive organization. The snow barn team continually aims to engage manning and equipment to keep Eielson mission-capable.

"We have a snow plan that we [follow] to better address the mission," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Ralston, 354 CES heavy equipment operator. "Priority one includes the airfield runway and the taxiways. Priority two spans out to parking areas and ramps. Priority 3 contains parking lots on the airfield."

As mentioned by Sergeant Ralston, the number one priority remains the airfield. Of course, emergency services are another top priority when experiencing inclement weather at Eielson. When not on the airfields, heavy snow ploughs can be seen clearing the streets to provide people a way to safely travel.

"We remove the snow and ice so the planes can fly and personnel can do their job too," said Tech. Sgt. Orlin Rohde, 354 CES heavy equipment operator. "Access to housing is important too because it doesn't do us any good to have an operational airfield and no pilots available to keep the flying mission going."

According to Tim Harman, 354 CES civilian work leader, runway condition reading, or RCR, is a measure of tire-to-runway friction coefficient. Different values determine the braking characteristics for a range of runway surface conditions and safe operating parameters.

"Planes can't land or takeoff without an optimal runway condition reading," said Sergeant Rohde. "If that snow isn't removed and the airfield isn't properly maintained, the mission stops."

With only a few months left in winter, Airmen at the snow barn are already preparing for the next challenge -- "Break Up", a period characterized with floods as a result of melting snow and ice. Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, these Airmen will continue to clear the way to sustain air operations and provide safety for the community at Eielson.