ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Col. Lyle Drew, 78th Air Base Wing commander, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony June 14, for the completion of a $16.3 million upgrade, administered by the Army Corps of Engineers-Savannah District, to the Fuel Hydrant System refueling structure at Pumphouse II on Robins Air Force Base.
Some of the milestones achieved during the project:
- 136 tons of surrounding valves, piping and other equipment was removed in order to get started
- 6,700 tons of concrete removed
- Excavated 35,500 cubic yards of dirt, which equals 15 acres of land 4-inches thick
- Installed more than 8,000 feet of new 12-inch fuel piping and 3,300 cubic yards of new concrete
- Nearly 700 days with zero Occupational Safety and Health Administration reportable mishaps
Drew asked the audience at the ceremony, “So what does this mean for Robins?”
And, he answered, “This new system will reduce fuel response time by 50 percent and save resource costs, such as vehicle maintenance cost, manpower and fuel expenditures.”
Tech. Sgt. Maurice Collins, 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of Fuels Distribution, explained how the new system is better than using multiple refueling trucks.
“It’s a force multiplier,” he said. “It allows us to send fuel directly under the flight line and to the aircraft. So, now we can do more with less and do it more efficiently.”
Collins said there are more benefits than just faster fuel.
“Less work on my guys increases moral and allows us to do work in other places where it’s needed,” he added.
The project, which was started in 2016, was finished 30 days ahead of its originally scheduled completion date.