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File: aacep_40.txt
40
snowstorm. Tankers were also bedded down in France, Greece, and
Italy. While the ~ & S support was supplied primarily by the host
nations, Air Force firefighters deployed to provide crash/rescue
expertise on the al~craft. Ibe availability of demlnerall~ed water
was ~ ma ~r concern for tanker operations at the deployed
locations .
~ mission that fortunately did not receive much public
attention during the conflict was medical deployments. Medical
personnel established Aero-medical Staglng Facilities and
contingency hospitals across Europe. In the Unlted Klngdom,
engineers opened World War II-era contingency hospitals that had
been closed for years at Nocton Hall, Blcester, and Little
Plssington. The electrical and plumbing systems were outmoded and
undervalued for hospitals of the logon. The water storage
capability at the sites was gulckly overwhelmed and had to be
supplemented by storage bladders. Housing the medical personnel
often meant opening houses and dormitories that had not been used
for years and required significant improvements to meet the medic's
standards. Fire safety was a major concern for Air Force
firefighters responsible for these older structures. They set up
operations in substandard buildings and had to rely on local fire
b-1gades for assistance in case of a major fire. The most common
concern for engineers supporting the contingency hospitals was the
lack of coordination between the medical and engineering
communities in the development of planning documents. Engineers at
RAF [akenheath and Upper Heyford were unfamiliar with the plans the
medles were using for the deployment. Medics had assumed
engineering support without planning or coordinating it with the
local civil engineer.
uSAFE Prime RIES personnel also supported the beddown of
thousands of medical and medical support personnel in the Unlted
Kingdom. Just finding enough billeting space for the influx of
people was a L--mendo s challenge. 1 deployed to aup~rL
Little Risslngton and Blcester were supported by the 20th Services
Squadron, RAF Upper Heyford. Under the direction of Mr. Mlchael
Hertleln, they identified and set up more than 4000 billeting
bedspaces at six geographically separated locations spread across
the Englisb countryside. His preparatory work eased the transition
to the full deployment of medical personnel. Just maintaining a
system for tracking the keys for the billets was a full time job.
Services personnel attempted to make the deployed personnel as
comfortable as possible under difficult conditions, but because the
medics had few patients, they found time to place additional
demands on the Services personnel. Beds, refrigerators,
televisions, curtains, and microwaves were furnished to the
billeting quarters.9Z
~ ~ ~ ~ ~i~ ~ ~ if.
The Upper Heyford Prime RIBS personnel, augmented by teams from
other USAFE and CONUS bases set up a field kitchen operation at RAF
Blcester, opened two mothballed fixed dining facllltles at RAF
Falrford and one at RAF Little Rlsslngton, while still operating
their two peacetime facilities. Special provisions were made to
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