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File: aacep_40.txt
Page: 40
Total Pages: 59

      





                                       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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