Master Corporal Doug Nauss – 14 CES
On 13 October 2009, eleven Mobile Support Equipment Operators (MSE Ops) from 14 Construction Engineering Squadron deployed to 4 Wing Cold Lake to take part in Airfield Damage Repair/Rapid Runway Repair Training being conducted by 4 Construction Engineering Squadron. Eight other MSE Ops from various bases joined them to create the nineteen member heavy equipment team. There were also five construction engineer officers and three Combat Engineer Officers who made up the Mat Crew. Since this was a NATO recertification course required for Canada to maintain its status as a signatory to the Standard NATO Agreement (STANAG 2929), the training still commenced with a bare minimum number of students. Ideally there should be twenty one on the heavy equipment team and twelve on the Mat Crew.
The goal of the course was to train everyone on the equipment and techniques required to repair three craters within three hours while achieving the prescribed repair quality criteria. The three hour time frame also included the installation of folded fibreglass matting (FFM) being installed over two craters and Class 60 track way over the third. This was going to be a challenge with the low number of students and very little experience amongst them. Training started out with familiarization and exposure to the equipment being used on the course. Once everyone had an opportunity to do some hands-on training the programme moved to technique. This was when the crews started to perform actual crater repair.
Starting out with just one crater, the students finished in about four hours; not nearly good enough if the NATO standard was to be obtained. With more practice and experience on the equipment the time did improve. The training then progressed to the simultaneous repair of two craters. Equipment and personnel now had to be shared between the two craters, meaning the crater chiefs had to plan and organize their crater repairs more efficiently. As one would expect, the time increased. Again with more practice and experience with the techniques and equipment, the students were able to get their time back down. It was now time to introduce the third crater. This was when the challenges really presented themselves. Equipment now had to be shared among three craters! This left one crater chief waiting for equipment to complete various parts of the twelve steps of crater repair. This meant precise coordination of equipment and personnel was now vital if the crews were to make the NATO standard.
Everyone was becoming quite familiar on the techniques involved. It was a matter of shaving off time with each practice while trying to reach the magic number of three hours. With the passing of each attempt, the crews were becoming very skeptical on whether they would be able to achieve the standard on evaluation day. Methods were modified while a sense of urgency was instilled in everyone, which contributed to a steady improvement in time. With every passing practice, the students were successful in reducing their time by five or more minutes! Things were looking good, spirits were high and everyone was feeling a bit more optimistic.
It was now the afternoon of 28 October 2009, last practice before the NATO evaluation. Would they finally reach their goal? The students and staff thought so. Everything was going well, equipment was working, dirt was moving, fibreglass matting was assembled and the track way was in place to be unrolled. As the clock continued ticking, everyone was waiting for the sweeper to complete its final pass. Clock stopped! Did we do it? Did we make our time? These were the questions everyone was asking. Three hours fifteen minutes! Over by fifteen minutes! That was going to be a lot of time to shave off without further time for practice. The students left for the day wondering where they could save time to get under the three hour mark.
This was it, 29 October 2009, NATO evaluation day. It was almost time to start and everyone felt good as they prepared the tools, equipment and material. Everything was staged and ready to go. The staff gave a pep-talk motivating the students even further. Crews were given time to grab a coffee and snack as they finalized preparations and discussed the three hour limit. Can we shave off the 15 minutes?
The students lined up on the edge of the mock runway. The clock started ticking once they stepped off to perform their Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) sweep. Once the UXO sweep was completed crater chiefs went to their respective craters, Mat Crew started their FFM assembly and operators went to their equipment. Radio communications commenced at a furious rate, the majority coming from the crater chiefs requesting equipment for debris removal. Things seemed to be going very well; debris and upheaval was removed allowing backfilling and compacting to begin. Spirits remained high and everyone seemed to be executing their tasks seamlessly. Craters one and two were backfilled and compacted, Repair Quality Criteria (RQC) tests were performed. They passed! The craters were turned over to the Mat Crew for installation of FFM. Craters one and two were completed, sweeping continued until crater three was ready. RQC testing was completed and the track way was in place waiting to be unrolled over crater three. It was now two hours and thirty five minutes into the evaluation. All hands were on deck to help finish crater three. Track way was unrolled and stretched into position, holes were drilled and the track way was bolted down. Sweeping commenced while an inspection was being performed to ensure all bolts and bushings were in place. Again, everyone stood to the side waiting for the sweeper to make its final pass. Clock stopped! Did they do it? Were they able to shave off fifteen minutes from their time? Two hours fifty five minutes thirty seconds. They did it. They shaved off twenty minutes. Not bad for an inexperienced, shorthanded crew whose efforts ensured Canada remained a signatory to STANAG 2929.
