thedrifter
11-14-07, 10:59 AM
Battle Creek's DRMS aid those in need in California
Submitted by Ken MacNevin
Unseen behind the scenes of smoke, flames, and now the ashes of burnt-out homes in California are dozens of stories of teamwork and stewardship aimed at helping fire victims and the Department of Defense people serving them. People who work for the Battle Creek based Defense Retulization and Marketing Service (DRMS) are part of one of those stories.
Thousands of relief items to support the wildfire effort were sent to Marines late last week thanks to a fast moving team effort led by west coast based DRMS employees, U.S. Army civilian depot workers, and civilian truck drivers from the U.S. Marine Corps logistics base at Barstow, near Fresno, Calif.The Marines needed bed sheets, towels, blankets — all the things required when you might have large numbers of evacuees or displaced Marines and their families to support.
The things they needed often are turned in to DRMS and its offices as excess. Some of the DRMS offices close to the fires on military bases in southern California, however, could not help. They were closed down because of the fires. But DRMS does maintain a small office at the Sierra Army Depot tucked in a corner of California, around 55 miles north of Reno, Nev.
It is about a five to six hour run between the depot and Barstow in a passenger car under good conditions. California is big. And the long drive north in thick traffic, was made worse by the fires, from the Barstow base near Fresno. The trip includes passing the turn for San Francisco, then up and over a pretty serious mountain range called the Sierras, down the east slope, and then north into a part of the state where the roads become few and the sage brush outnumbers the inhabitants.
When the call came to help with supplies, Disposal Service Representative Jennie Martinez at the Sierra Depot checked on what was available. Yes, she could provide the Marines with bath towels, cotton thermal blankets, wool blankets, pillowcases and washcloths.
The supplies would be packed in over 90 very large, heavy-duty shipping boxes called tri-walls. Two semi trailers would be needed if the shipping boxes were stacked two high.
It would take fork trucks to move and load the tri-walls. Blankets, towels, and washcloths do not weigh much until piled up. And almost 5,000 bath towels, nearly 4,600 blankets, 1,500 pillowcases, and almost 3,900 washcloths makes for some good sized, heavy piles.
Sierra Army Depot workers pitched in to pack the tri-walls while the Marines lined up semis and civilian Marine Corps drivers to head to the depot.
The Army civilians readied three fork trucks and stood by. A fork truck ballet began when the Marine semis pulled in. Around 45 fork truckloads of double stacked tri-walls were placed on the trucks in 90 minutes. Then it was time for some mandatory rest for the dog-tired drivers, who were assisted in finding lodging for a rest before heading back to Barstow with the supplies.
As a side note, some of the supplies that were given to the Marines had actually already been spoken for. They were slated to go to overseas programs operated by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense. But as soon as the people running those programs learned the supplies were needed for fire relief, they cancelled their requisitions.
Talking to DLA employees on Oct. 29 about the agency's overall response to the fires, DLA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Dail said that "it just goes to show you that warfighter support is not just warfighter support overseas, it can be warfighter support to the people using their skills that are unique to help people here inside the continental United States."
Ellie
Submitted by Ken MacNevin
Unseen behind the scenes of smoke, flames, and now the ashes of burnt-out homes in California are dozens of stories of teamwork and stewardship aimed at helping fire victims and the Department of Defense people serving them. People who work for the Battle Creek based Defense Retulization and Marketing Service (DRMS) are part of one of those stories.
Thousands of relief items to support the wildfire effort were sent to Marines late last week thanks to a fast moving team effort led by west coast based DRMS employees, U.S. Army civilian depot workers, and civilian truck drivers from the U.S. Marine Corps logistics base at Barstow, near Fresno, Calif.The Marines needed bed sheets, towels, blankets — all the things required when you might have large numbers of evacuees or displaced Marines and their families to support.
The things they needed often are turned in to DRMS and its offices as excess. Some of the DRMS offices close to the fires on military bases in southern California, however, could not help. They were closed down because of the fires. But DRMS does maintain a small office at the Sierra Army Depot tucked in a corner of California, around 55 miles north of Reno, Nev.
It is about a five to six hour run between the depot and Barstow in a passenger car under good conditions. California is big. And the long drive north in thick traffic, was made worse by the fires, from the Barstow base near Fresno. The trip includes passing the turn for San Francisco, then up and over a pretty serious mountain range called the Sierras, down the east slope, and then north into a part of the state where the roads become few and the sage brush outnumbers the inhabitants.
When the call came to help with supplies, Disposal Service Representative Jennie Martinez at the Sierra Depot checked on what was available. Yes, she could provide the Marines with bath towels, cotton thermal blankets, wool blankets, pillowcases and washcloths.
The supplies would be packed in over 90 very large, heavy-duty shipping boxes called tri-walls. Two semi trailers would be needed if the shipping boxes were stacked two high.
It would take fork trucks to move and load the tri-walls. Blankets, towels, and washcloths do not weigh much until piled up. And almost 5,000 bath towels, nearly 4,600 blankets, 1,500 pillowcases, and almost 3,900 washcloths makes for some good sized, heavy piles.
Sierra Army Depot workers pitched in to pack the tri-walls while the Marines lined up semis and civilian Marine Corps drivers to head to the depot.
The Army civilians readied three fork trucks and stood by. A fork truck ballet began when the Marine semis pulled in. Around 45 fork truckloads of double stacked tri-walls were placed on the trucks in 90 minutes. Then it was time for some mandatory rest for the dog-tired drivers, who were assisted in finding lodging for a rest before heading back to Barstow with the supplies.
As a side note, some of the supplies that were given to the Marines had actually already been spoken for. They were slated to go to overseas programs operated by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense. But as soon as the people running those programs learned the supplies were needed for fire relief, they cancelled their requisitions.
Talking to DLA employees on Oct. 29 about the agency's overall response to the fires, DLA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Dail said that "it just goes to show you that warfighter support is not just warfighter support overseas, it can be warfighter support to the people using their skills that are unique to help people here inside the continental United States."
Ellie