Dirtboyz gear up for the snowfall

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Michaela R. Slanchik
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  It's almost been 40 years since Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., has seen the highest seasonal snowfall on record of 44.6 inches. When it will happen again, no one knows. However, the "Dirtboyz" at the 509th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) pavements and heavy equipment shop are prepared to mitigate possible disasters due to inclement weather and enable Whiteman's mission no matter the conditions.

Starting around September of every year, the snow removal crew, consisting of 36 pavement and heavy equipment operators, known as the "Dirtboyz," and 28 augmentees from the 509th CES, begin preparing for the snowy  winter months. The most important element is training their personnel on how to properly operate machinery and remove snow. This is accomplished during a two-week snow-removal class.

"The class teaches how to maintain equipment, operate equipment and how to properly perform snow-removal operations," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Nelson, the 509th CES NCO in charge of pavements and heavy equipment. "Some Airmen have never seen snow. That's why we focus so much on training our personnel."

After the Airmen are trained, they begin to prep equipment to ensure it is fully functional.

The shop is equipped with snow brooms, plows, skid steers and different forms of ice-melting compounds. Twenty foot-wide plows, 18 foot-wide snow brooms and a potassium acetate-based deicer are used to clear the flightline and prevent corrosion.

"We check the fluid levels in all of our snow-removal vehicles, the bristles on the snow brushes and make sure that we have enough deicers for both the flightline and the base roads," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Glenn Cooley, a 509th CES pavements and heavy equipment operator.

When snow hits, the shop personnel and augmentees are divided into two 12-hour shifts, if necessary. They are issued a checklist where routes are prioritized based on mission requirements, such as clearing the runway prior to other routes, said Cooley.

"People can't get to work and planes won't take off if there's snow on the ground," said Cooley. "We are the backbone of the mission during the winter."