611th CES crew starts construction project 3,000 miles from home at Wake Island

  • Published
  • By Capt. Amy Hansen
  • 11th Air Force Public Affairs
WAKE ISLAND AIRFIELD --  Three 611th Civil Engineering Squadron members arrived here recently from their home station at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to begin building the second of three Sprung Instant Structure buildings.

After their arrival on the atoll in the Pacific Ocean about 3,000 miles southwest of Anchorage known as Wake Island, Staff Sgt. Andrew Worrick, 611th CES electrician, Staff Sgt. Aaron Zibbel, 611th CES electrician, and Staff Sgt. Brandon Buffa, 611th CES heavy equipment operator, began the preliminary steps to erecting the Sprung structure. It will ultimately take about two months and a team of 7 to complete.

"Here on Wake we have a big need for new structures," said Master Sgt. Jean-Guy Fleury, 611th Detachment 1 infrastructure superintendent. "In the 50s, they used saltwater in the concrete, which eventually made the rebar corrode and the cement fall apart."

The 611th CES team began the project by drilling holes in pre-existing pavement and then used a pneumatic jack-hammer to drive in manta-ray anchors. According to the team, the installation of an anchor is much like using a drywall bolt, where the end portion expands once the anchor is below the pavement and into the dirt.

"We drive in the anchors to keep the arches [frame] of the structure from moving around," said Staff Sergeant Worrick. Staff Sergeant Worrick is the one member of the team who was involved in building the first Sprung structure on Wake Island in the early summer.

According to the manufacturer, a Sprung Instant Structure is a lightweight but durable building made with an aluminum frame and an outer covering of heavy-duty fabric with a 25-year life span and a wind resistance up to 120 knots.

One advantage to this type of structure is that it does not require building a new foundation, according to Master Sergeant Fleury. The 611th CES is also saving money by re-using two structures that were taken down at a different location, requiring the purchase of only one new structure kit.

According to Master Sergeant Fleury, the three planned Sprung structures, each with about 4,200 square feet, are part of the 611th CES's demolition plan for Wake Island. After the new buildings are complete, approximately 51 buildings with a total of 112,762 square feet are slated for eventual demolition due to structural deterioration.

The demolition plan is part of a larger goal of reducing infrastructure on Wake Island by 20 percent by the year 2020, as called for in the Air Force Civil Engineer's principles of asset management. By increasing the efficiency of the new and existing structures on Wake, the 611th Air Support Group can reduce the cost to operate the airfield, according to Lt. Col. Eric Hoversten, 611th Civil Engineering Squadron commander.
In October 2010, the management and support of Wake Island Airfield and seven other geographically separated locations were moved from the 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to the 611th Air Support Group at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

"PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] saw that we already had an established hub and spoke operation, and picked us to take over this mission because it is basically the same work we already do," said Lieutenant Colonel Hoversten.

In Alaska, it has always been the 611th CES's mission to provide infrastructure support and management for Eareckson Air Station, King Salmon Forward Operating Location, 15 long-range radar sites, and more than 20 inactive radar and relay sites, and now Wake Island's facilities fall under the unit's responsibility, as well.

"The 611th is very involved with infrastructure and new construction projects," said Master Sergeant Fleury. "Based on the 611th's experience running geographically separated units, I think the transition from the 15th will be a good fit for the long term management of Wake."

Wake Island Airfield is located about 2,000 miles west of Hawaii, and as the crow flies, it is about 3,000 miles southwest from Anchorage, Alaska. It is used primarily as a refueling stop and emergency divert field for aircraft transiting the Pacific Ocean.