BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Recent flooding in the Patriot Dorm which affected over a hundred service members, displayed Buckley Air Force Base’s ability to respond and manage a multifaceted situation in a rapid manner March 2, 2018, on Buckley AFB, Colorado.
At around 6pm on March 1, 2018, a water main rupture in Patriot Dorm caused severe flooding in half the building. Buckley leadership had to scramble to pull resources together to accommodate the over 100 service members that call the Patriot Dorm home.
The 460th Security Forces Squadron, 460th Force Support Squadron, 460th Logistics and Readiness Squadron, 460th Civil Engineer Squadron, wing leadership, 1st Sgt’s from all services, and spouses coordinated to help out the displaced service members.
From securing the building to feeding service members to finding them a place to stay, all units and members made an impact toward correcting the problem. So much that, by 9pm everything had been taken care of and all service members affected had accommodation.
“It shows us from our mission priority, installation readiness, we’re ready,” said Lt Col Charles Hassell, 460th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. “If you can have an event like that, out of the blue and unexpected, and get a 127 service members from the dorm with no home to a home and get the facility back in three hours, you’re ready.”
All in all, only 10 service members have had to be relocated to new dorms while the other 117 have returned to Patriot Dorm.
“I’m extremely proud of our Mission Support Group, and their tireless efforts to assist the Patriot Dorm residents during this unfortunate event. I am pleased to announce that the 460th Civil Engineer Squadron has been named the March Panther Pride award winner,” said Col Troy Endicott, 460th Space Wing commander.
Dorm residents who have property damage as a result of flooding in Patriot Hall on Thursday evening, 1 March 2018, may file their claims on line with the Air Force Claims Service Center at https://claims.jag.af.mil/ or call 1-877-754-1212.