Snowmen keep Offutt in motion

  • Published
  • By Delanie Stafford
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Offutt and the Omaha area receive about 26 inches of snow annually. When a snow storm hits Offutt, it prompts around the clock snow removal operations for the largest wing in Air Combat Command.

"It's a much more complex operation than simply getting snow off the roads we drive on because our primary objective is to keep the airfield open and operating safely," said Col. Andrea Tullos, 55th Mission Support Group commander.

It takes a crew of about 20 operators working together in 12-hour shifts to clear all of the snow from the flight line, base roads and parking lots. The operation is coordinated by the work-shift leader or "Snowman" as he's known over the radio.

The flight line alone has more than 800,000 square yards of pavement and is their top priority, requiring eight roll-over plows and four high-speed brooms clearing snow simultaneously, said Bill Becker, 55th Civil Engineering Squadron heavy pavement supervisor.

Once the snow is plowed to the sides of the runways, taxiways and ramps, it is either picked up by an oversized snow blower and shot 80 feet into adjacent fields or hauled away. At the same time, operators work to clear the roads and parking lots with smaller equipment. Snow removal continues around the clock until all surfaces have been cleared.

Becker said that eight inches of snow from the Feb. 22 storm was cleared from the flight line and roads the same day followed by parking lots the next.

This type of quick turn-around wouldn't be possible without a team of seasoned operators that are both fulltime civilian employees from the civil engineering squadron's heavy pavement section and intermittent employees from the surrounding communities. Together, they have about 500 years of combined snow-clearing experience, Becker said.

"Some of the team members have been doing it for decades and they're the most professional I've seen in my career," said Tullos. "I learn something from them every snow event, and it makes me extremely proud when our planes are flying while some of our surrounding communities are still digging out."

Becker said the toughest part of snow removal is clearing parking lots when cars are scattered throughout. He suggests parking in groups so the operators can provide maximum clearing.

These same crews will turn their attention to repairing Offutt's roads and sidewalks when the weather turns milder.