Electrical hazards in Iraq have caused several electrocutions and a number of shocks and related fires. In response, the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) created Task Force for Safety Actions for Fire and Electricity (Task Force SAFE), and has begun a massive inspection program of facilities used by U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq.
With recent contract awards, the Transatlantic Programs Center (TAC) and Philadelphia District are supporting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ response to this significant life safety effort.
Task Force SAFE is leading the efforts to provide a safer environment for service members and civilians. It uses a multi-pronged approach of awareness campaigns, education and training among the troops; improved plans, policies and procedures; and inspection, repair and quality assurance to ensure that U.S.-occupied facilities meet fire and electrical codes.
The task force is a partnership among MNF-I, the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and USACE.
MNF-I asked USACE to provide master electricians and fire inspectors to assist with the inspections. On Sept. 12, TAC awarded a $59.5 million contract to support electrical and fire safety inspections throughout Iraq. The task order contract was awarded to the joint venture Stanley Baker Hill (SBH) LLC of Muscatine, Iowa, for one year, with two six-month option periods.
Under its contract, SBH provides the services of 70 master electricians and more than 30 fire protection specialists. The SBH team was in Iraq by Oct. 30.
"To support Task Force SAFE efforts, Corps of Engineers and SBH personnel are providing electrical system and fire protection assessments on existing facilities throughout Iraq," said Christopher Campbell, TAC project manager, Iraq Branch.
The contract calls for SBH to inspect more than 85,000 military facilities, about 4,500 buildings, and up to 250 contingency operating locations. These facilities include those covered under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program as well as facilities maintained by others.
Immediate USACE response
Until the SBH contract was awarded and its team arrived in country, the Corps responded with a "bridging effort," according to Whitney Scully of the USACE Military Programs Directorate.
"More than 30 government employees responded to the call that went out in September for volunteers to assist Task Force SAFE," Scully said. Specifically, the Corps sought electricians, electrical engineers, and fire safety experts skilled in all types of building electrical and fire safety inspections.
"This effort included 16 Soldiers from the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) who arrived in mid-September, and another 17 government personnel who arrived by mid-October," Scully said.
The 249th is a power generation battalion assigned to USACE to provide commercial-level power to military units and federal relief organizations.
By early December, the 249th Soldiers will return from Iraq, but Scully expects many of the government volunteers to remain, at MNF-I’s request, as advisors to Task Force SAFE.
"Several volunteers have already extended their deployments for up to a year or expressed interest in extending," Scully said. "The work is critical for the life safety of our service members and civilians serving in Iraq."
In addition to the SBH contract award, Philadelphia District awarded a $9 million contract to Inglett & Stubbs International (ISI) of Smyrna, Ga., for electrical inspections and assessments and for making immediate life, health, and safety repairs at up to 250 contingency operating locations throughout Iraq.
"ISI is a utilities contractor providing 20 journeyman electricians, who operate in two-man teams, to do inspections and make repairs," said William Bailey, Philadelphia District’s project manager and contracting officer. The contract is for six months with an option for another six months.
After ISI completes the repairs, 249th personnel perform the quality assurance reviews. After the 249th departs, government inspectors will perform the quality assurance, Bailey said.
Urgency
According to a Sept. 29 article in Victory Times, published by Multi-National Corps-Iraq, fires occur frequently at U.S.-occupied facilities. Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale, head of Task Force SAFE, said the "fires are caused by overloading circuits, constant running electrical equipment, ballasts burning out, putting clothes on top of wires, or running wires underneath beds."
In other cases, shocks and electrocutions could be traced to improper wiring of temporary facilities, according to Lt. Col. Paul Olsen, 249th commander.
The focus of the inspections is on grounding and bonding within the facilities to ensure they meet the electrical code and minimize the risks of injury, death and fires.
"A safely wired facility is bonded and grounded with a wiring system that permanently joins all metallic parts in a facility or unit, and provides a safe path for electrical current to travel back to its source, or to the ground," Olsen said.
Early inspection results by the 249th found some bonding problems that could be fixed quickly, while in other cases, electrical work was not in compliance with any code.
The SBH personnel are part of 35 teams, each with two electricians, one fire inspector, and a DCMA representative, Campbell said. "DCMA personnel are in the lead to provide the inspection oversight for MNF-I."
Through daily inspections, SBH is identifying electrical installations that do not comply with the required codes – either U.S. or British standard – that could contribute to deaths, injuries, electrical hazards or fire. SBH will perform minor disassembly and reassembly of electrical components, such as electrical panel board covers and ground connections.
When electrical faults are identified at the military installations, they are reported to the mayor’s cell or the unit commander and then the unit passes the repair work to a contractor. The mayor’s cell is akin to a small town, handling the facilities and infrastructure. When faults are identified at the contingency operating locations, they are repaired by ISI.
The DCMA-led teams will then reinspect the repairs.
SBH contract
According to David Worthington, a civil engineer in Engineering Division, this $59.5 million contract is significant compared to other architect-engineer (A-E) task order contracts that TAC awards, especially considering the volume of work to be accomplished in a one-year period.
"Not many A-E contracts have this level of capacity," Worthington said. "SBH possesses significant reach-back capabilities from its stateside partners Michael Baker Jr., Stanley Consultants, and Hill International. These are three well-established and all-encompassing firms that can provide the resources required for this task order in an expedited manner. A single A-E firm on its own wouldn’t have this same capacity or capability."
Worthington also said SBH has the requisite experience to successfully deliver projects in Iraq and the firm "understands the critical nature of the electrical problems in Iraq."
Because of the urgency of the work, TAC completed the contracting action in less than 30 days.
"These actions will help the Soldiers and our civilians overseas, and I’m confident that we can correct the issues and deficiencies that led to this task order effort," Worthington said.