Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/149372
Barrow, Alaska, the northern-most city in the United States, has limited infrastructure to support large-scale operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by LT Jason Smilie. thatBarrow,Alaska,wasthepreferredlocation,due toitscentralizedlocationalongtheNorthSlopeand proximitytoWileyPost-WillRogersAirport. Complicatingmatters,Barrowhasnoroadsandis onlyaccessiblebyairforpartoftheyear.Inaddition,Arcticseaicepreventstransportationbysea formostoftheyear;and,duringthesummer,the beach landings can only handle small landing craftandfuelbarges.Asaresult,iftherequired resourcesdidnotalreadyexistinBarrow,theprojectteamhaddiffcultygettingthemthereintime for the operation. Furthermore,duetoBarrow'ssize,plannersneeded toaddress thequestionofhowtofeedandhouse additional personnel. Managing the environmental footprint(suchassanitation)fromasurgeofresponse personnelishugeforasmallcommunitylocatedon apermafrostfoundation.Tocompoundthelogistical diffculties,basicCoastGuardtelecommunications services(suchasVHFandHFradiocommunications), whicharefoundalmosteverywhereintherestofthe UnitedStates,arenonexistentinBarrow. AnotherpressingissuefortheCoastGuardwasits desiretolimittheimpactonthelocaltourismeconomy.ManyindividualsandbusinessesinBarrowrely onsummertouristactivityforpartoftheirlivelihood. SinceBarrowonlyhasthreehotels,wedidnotwant tocompeteforlodgingandotherservices,negatively impactingtourismrevenues. Providinghangarspace for the two MH-60T helicopterswasanothercriticalfactorfortheoperational commander.Eveninthesummer,weatherconditions inBarrowareharsh,andprolongedexposurewould negativelyimpactthehelicoptersandcreatesignifcant maintenance issues. Indicative of the limited infrastructure,thereareonlytwosuitablehangars 28 Proceedings Summer 2013 A Coast Guard C-130 completes a logistics fight to Barrow, Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard photo by LT Jason Smilie. attheBarrowAirport,andShellOilhadleasedone of those to support its operations. Unfortunately, therewereconcernswiththeremaininghangar ts —i entrancewasnarrowerthanthedesiredclearance. Inaddition,thehangarhadonlyadirtfoorandthe attachedoffcespacewasinastateofdisrepair. Finally,alltheseactivitieshadtobeconductedin compliancewithallfederalenvironmentalregulationsrelatedtotheNationalEnvironmentalPolicy Act,aswellasconductingconsultationsunderthe EndangeredSpeciesActandMarineMammalProtection Act. How Did We Do It? BaseKodiak'sprojectteamstartedinmid-January 2012,andimmediatelyfocusedonobtainingberthingforthe50-pluspersonnelwhowouldbedeployed toBarrow,communicationsequipment,vehiclesfor localtransportation,andasuitablehelicopterhangar. Meetingtheberthingrequirementsforthe16aviationpersonnelprovidedachallenge,astheaircrews neededtobeclosetotheairporttomeettheirrequired "timetolaunch"forSARresponse.Sotheprojectteam reserved12roomsatthehotelclosesttotheairport. www.uscg.mil/proceedings