Andrews Air Force Base Took Shape the Base’S Former Name, Joint Base Tion—The 79Th Medical Wing, Home to When President Franklin D
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THE MAGAZINE OF IBEW LOCAL 26 SERVING MARYLAND, VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC 4TH QUARTER 2015 IINVOLUME 8, NO. 4 Inside: VA AND MD PICNICS MINORITY COALITION LABOR NIGHT PHOTOS PAGE 18 / COMMUNITY OUTREACH PAGE 25 / PHOTOS PAGE 27 Business Manager Chuck Graham, Skip McConkey, Business Manager Chuck Graham, Greg Hough, and Foreman Greg Cobaugh and Foreman Greg Cobaugh Fred Aquino Local 26 and Singleton Electric Join Forces to Create a State-of-the-Art Military Medical Facility on the Grounds of Joint Base Andrews Business Manager Chuck Graham and Wendell Fabian Peter Vallandingham down below Subforeman oint Base Andrews is one of the most prominent military installations in the coun- Landon Milstead try and it makes its home here in the Washington, DC, area. Located in Prince George’s County, Joint Base Andrews houses Air Force One, the Boeing aircraft that carries the President of the United States; and on many occasions, has been the first stop in the United States for visiting foreign dignitaries, including kings, queens, prime ministers and popes. The base is a source of great pride for our military and Local 26 is proud to perform work on site. 8 THE MAGAZINE OF IBEW LOCAL 26, SERVING MARYLAND, VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC INC harge / 4TH QUARTER 2015 9 John Kleha and Greg Gray Mitch Richardson Kyle Barry John Kleha and Greg Gray Business Manager Chuck Graham and Rick Long The Original Medical Clinics and Surgery Center From left, Sean Lavin, Jeff Feldblum, Al White, Rob Palmer, and Mitchell Dicken Andrew Jewett, Mark Neidhardt, and Chris Tovar Andrews Air Force Base took shape the base’s former name, Joint Base tion—the 79th Medical Wing, home to when President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in Andrews is actually also home to units the 779th Medical Group based at 1942, ordered the U.S. Secretary of War to from other divisions of the military, Andrews and the 579th Medical Group acquire land and build a military airfield. including the Army, Navy, and National based at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. What was originally called Camp Springs Guard. Andrews has been the setting for The Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Airfield opened in May 1943 and was many significant and joyous reunions Surgery Center, which opened in 1958, is renamed Andrews Field in 1945 after Lt. throughout history, including the return the preeminent medical facility in the Corey Dauphinais and Jason House General Frank M. Andrews, considered of the first prisoners of war from Vietnam 79th Medical Wing and it is here that the one of the founding fathers of the Air in 1973, the return of U.S. hostages from proud members of Local 26, working for Force, who tragically died in a plane Iran in 1981, and the return of Iraq War Singleton Electric, are honored to be ply- crash. When the Air Force was declared a POW Jessica Lynch in 2003. ing their skills. separate service of the U.S. Military, Although most people think of The Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Andrews Field became Andrews Air Force Andrews as simply the home of Air Force Surgery Center was originally constructed Base. Eventually, Andrews Air Force Base One, it is truly far more than that. Yes, the in 1958 as a 313-bed inpatient medical and Naval Air Facility Washington base has a separate wing—the 89th Airlift center, built to provide care to over 75,000 merged in 2009 to form Joint Base Wing known as the President’s Wing—for military personnel and their families. It Andrews. transporting VIPs around the world, but it features an Aeromedical Staging Facility Despite the reference to the Air Force in also has an important medical institu- (ASF) which receives wounded, ill, and Business Manager Chuck Graham and Rob Bruce 10 THE MAGAZINE OF IBEW LOCAL 26, SERVING MARYLAND, VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC INC harge / 4TH QUARTER 2015 11 Kelcy Smith Mardo Ayala Sam Atbin Matt Gregory Doland Bland Ted Sparshott, Tony Fleming, and Dwayne Crossgill injured soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Facility on site at the medical wing. The The site has two 15kv SF66 insulated pad- Marines returning home. In fact, it is the total cost of the project is expected to be mounted switches; four 15kv pad-mount- first checkpoint for these wounded ser- about $225 million with the electrical ed transformers; a central energy plant vicemen and women returning to U.S. package totaling about $30 million. substation; and four electrical vaults that soil. Last year alone, the ASF unit carried Leading the electrical work are Foremen include four switchgear line ups, 15 auto- out almost 500 missions welcoming home Bob Spittle and Greg Cobaugh; matic transfer switches, and two UPSs. our brave warriors. Needless to say, the Subforemen Inmar Bernal, Daniele De Singleton’s package also includes 24 elec- importance of this medical facility can’t be Francesco, Tim Gilbert, Mike Hempling, trical closets with 35 distribution panels, overstated. Today, the hospital serves four Rick Long, Mark Neidhardt, Ted 70 dry type transformers and 240 subpan- times the number of patients it was origi- Sparshott, Matt Tomsko, Al White, and els. Three backup generators—two nally intended to serve, a driving force Blake Pauley; and Coordinator Phil Auth. 1000kw and one 750kw—were also behind the facility’s three-phase total ren- Key help was provided by Mike installed along with the fire alarm and ovation that began in March 2013. Once McLaughlin and Andrew Bean who made mass notification system, power monitor- complete, the new facility will reach all of the 15kv splices and terminations. ing system, and lighting controls system. 345,000-square-feet in size. Within the Ambulatory Care Center Local 26 members provided the installa- The Singleton Electric crew, 80 at peak, alone the Local 26 team worked on the tion of the cable tray, pipe and wall have been working on the Ambulatory four operating rooms, two MRI scan rough-in for public address, sound mask- Care Center, the Central Energy Plant, a rooms, five radiology rooms, and a CT ing, security, and nurse call systems. four-level parking garage, a dental clinic, scan room. In all, 8,400 fixtures, 226 light All three phases of the project are slat- an ambulance shelter, and a service poles, and two miles of 5" power and ed to be complete November 2017, which The sky is the limit for this Singleton Crew here at Andrews. upgrade for the Aeromedical Staging communication duct banks were installed. makes this project on a very fast track. 12 THE MAGAZINE OF IBEW LOCAL 26, SERVING MARYLAND, VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC INC harge / 4TH QUARTER 2015 13 Chuck Thiel Jacob Arnold Ivan Siliezar Mark Metler From left, Andrew Clerico, Angel Ponce, Marbin Garcia, and Business Manager Chuck Graham, Dave Belcher, Subforeman Inmar Bernal and Justin Norvell Among the many challenges the construc- of-the-art campus with operating rooms Singleton has found just the right crew for tion crew has faced is the fact that the and medical clinics comparable to the this kind of work. “They have been dedi- facility has remained fully functional and larger military medical facilities at Walter cated craftsmen, from the foremen on From left, Patris Shahamatdar, Business Manager Chuck Graham, operational throughout the entire project. Reed and Fort Belvoir. As medical person- down to the first-year apprentices who Michael Hempling, and Sam Atbin The hospital departments move out of one nel often flow between all three campuses, have worked safely and efficiently and section of the building, the construction this total renovation at Andrews will make even through harsh winter conditions,” crew comes in and completes their work the transition between the three facilities said Foreman Greg Cobaugh with pride. in its entirety, and the hospital moves for doctors and staff virtually seamless For at least one Local 26 member on back into the new space, all without com- with all three hospitals comparable in site, work on this hospital is a homecom- Tony Rose Erik Stelfox promising services or the quality of care their capabilities and technology. The ren- ing of sorts as he grew up in a military for the patients. The project also includes ovation to the campus will also enhance family living on base at Andrews. For the consolidation of the Joint Base the hospital’s capabilities to train medical every Local 26 member here, plying their Andrews Dental Clinic, currently located residents and health professionals enrolled skills at this important medical facility is on California Ave., to this new compre- in the Uniformed Services University of an honor and an opportunity they are hensive medical campus. This will Health Sciences. embracing to give back to the servicemen improve the overall convenience for This is the fourth project Singleton and women and military institutions that patients and staff. The new dental clinic Electric has been a part of here at have given so much to every single will be over 26,000 square feet in size. Andrews, and they plan to continue bid- American. Business Manager Chuck Graham The new medical facility will be a state- ding on future projects. And, it appears and Daniel Grabill 14 THE MAGAZINE OF IBEW LOCAL 26, SERVING MARYLAND, VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC INC harge / 4TH QUARTER 2015 15.