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Out with the old, in with the new: Airmen begin work in new temporary corrosion control facility

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  • By Senior Airman Alexa Ann Henderson

One of the keys to having the world’s greatest Air Force is air superiority. Aircraft structural maintenance Airmen keep the mission going every day by ensuring aircraft parts are properly cleaned and free of corrosion.

Airmen began work in Andersen’s new temporary corrosion control facility June 5th. Made of shipping containers, the facility still meets all requirements set forth by the Department of Defense and Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

The new facility features air showers, transition rooms, red to green zones for contamination, and air conditioners with separate units in each zone to avoid contaminating other zones.

“Corrosion control is where we sand, paint and do composite repairs on aircraft, ground equipment and basically anything else in the maintenance area that needs to be refurbished,” said Staff Sgt. Brendan McCormick, 36th Maintenance Squadron corrosion control NCO in charge. “In this severe corrosive environment, putting fresh protective coatings on our equipment is essential.”

Andersen is a strategic location for PACOM’s Continuous Bomber Presence, the need for anytime mission-ready aircraft is an important part of national defense. In addition to the strategic importance of Andersen, it is also one of the most corrosive environments due to its tropical climate.

 “The temporary facility is great for contamination control measures,” said Senior Airman Jeremy Washington, assigned to Yokota Air Base’s 374th Maintenance Squadron as an aircraft structural journeyman and is currently deployed here. “The new temporary facility is very important due to the fact that this base hasn’t had corrosion capabilities in a few years. It also fulfills the mission, because it prevents deterioration of important equipment and aircraft parts within the maintenance area on Andersen.”

Washington says one of his favorite things about the new facility is that the transition areas between the maintenance bay and the breakroom provides great decontamination and keeps Airmen safe.

Andersen’s original corrosion control facility was initially constructed in 1983 as a vehicle maintenance facility. Once transitioned to the CCF, it supported painting, sanding, blasting and composite repair rooms for aircraft parts. Closed in 2014 due to uncompliant working conditions, a plan was created to build a bigger and better CCF. In the meantime, a temporary facility was stood up while the new facility is planned and built.

 “The new facility is going to be built in the footstep of where the last one was,” McCormick said. “I helped to design it, I gave input in the meetings as to transition areas in the new facility, like where the doors should go.”

While a lot of the Airmen that are here now won’t be here to see the new facility up and running, they still will have left their footprint by helping plan and design the building and helping to better the work environment for Airmen after them.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brendan McCormick, 36th Maintenance Squadron corrosion control NCO in charge (left), and Senior Airman Jeremy Washington, 374th Maintenance Squadron aircraft structural maintenance journeyman, deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan, inspect a weapons trailer June 27, 2017, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Airmen began work in Andersen’s new temporary corrosion control facility June 5th. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexa Ann Henderson)