MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Aircraft, vehicles and support equipment around Marine Corps Base Hawaii couldn’t function without the help of Base Fuels.
“We’re critical to everything that happens on the base,” said Chief Petty Officer Richard Decker, lead chief petty officer, base fuels, Headquarters Battalion. “We directly support other missions around base. Without fuel, planes can’t go anywhere, Marines don’t go anywhere and all their equipment doesn’t go anywhere.”
Base Fuels provides two different types of jet fuel, gasoline, diesel and petroleum gases for different vehicles and aircraft. On a normal day, they deliver more than 50 thousand gallons of jet fuel, 800 gallons of gasoline to the government vehicle gas station and 300 gallons of diesel fuel.
Fuels specialists issue fuel to transient and squadron aircraft, government vehicles, and vehicles at waterfront operations. The base supports more than 2.5 million gallons of jet fuel, 2,000 gallons of automotive and diesel gas, and 1,000 gallons of propane.
Specialists aren’t only responsible for the delivery of fuel. Base fuels is responsible for testing samples of fuel for impurities before sending it to the flight line or units around base. Fuel specialists test samples chemically and visually to ensure the integrity of the fuel.
“We take a visual sample to see if there’s water in the fuel,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Macias, lead petty officer, base fuels, HQBN. “No water should be in the fuel, so if there is, we can see that the system isn’t working, and the filters need to be replaced. There are a lot of chances of water being in the fuel because of the hot and humid weather in Hawaii.”
Fuels specialists test fuels for water, flashpoint, fuel system icing inhibitor and sediment. Flashpoint is the temperature at which fuel ignites and is different for the various types of fuels. Fuel system icing inhibitor, FSII, is an additive to jet fuel
that prohibits ice from forming in the fuel.
“Fuel comes from the ground, so it still has contaminates in it,” Macias said. “It goes through a lot of filtering before it makes its way into aircraft and vehicles.”
The job of a base fuels specialist is never ending. Aircraft demand thousands of gallons of fuel daily, and it’s up to base fuels to transport and fuel aircraft and vehicles.
“We have to provide fuel constantly,” Decker said. “It’s good to know that you’re job is critical to the mission of the base, and the Marine Corps.”