{"id":283926,"date":"2024-09-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=283926"},"modified":"2024-09-20T02:28:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T02:28:31","slug":"dpw-workers-keep-the-lights-on-at-army-sites-near-hiroshima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=283926","title":{"rendered":"DPW workers \u2018keep the lights on\u2019 at Army sites near Hiroshima"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Takashi Imai, a storekeeping clerk for the Directorate of Public Works, cleans furniture being stored at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce, which handles various skilled trade and office jobs, also stores and delivers furniture to assist Soldiers and Army civilians moving into on- and off-post housing.
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\n Shinroku Ishida, an electrician for the Directorate of Public Works, fixes a power converter at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce handles various skilled trade and office jobs to support tenant organizations, including the 10th Support Group and its three ammunition depots.
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KURE PIER 6, Japan \u2013 Working behind the scenes at several installations near Hiroshima, the U.S. Army Garrison Japan\u2019s Directorate of Public Works aims to ensure that missions in the region drive on.<\/p>\n

With more than 50 employees handling skilled trade and office jobs, the DPW here supports various tenant organizations, including the 10th Support Group and its three ammunition depots.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep the lights on, keep the walls painted and keep things safe for them to operate within the footprint,\u201d said Sam Roach, chief of DPW.<\/p>\n

Roach said the directorate interacts closely with the garrison headquarters at Camp Zama to receive guidance and to communicate certain issues that may need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

From his office on Kure Pier 6, Roach and his team oversee the local DPW efforts of providing repairs and maintenance at five different sites, where much of the infrastructure dates to the post-World War II era.<\/p>\n

\u201cUse for these buildings has changed over time and with new use comes new regulation and new requirements,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a constantly changing environment and these guys here have been able to adjust and meet the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

DPW employees also manage the utilities at the sites and a warehouse that stores appliances and furniture that can be delivered to assist Soldiers and Army civilians moving into on- and off-post housing.<\/p>\n

Roach, who recently began his role, said he has been amazed so far with how his workforce continues to tackle the wide range of operations.<\/p>\n

He said the directorate\u2019s supply chain, which includes the ability to procure materials and tools for maintenance and construction projects, is the best he has ever seen throughout his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they\u2019ve been able to accomplish and what they\u2019re working with\u2026 I don\u2019t think you\u2019d see this result across the board,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir supply chain here is something that the rest of the [Department of Defense] should probably study. They\u2019re insanely efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roach said Mika Sasaki, who supervises the DPW master labor contract employees, helped run the show for about a year until Roach came in as the new chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seen what she\u2019s done since I have arrived here,\u201d he said, \u201cand I\u2019m very impressed with the job she did.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Hideki Yamada, an electrician for the Directorate of Public Works, performs a test on circuit breakers at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce handles various skilled trade and office jobs to support tenant organizations, including the 10th Support Group and its three ammunition depots.
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\n Tetsuya Suemasa, a carpenter for the Directorate of Public Works, puts the final touches on a storage box at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce handles various skilled trade and office jobs to support tenant organizations, including the 10th Support Group and its three ammunition depots.
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\n Tomonori Oshita, a boilerman for the Directorate of Public Works, inspects a boiler system at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce handles various skilled trade and office jobs to support tenant organizations, including the 10th Support Group and its three ammunition depots.
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Because of the dispersed locations of the ammunition depots, Roach also relies on supervisors at each site to carefully manage their respective operations.<\/p>\n

About an hour away at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot, Hitoshi Yoshioka serves as the maintenance coordinator for nearly 20 employees at the DPW trades shop.<\/p>\n

He said his crew handles many roles, including carpentry, plumbing, electric work, pest control, heavy equipment driving, boilers, preventive maintenance, metal sheet work, painting and supply procurement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, no one can work without DPW, because we maintain the facilities and the roads,\u201d Yoshioka said. \u201cBecause of that, the other employees can focus on what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the DPW mission is not without its challenges, especially during this time of the year.<\/p>\n

Besides the hot and humid weather, the summer months can stir up typhoons that can pose a threat to older buildings. When a powerful storm approaches, DPW workers will inspect the facilities and quickly make any necessary repairs.<\/p>\n

The pest control section also deals with Asian giant hornets, known to pack a powerful sting, that will sometimes build nests in buildings. Once a nest is reported, employees will then remove it while wearing safety gear.<\/p>\n

The \u201csafety first\u201d mentality also extends to other DPW professions.<\/p>\n

Tomonori Oshita, a boilerman, helps with the safe operation of a boiler system at the Akizuki depot. He said he regularly inspects the system to confirm it is functioning correctly.<\/p>\n

Since there can be a possible risk caused by the pressure in the system, Tomonori said the inspections are vital and play a part in how the directorate sees safety as a top priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cDPW always prepares for a potential emergency,\u201d Tomonori said. \u201cBut if something does happen, we can then quickly respond to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yoshioka echoed similar sentiment and said it is always a good sign when things are quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like with the firefighters and security guards, if nothing happens, it\u2019s perfect,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why preparation is very important. We always prepare to prevent something from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roach said he often leans on the institutional knowledge of his MLC employees, many of whom have decades of experience, to ensure operations run smoothly.<\/p>\n

For the most part, he said his workforce only needs a small amount of direction to effectively complete tasks.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir work ethic and willingness to achieve goals is probably an asset that we\u2019re not recognizing fully,\u201d Roach said. \u201cBecause if you give them a little bit of guidance, they will meet you on the goal that you\u2019re trying to go for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Garrison Japan news<\/a><\/p>\n

USAG Japan official website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Takashi Imai, a storekeeping clerk for the Directorate of Public Works, cleans furniture being stored at the Akizuki Ammunition Depot in Japan, Sept. 5, 2024. The DPW workforce, which handles various skilled trade and office jobs, also stores and delivers furniture to assist Soldiers and Army […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283928,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-283926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=283926"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283934,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283926\/revisions\/283934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/283928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=283926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=283926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=283926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}