PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- During extreme cold weather events in Colorado Springs, all Air Force Specialty Codes within the 21st Civil Engineer Squadron contribute to snow plow duty as part of the Snow and Ice Control Program.
The SIC Program ensures clear roads to provide safe transit for base personnel, ensuring critical installation and national defense functions continue. This is especially important during inclement weather conditions.
Each snow plow shift is 12 hours or until road conditions are returned back to safe operational status. Airmen are scheduled to be on standby for a one-month period, either nights or days, with an extra person on call to cover a shift in case the primary has constraints.
“We train 30-50 personnel yearly on vehicle operations and snow removal procedures,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Shaun Hill, 21st CES pavements and construction equipment noncommissioned officer in charge. “We also use our engineering assistants and recourse and optimization personnel to be snow controllers. Their job is to track all assigned tasks and priorities during a snow event. We will usually have six augmentees and three or four 3E2X1s, Dirt Boys, on each shift.”
The 21st CES works alongside multiple 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron units including maintenance, weather and airfield management as well as the Colorado Springs Airport to ensure that the base is available to mission essential personnel.
“One important reason to plow during these heavy snow days is that it allows for planes to land and take off for traveling or training purposes,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Shaundale Davis, 21st CES HVAC technician.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jesus Hernandez, 21st CES electrical power production supervisor, and Davis, are two 21st CES Airmen who worked during the inclement weather on Feb. 2, 2022.
“As CE troops, we are required to maintain and sustain the base, snow plowing is part of the job,” said Hernandez. “We are here to support every mission this base has, including removing snow if needed.”