SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. – Airmen from the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron completed the Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Program, or Prime BEEF, training at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, July 20 through July 22.
The three-day training covered chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear operations, operating in a joint environment, defensive fighting positions, and other topics that could be used when deployed downrange.
“The purpose is to develop, train, and maintain Civil Engineer capabilities in contingency and installation missions,” said 1st Lt. Holy Cheong, 4th CES readiness flight commander. “The program tracks individual’s readiness and ensures Civil Engineer personnel meet operations plan taskings, impromptu contingency taskings within unit capabilities, and other unit-specific deployment requirements.”
Airmen who had previously been through the training said that the training has only become better and more in-depth as time has passed.
“We have actually revamped this course to be more combat oriented for these types of environments,” said Staff Sgt. Noel Dawson, 4th CES heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technician. “When I went through, it was mostly reading slides, and now we have evolved to a more hands-on learning style.”
Airmen explained that Prime BEEF is used for them to get all their training done in a three-day timeframe, rather than trying to complete it all while doing their normal duties.
“We do this to complete everyone’s training that we don’t get to do every day or every week,” said Senior Airman Brian Price, 4th CES explosives ordnance disposal specialist. “We get a chance to make up stuff we missed, and knock it all out in one go so we can continue to focus on the mission.”
The training brought together all the different parts of the squadron, allowing them to mesh together and get to know each other.
“It’s really good for us to get familiar with people from the other shops,” said Senior Airman Gary Maxwell, 4th CES electrical power production specialist. “We got to learn how everyone else operates before deploying so we can be more proficient when we do go down range.”
The operation was successful in preparing the Airmen and bringing them up to standards in their training requirements.
“The Prime BEEF program was successful,” said Cheong. “Each Civil Engineer individual that was due for training was identified and tracked, and we were able to build a course that provided the Airmen with what they needed.”
The training happens quarterly and the Airmen are able to focus on their mission priorities until the next iteration.