| RCS: AU-D5 |
of the
825th AC&W Squadron
for the period ending
31 December 1958
| Section I | REQUIRED DATA |
| Officers | Airmen | Civilians | Total | |
| Assigned | 14 | 150 | 18 | 182 |
| Attached | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Section II | COMMENTARY |
The squadron, although experiencing growing pains has progressed very satisfactorily. Every action has been directed toward our becoming fully operational, and the support areas of supply, installations, administration, and food services are now equipped and ready to adequately support the operations section. The following is a break-down, by section, of this reporting period.
During this period, publications and correspondence files were checked and made complete. A controller director information file was set up in accordance with CFWCR Regulation 55-10. This file was housed behind the senior director position.
Shift work started in Operations on 3 December, with 3 days each for days, swings, mid-nights, and off-time. Early warning status commenced 12 December, with our operational responsibility to RCAF, 5 Air Division, Vancouver. There was some question about this, but Captain Corcoran, the operations officer, confirmed this responsibility when TDY to 5 Air Division.
Transportation problems, due to adverse weather condition, presented themselves during mid and late December. As a result, twelve hour shifts were initiated. This was well received by the operations people. Although it meant longer shift hours; it also meant more time off during the holiday season.
Personnel assigned to operations during this period included five controllers and 4 non-commissioned officers, bringing our manning up to authorized UMD spaces.
On 10 November, Mr. Pritchard, project engineer from OOAMA arrived at this station to inventory items received since departure of installation team, which was recalled because of incomplete equipment. On 17 November, Mr. Ronald Blake, CAE installation team leader and his crew returned on station to complete installation. The installation contracts were revised to permit installation of equipment in accordance with current planning. A portion of this contract for installation of the AN/GPS-7 was deleted and a contract for the AN/GPX-7A was added to permit installation of a complete SIF system.
Installation was completed and equipment was turned on for testing and alignment. On 6 December, the required 120 hour hot check was started. On 10 December, Major Lange, 25th Air Division; Captain Melton and M/Sgt. Schell, 4602nd Support Group; Mr. Pritchard OOAMA; and representatives from the squadron started installation inspection. This was hampered by lack of sufficient test equipment. This was solved, however, by the installation contractor furnishing his own test equipment and obtaining on a loan basis some test equipment from the 917th Squadron. On 12 December the installation inspection was completed and installation inspection certificates signed, noting the existing discrepancies. Upon signing of these certificates, the squadron assumed maintenance responsibility for the equipment and the station became operational on an early warning status.
17 December saw the first of the contract augmentation personnel arrive, a radar maintenance technician. A second radar technician arrived on the 22nd of December. The site engineer arrived on 19 December.
The mainframe of the GTA-6, installed in September, proved satisfactory and service was increased to 24 hours a day. Service was also extended to nearby Kamloops with the completion of the micro-wave building.
The transmitting equipment and antenna parts scheduled for this site arrived during the month of October and CAE returned in November to install this equipment. On 17 December, crew work started at transmitters and except for minor equipment troubles which were cleared up by the section, everything progressed smoothly. The minor equipment troubles included both VHF and UHF equipment malfunctions.
During this period, BC Telephone Company worked on the lease lines and as of 31 December, these lines were 90% operational. In conjunction, Canadian National Telegraph installed their equipment in the operations room for receiving weather and Canadian Pacific Telegraph installed a teletype machine in the Communications Center for administrative traffic.
Two (2) AN/GRC-26s arrived in December and both must be salvaged because of extensive damage.
Because of drifting snow and icing conditions, all two-wheel drive vehicles were restricted from being used on the operations road. This included all station wagons and the International dump truck. This restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve. This has limited the number of vehicles for use on the hill, but this situation will be alleviated when the expected twenty-nine passenger, four-wheel drive, Western Flyer bus and the four-wheel drive Jeep Station wagon arrive on the station.
All privately owned vehicles were inspected prior to issuance of base decal by the Air Police Section.
The contract to construct a personnel cab on the 6 x 6 was let, with work to be completed in February. Rather than to tie-up an operational vehicle, the 6 x 6 that was dead-lined, awaiting a front axle assembly, was sent for modification.
Three vehicles were placed on VDP during this period; (1) 6 x 6, vehicle registration number 52K9526, front axle assembly; (2) bus, vehicle registration number 51B1428, replacement of short block; and (3) International dump truck, vehicle registration number 51B1335, steering wheel. These parts cannot be locally purchased, and a five to ninety day wait for parts exists.
The D-7 Caterpillar arrived and was immediately put into use. Also a mobile air compressor arrived and is in the process of being modified for use in the squadron.
The supply problem of obtaining parts on VDP vehicles has been worked out by coordination with supply and the depot. We can reasonably expect parts for VDP vehicles within 5 to 10 days.
The construction of a broom and mop closet in the latrine has greatly helped in keeping the motor pool cleaning equipment orderly.
Restricted badges were procured and arrangements for lamination were completed.
The main gate was manned on a 24 hour basis in October. Four Air Police are used for this with additional Air Policemen from the office available to relieve them when they are on detail, leave, etc.
Training ammunition was ordered for the coming fiscal year, but as yet the targets are not available.
Difficulties arising from mess personnel arriving this station without food handlers permits have been worked out.
The preventative medicine program has been excellent, with the exception of the water chlorination system. This problem should be resolved with the arrival of a new chlorinator.
A large workload, was imposed upon this section with the authorization for dependants to procure necessary and prescribed medicines from dispensary stock, and if non-available through this source, at local drug stores. Coordination between Sergeant Oas and the local druggists has reduced the problems to almost non-existence.
A breakdown of the number of personnel treated at the dispensary during this period is as follows; immunizations 19; total visits 81; military 72; and dependants 9.
The hiring of three more civilians brought our installations strength to twenty-one, eighteen of which are Canadian Nationals.
Weather during this period brought many headaches. Emergency road maintenance in November took 120 hours of scoopmobile rental. Widening shoulders and clearing ditches accounted for much of the repair. Icing conditions during December caused closing of the access road to site #2 for twenty-four hour periods and sanding crews worked around the clock.