Sgt. Dominic Osei-Asibey, a petroleum specialist assigned to A Company, 548th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, inspects the pump rack module, Feb. 9, 2023, during train the trainer training for the equipment on Fort Drum, New York. The company received the PRM as part of their modular fuel system. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Neysa Canfield, 10th MDSB Public Affairs Office)
Muleskinner petroleum supply specialists receive new equipment to enhance capabilities
Sgt. 1st Class Neysa Canfield
10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2023) – Whether for a generator, vehicle, or aircraft, fuel is needed to help accomplish the mission.
The petroleum supply specialists of A Company, 548th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade, don’t take this duty lightly. On Feb. 6, they received new equipment to enhance their capabilities.
“The (pump rack module) is a piece of equipment that we are incorporating into our operations of fuel to work hand in hand with the (tank rack modules) that we already have,” said Sgt. Dominic Osei-Asibey, a petroleum specialist assigned to A Company, 548th DSSB.
The PRM consists of a 600-gallons-per-minute pump and integrated filtration system that can help establish a retail fuel distribution point. The TRM contains a pump, filtration and water separator system, and meter to provide fuel for retail.
According to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Damien Drake, petroleum systems technician for A Company, 548th DSSB, by gaining this pump, the fuel team will be able to go from a fuel system supply point to a modular fuel system.
“An FSSP is normally used to store and distribute bulk fuel to units under tactical conditions such deployments or large-scale field training exercises,” Drake explained.
But more importantly, according to Drake, the pump allows the fuel team to be expeditionary.
“As an FSSP, we are normally stationary because our TRMs are being powered by vehicles,” Drake said. “But the pump gives us the ability to mobilize while giving us the same capabilities as an FSSP.”
Aside from gaining mobilization, the petroleum specialists of A Company, are excited about the opportunity to share their knowledge with others.
“As NCOs, it is our job to train, so we are excited to share and spread the knowledge of this new equipment with the rest of the Soldiers in our section,” Osei-Asibey said.
This training also was an opportunity for Drake to help younger Soldiers understand the “why” behind the training.
“I wanted to make sure these young NCOs understood why this equipment is so important – not just for us as petroleum specialists, but for the brigade, the division, and the Army,” Drake said. “Soldiers need a sense of purpose to take pride in their work, and I wanted to make sure they knew why we were doing this and why it was so important.”