By Shannon Haney OFFICE OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS NAVSUP FLEET LOGISTICS CENTER PEARL HARBOR
The central Pacific-based Department of Defense facility for processing hazardous materials for reuse or disposal reopened recently after a $2.4 million renovation to make it safer and reduce its environmental impact.
The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) Hazardous Material Center was unveiled Aug. 27 in a ceremony hosted by NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor.
In addition to safety and environmental renovations, the fire suppression and ventilation system were overhauled, egress doors and product dividers were installed, and the flooring was painted and sealed.
Two years ago, well before the renovation, the center merged the Air Force’s HAZMART and the Navy’s Regional Consolidated Hazardous Material Reutilization and Inventory Management Program Center.
“The completion of this renovation project marks a huge turning point for our Joint HAZMAT Center,” said Doug Bugado, materiel management flight chief. “Although we co-located the operations back in 2017, our team was operating under some warehousing constraints that prevented some operational efficiencies.
"Experts from across NAVSUP, our NAVFAC partners and professional contractors were instrumental in getting this entire project completed two weeks ahead of schedule, with minimal impact to our customer’s operational requirements," Bugado continued. "This is a win for HAZMAT operations at the Joint Base.”
The JBPHH HAZMAT Center team provides support to over 250 shops and processes over 10,000 issues per year.
“The team continues to do a fantastic job supporting our Joint customer base,” said Air Force Capt. Chris Piha, materiel management flight commander, 647th Logistics Readiness Squadron. “They provide responsive courtesy stow for our ship and sub customers, highlight our 'free' reuse to all eligible installation customers, via the new HAZMAT End User App and training our Air Force and Navy customers in HAZMAT procedures by helping coordinate their Authorized Use List…they do it all.
"Their hard work and dedication also reflects in the overwhelming positive customer service surveys highlighting their responsive service," Piha said. "We could not be prouder of our Joint HAZMAT Center Ohana [family]."