CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. –
More than 800 gallons of excess hydraulic oil no longer needed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will now help sustain equipment used by the South Carolina Forestry Commission to fight fires.
Property Disposal Specialist Richard Slesinski at the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services site on Camp Lejeune said the 162 five-gallon cans were unused with no expiration date, which means a long shelf life.
“The forestry folks got lucky on this one,” Slesinski said.
Equipment & Fleet Manager Doug Mills said the oil will support a fleet of 102 Caterpillar D4K2 Firefighting Dozers. During firefighting operations, Mills said these dozers face a demanding environment.
“Numerous obstacles like limbs, stumps, mud, falling debris, and more are encountered that often cause severe damage to hydraulic hoses and fittings,” Mills said. “Spare buckets of hydraulic fluid are a necessity when running this equipment in these conditions.”
Mills said getting the oil will help the fleet maintenance program to a great extent by providing these bucket at no cost to front line firefighters. Without the Reutilization, Transfer and Donation program DLA Disposition Services offers, Mills said the Forestry Commission would not be able to provide a spare bucket of hydraulic oil to every dozer.
“In the event of a hydraulic breakdown, they would have to call a mechanic and wait several hours for them to show up with replacement hydraulic oil,” Mills said. “This would cause a delay in firefighting operations and possibly the equipment being placed out of service for a day or two until the oil could be replaced.”
Mills said the oil he received was not the first time his program has received items through RTD and he plans to use the program again.
“The South Carolina Forestry Commission is very appreciative of the items we have received through the program,” Mills said.