113th Force Support Squadron demonstrates new Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen capabilities

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Gareth Buckland
  • 113 Wing Public Affairs
Joint Base Andrews, Md. 10/04/2012 - The 113th Force Support Squadron showcased its latest piece of equipment by providing hot meals to more than 200 Airmen in a live training and demonstration of the new Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer (DRMKT) here Nov. 3.

The D.C Air National Guard is one of the first units to receive the mobile kitchen and its contingency capabilities will be put to the test in only a few weeks by providing hot meals to Soldiers and Airmen who will be deployed during the upcoming inauguration in Washington.

"By having a rapid mobility capability where we can bring a whole mix of rations to Guardsmen to any type of disaster relief operations," said Andy Babington, Babington Technologies vice president, the company who built the mobile kitchen trailers.

The self contained mobile kitchen is intended for rapid deployment to the scene of any major catastrophe and is outfitted with all the equipment to provide hot meals to relief workers and Airmen working in austere conditions.

"We had a very successful feed today, we fed about 300 to 400, meals went off without a hitch, and we had a good mix of mac and cheese, vegetable lasagna, burgers, corn and coleslaw, it went off very well, and we appreciate the Guard having us out here," Mr. Babington said.

The DRMKT will replace the aging Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen (SPEK) kitchen which requires unpacking and putting up a tent which can take up to three hours to set up, while the mobile kitchen trailer can be up and running in a few minutes and can provide hot meals for up to 1,000 people in less than 90 minutes.

"As it is mobile there is no need for a tent or moving of equipment that takes four members to place in the tent," said Tech. Sgt Chito Reyes, 113th Force Support Squadron, "All the equipment is in one place and it is safer than it was in a tent, the advantage of the mobile trailer is the fact it is able to be placed in any situation we are hit with or tasked with."

As part of the mobile kitchen's contingency capabilities the kitchen can fit into a C-130 Hercules aircraft and is powered totally by diesel fuel from the generator to the burners of the actual kitchen. Diesel fuel was selected as the main power source by the manufacture as it is the most common fuel available in contingency operations.

"We are able to do everything we can do with the SPEK tent, but we can take this out fairly easy with a truck and deploy to any location needed," said 1st Lt Dan Keffer, 113 FSS "The troops love it, it is a lot better clean up, better storage, you can do everything you could with the SPEK tent but only better."