Disaster waiting to happen at US, Kuwait training camp – ‘Safety standards lacking’

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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 10: A series of ‘significant’ and potentially dangerous problems with electrical and fire protection systems in military housing at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, are due in part to inadequate maintenance and oversight, the Defense Department Inspector General found during a recent inspection, reports Al-Rai daily.

The inspection, conducted in February, covered living quarters, including buildings, trailers, tents, latrines, showers, and laundry and mechanical rooms. The inspectors also looked at the new Kuwaiti Energy Efficiency Project buildings, known as KEEP, which provide energy-efficient housing.

In total, the IG inspected 59 buildings and 178 rooms. Of the 538 total deficiencies identified, 198 were electrical in nature. They ranged from failure to meet the National Electrical Code for the installation and maintenance of electrical equipment to unsafe tenant practices, such as daisy chaining power cords and unapproved use of heat-generating appliances in sleeping quarters.

The report also found that Camp Buehring lacked permanent, government- employed master electricians or fire protection engineers and that the Kuwait Base Operations and Security Support Services contract Performance Work Statement didn’t provide requirements to ensure adequate electrical and fire-protection inspections. Most of the deficiencies were due to “insufficient inspection, inadequate maintenance, lack of an effective maintenance and inspection plan, and ineffective project oversight,” the report found.

The Army is going through all structures at Camp Buehring and addressing all issues it sees, the commander of Area Support Group Kuwait, Col Joseph W. Power, said in a statement to Stars and Stripes.

It is adding electrical outlets to living areas to prevent daisy chaining. “We are telling our leadership they have to get in the barracks and make sure their soldiers adhere to Army safety standards,” Power said. Camp Buehring, a temporary training camp about 25 miles from the Iraqi border, is used by both US and Kuwaiti military personnel. The US military has occupied the facilities there since 2002.

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