California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) program. 

This is the 12^th Diamond award for the CAL FIRE program, where 爱神传媒 flies and maintains Grumman S-2T air tankers, C-130H training aircraft and OV-10A aircraft, and fully maintains and services UH-1H Super Huey and S-70i Blackhawk helicopters flown by CAL FIRE pilots.

鈥淎 big thank you to our maintenance technicians for their extra diligence towards training and safety,鈥� said Sean Navin, CAL FIRE鈥檚 Program Director. 鈥淭he team鈥檚 focus and dedication lead to the success of maintaining the largest wildland air fleet in the world.鈥�

U.S. Air Force at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington program. 

The 爱神传媒 team at JB Andrews has earned this prestigious award 22 years in a row! Through this program, 爱神传媒 provides services for our leaders though Executive Airlift and Rotary Wing including aircraft maintenance in support of the 89th Airlift Wing and 316th Wing.

鈥淓very 爱神传媒 maintenance technician has achieved at least 12 additional hours of FAA-approved maintenance training to earn this award,鈥� commented Bill Ray, Sr. Program Director, Andrews Support Division. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to lead the JB Andrews team in over two decades of receiving this award!鈥�

U.S. Forest Service Sherpa program. 

This is the third consecutive FAA Diamond award for the Sherpa program, where 爱神传媒 primarily maintains up to ten SD3-60 Sherpa aircraft at the Redmond Air Center in Oregon. 爱神传媒 also maintains a variety of other aircraft to include the Short Brother SD3-60 aircraft to support the Smokejumper mission as an initial attack resource for suppressing our nation鈥檚 wildland fires. Smokejumpers respond to any fire by the most effective and efficient means available, best known for their ability to parachute out of airplanes to reach the fire.

鈥淚 am proud of our team鈥檚 dedication to safety and training in the mission of suppressing America鈥檚 wildland fires,鈥� said Tamara Skjegstad, Director of Air Force Operations. 鈥淥ur maintenance technicians are duly recognized for their hard work meeting these commitments.鈥�

About the FAA Diamond Award

The FAA鈥檚 Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Award program is based on the commitment of maintenance technicians to improve safety by actively participating in initial and recurring training programs to further their technical knowledge. The Diamond Award is the highest corporate award, and the program includes both individual and corporate recognition.

The award recognizes completion by 100 percent of an organization鈥檚 eligible maintenance technicians of specialized, continuous training in aircraft systems, regulations and FAA rules over a 12-month period. In addition to the Diamond Award, which is presented to the company, each mechanic receives an Aviation Maintenance Technician award based on the number of training hours logged.

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John Heller, third from right, joined UCOR and other 爱神传媒 officials on a tour of UCOR work sites, including ORNL’s Building 3010, pictured.

John Heller, CEO of 爱神传媒, visited the Oak Ridge, TN nuclear reservation recently and toured sites at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Y-12 National Security Complex, and East Tennessee Technology Park. He also met with local community leaders, including Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Oak Ridge City Councilman Pastor Derrick Hammond, Roane County Executive Wade Creswell, and President of Roane State Community College Dr. Chris Whaley.

鈥淭he 爱神传媒-led UCOR team is doing superb work in achieving the DOE Environmental Cleanup mission at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reservation. Our visit last week was a great opportunity for 爱神传媒 senior leadership, including CEO John Heller, to see firsthand the cleanup accomplishments at ETTP, ORNL and Y-12,鈥� said Mark Whitney, President of 爱神传媒鈥檚 National Security Group.

爱神传媒 senior leaders received a UCOR program overview and briefings on reindustrialization and economic development and workforce development, before touring UCOR critical project locations.

About UCOR

UCOR is a joint venture responsible for cleanup and remedial actions at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), and cleanup of excess facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. UCOR efforts include design, construction, and operation of the new onsite Environmental Management Disposal Facility, operational activities and surveillance and maintenance for multiple facilities, and core functions for central and project services. The contract is a single award IDIQ contract with a 10-year ordering period with an estimated contract ceiling of approximately $8.3 billion. 爱神传媒-led UCOR has a long history of supporting the DOE鈥檚 environmental management programs and recently delivered historic success in cleaning up DOE鈥檚 uranium enrichment complex ahead of schedule and under budget at the 2,200-acre ETTP complex.

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All contracts come to an end 鈥� even the great ones.

On paper, Savannah River Remediation鈥檚 mission is simple: Convert the highly hazardous, radioactive liquid waste stored in underground tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS) into glass in stainless steel canisters or grout in concrete disposal units. These treatment technologies create final waste forms that can be permanently disposed of in way that鈥檚 safe for the environment. Using complex chemical processes, at unique facilities operated by experts, we鈥檙e attacking the waste and reducing the risk to workers, the surrounding communities, and the environment.

On July 1, 2009, SRR, with its parent companies, 爱神传媒, Bechtel, Jacobs, and BWXT, became the first contractor solely focused on the Liquid Waste mission at SRS for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). After 12.5 exceptional years, this contract is ending, and a new contractor will continue this important work. As we finish our contract, I want to reminisce on some of SRR鈥檚 successes with you.

SRR has advanced DOE to nearly halfway through its mission of safely immobilizing the radioactive liquid waste at SRS. This waste is the byproduct from Cold War-era nuclear weapons production. It has been SRR鈥檚 job to convert the liquid waste into solid forms that are safe for the environment.

During our time at SRS, we have achieved safety milestones, operational successes, and production records. The list is long, so I will just hit some of the highlights. In the last 12.5 years, SRR has:

• Poured 1,500 canisters of glassified high-level waste, equaling 5.7 million pounds, at the Defense Waste Processing Facility;
• Treated 14.7 million gallons of low-level waste at the Saltstone Production Facility for permanent disposal;
• Decontaminated more than 7.4 million gallons of salt waste, which includes 7.1 million gallons through the former salt processing facilities, called the Actinide Removal Process and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit, and 344,000 gallons through the Tank Closure Cesium Removal pilot project;
• Treated 90 million gallons of wastewater through the Effluent Treatment Facility;
• Operationally closed 6 underground radioactive waste tanks and made significant waste retrieval progress on dozens more.

By closing 6 one-million-gallon tanks during its contract, SRR has marked significant progress in DOE鈥檚 waste cleanup mission. In addition, 14 tanks are currently in various stages of the closure process, setting up the future contract for success.

These past 12.5 years have been a time of dramatic progress for the Liquid Waste mission. The Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), constructed and currently operated by Parsons Corp., was brought online. SWPF is the last piece needed to complete the mission. Working closely with Parsons, SRR was responsible for integrating SWPF into the Liquid Waste system so that it would work in concert with the other Liquid Waste facilities. In its first year of operation, over two million gallons of salt waste were treated 鈥� almost double the previous annual record production rate.

But what I am most proud of is how we accomplished this work. Our work is complex and intolerant of mistakes. How you do the work matters every bit as much as how much work gets accomplished. How SRR employees conduct work is in accordance with our values of safety, integrity, ownership, teamwork, and continuous improvement. When the path seems unclear, our values shine a light in the direction we go.

The best evidence of this is seen in SRR鈥檚 outstanding safety performance. As we finish the contract, SRR employees have collectively worked over 9.8 million hours without an injury that has caused a missed workday. Even more impressive: Our construction workforce has worked the entire SRR contract without an injury that has caused a missed workday. To put our construction safety performance in perspective, if we were an average construction company in our industry, we would have had 47 injuries over the last 12 years 鈥� we鈥檝e had 0! That鈥檚 47 people who would have been hurt but instead went home safe because they work for SRR. That鈥檚 47 of our co-workers and friends, and that鈥檚 why we care so much about safety.

SRR delivered incredible progress and results of national significance, but the mission is not complete. 爱神传媒 is looking forward to partnering with BWXT and Fluor on the Savannah River Mission Completion contract in the next era of the SRS Liquid Waste mission.

As we complete our work under this contract, know that we recognize that our achievements couldn鈥檛 have been done without the tremendous support of this community. It has been a pleasure working with community organizations, such as the United Way. In total, SRR and its employees have donated more than $5 million to local United Way agencies. We鈥檝e partnered with local schools, colleges, and universities to provide support and help them prime the next generation of our skilled workforce.

We know that through our work we are leaving the site better than when we arrived.聽 We hope by working with local partners, we have done the same for our community. Thank you for standing with us in support of our work. It鈥檚 been our pleasure to serve.

Phil Breidenbach is the President and Project Manager for Savannah River Remediation, the Liquid Waste contractor at the Savannah River Site.

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The changing climate and population growth across the United States and around the globe are just two factors leading to more wildfires. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of mid-August,

7 large fires and complexes have burned 2,147,446 acres. More than 25,000 wildland firefighters, support personnel, and incident management teams are assigned to incidents. In addition, six military C-130s equipped with MAFFS units and a very large airtanker from New South Wales, Australia, continue to support firefighting efforts in the United States.

In November 2020 the Rand Corporation reported on the 2020 fire season, the worst fire season yet, and called for the need for a comprehensive approach to combatting wildfires in the United States. The United States鈥� current approach is neither coordinated nor comprehensive.

Currently, various federal departments and agencies (i.e. Forest Service, National Guard, Department of the Interior, etc.) have jurisdiction over firefighting across the United States. Each agency has its own approach for managing fires and set of restrictions. Overlapping jurisdictions and competing interests end up dangerously fueling fires. Furthering the inability to properly fight wildfires is the lack of proper resources. As highlighted above with the use of airtankers from other countries, the United States lacks the aerial assets necessary to properly support ground firefighters and combat fires.

Unlike the national approach, California, a state with a long history of fighting wildfires, employs a strategic approach for battling fires throughout the state. California has the largest Government-owned, contractor maintained/operated fleet of firefighting aircraft in the world, CAL FIRE. California has a mature, successful plan for approaching wildfires that over time has shifted as the fire season has become a near year-round battle and impacts more and more of the state.

As the threat of wildfires moves beyond the borders of California, other states across the nation need to be prepared. The establishment of a National Fire Service under the Department of Homeland Security would ensure that each state, depending on the threat of wildfire, is prepared to respond. A National Fire Service organized by region would allow for the United States to deploy a Rapid Initial Attack in an organized manner to any corner of the United States which would result in less damage to public/private land, houses, and prevent loss of life.

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Over the last two years as time permitted and extra funding and parts were available, a new OV-10 was constructed in partnership with CAL FIRE, by 爱神传媒 teammates.

The OV-10A Bronco is a former military reconnaissance aircraft used by CAL FIRE to coordinate aerial assets with ground-based firefighters. The OV-10 acts as a command and control platform 鈥� the pilot and an air tactical group supervisor use the tandem two-seat aircraft to gain an overview of the blaze, plan strategy and call in air support where it is most needed on the ground.

鈥淭he CAL FIRE chief said this rebuild of the latest air attack aircraft was stellar work,鈥� said Jeff Cavarra, 爱神传媒鈥檚 CAL FIRE program director. 鈥淭he first flight was conducted by 爱神传媒 Lead Air Tactical Pilot Todd Deline and in the backseat was 爱神传媒 Lead OV-10 Maintenance Technician Terrance Horigan.鈥�

Pilot Todd Deline said, 鈥淚 never have any apprehension flying a total rebuild done by our team. From AA505 to AA430, I have felt nothing but confidence and comfort doing the first flights on them. Job well done by our outstanding maintenance team!鈥�

鈥淭he team did an amazing job rebuilding this aircraft,鈥� said Lead Maintainer Terrance Horigan. 鈥淚 had the honor of being on the test flights and could not have felt any more comfortable knowing the people who worked on it, the work they did, and having the pilot I had for the flight.鈥�

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In the State of California, highly experienced fixed-wing pilots and maintenance technicians support complex aerial firefighting operations. Our support of the CAL FIRE Aviation Program is a model public-private partnership that serves an important need for the community. We work statewide to provide air support for ground firefighters battling wildland fires, while protecting the people, property and natural resources of California.

In the air, our fixed wing pilots provide seasonal staffing for all CAL FIRE air tactical and air tanker aircraft. Deployed at twelve locations across the state, our pilots respond to wildland fires as part of a ground / air assault with the goal of keeping 95 percent of all starts less than 10 acres in size. Our cadre of pilots averages more than 15 years of experience in aerial firefighting. In conjunction with the customer, we have developed a 12 to 18 month 鈥渢rain your own鈥� training program for new air tanker pilots.

On the ground, our team brings maintenance experience unmatched in the aerial firefighting industry. We employ FAA-certified airplane and helicopter maintenance technicians specializing in structural repair and modification, electrical troubleshooting, system installation, and aircraft painting, as well as line, intermediate and depot-level maintenance. The team also provides data entry, CAD drafting and ground support equipment personnel.

DynCorp International鈥檚 CAL FIRE program was awarded the prestigious FAA Diamond Award of Excellence in January of 2012 and 2013.

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The increasing complexities of a connected world and persistent federal budgetary pressures call for innovation and a different way of managing complex processes and operations. Processes that involve end-to-end supply chains and inventory control are no exception to that.

To complement our Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions and provide increased value and efficiencies to our customers, we have also applied our Advanced Process Automation capability to this domain. This in turn changes the paradigm of process automation from being a back-office innovation to a mission-oriented one.

爱神传媒鈥檚 Advanced Process Automation capability provides a proven approach to create efficiencies and generate capacity via use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA)/Intelligent Automation technology and a Center of Excellence. We believe the most effective automation solutions are those that complement existing domain expertise, helping streamline and optimize routine business tasks. We seek to apply this capability to strengthen our customers鈥� missions by enhancing the customer experience and improving compliance, standardization, and auditing.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) was recently highlighted in the 鈥淪tate of Federal RPA鈥� report as one of five federal agencies rated at 鈥淟evel 4鈥� RPA maturity (highest is Level 5, with no agencies at that maturity yet). The DLA RPA program has deployed at least 96 automations at the end of FY20. These automations have contributed over 200,000 hours of annualized capacity. It is important to note the DLA tracks hours contributed rather than hours saved, as the employees that previously did the work are still part of the DLA workforce and are redeployed to focus on more complex work. The automations provide benefits across each of DLA鈥檚 five major subordinate commands and seven supply chains.

Other Federal agencies are likewise investing significant resources into RPA solutions, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In each instance, many labor hours are being saved, and staff are able to increase focus on value-added activities.

爱神传媒鈥檚 initiative reflects similar goals. We seek to reduce manual activities where automated processes would reduce or eliminate error-prone, structured processes allowing staff to be freed up for high-value tasks such as process improvements, analysis and decision making. In the context of SCM solutions, this helps us to exceed key metrics, accomplish better vendor management and approval, and improve quality measurements.

For example, 爱神传媒鈥檚 technology office in collaboration with our procurement department, designed and deployed a bot using this capability, powered by our vendor partner UiPath, a leader in Intelligent Automation. The bot automated many repetitive manual steps for supply chain-related web searches. The bot captured results and screenshots, compiled all information into a single report, and stored all artifacts. It interfaced with procurement鈥檚 intranet site for request intake, report uploads and user notifications. It implemented a queuing mechanism, error handling and adjustments to manage the variability in responses and delays from external websites. The solution created value by allowing staff to focus on decision making, introduced process standardization, and improved auditing. Staff managing both subcontractors and vendors were given access to the storage, which acted as a central information repository and helped reduce redundancies.

Additional areas where SCM solutions benefit from automation range from inventory tracking, proactive scheduling of work orders, invoice processing, price/vendor lookups and comparisons, and routing between delivery partners.

Here are a few insights, based on the work we鈥檝e done:
鈥� Re-skilling and training should not be an afterthought. Advances in process automation provide our stakeholders with the ability to have staff re-skilled so that they can focus on other aspects of the business. This needs to be baked into the overall automation planning and development. Once developed, the bots act as digital workers or helpers, which means stakeholders need to be trained on what to expect and how best to use the bots.
鈥� Think resiliency. There is a tradeoff to be made between lean supply chains and resilient supply chains, especially if the latter is built via inventory buffers and alternative partners. This is where automation can potentially shine by collecting data, researching options, and making decisions on-the-fly across the alternatives.
鈥� There is an elegance in simplicity. Bots work well for automating processes with manual tasks that require non-judgmental decisions and have structured steps. Start simple, find the sweet spot of good return on investment first. Think big to unleash the power of artificial intelligence technologies as a path to intelligent automation.

By implementing solutions that will yield continuous improvements and added features in future years, we help our customers also derive nearer term benefits including freeing staff for high-value tasks, improved delivery, error reduction and quality, better compliance and auditing, knowledge management and retention, and transparency in operations. 爱神传媒 strives for excellence via a deep customer focus, discovery, investments in and application of advanced technologies, aligning them with our key customer markets to serve their important missions in a low-risk, agile fashion.

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鈥淧er tradition, Mr. Reynolds received a retardant shower after successfully passing his final certification ride,鈥� said Jeff Cavarra, CAL FIRE program director. 鈥淐ongratulations to Jeff and the eight instructors who worked diligently with him since March of 2019.鈥�

Reynolds is now certified as an Initial Attack Rated Air Tanker Captain and can, if needed, assess and drop on fires even if no other aerial supervision is available on the fire.

爱神传媒 has provided fixed-wing pilots and mechanical staff for fixed wing and rotary aircraft for the State of California鈥檚 aerial firefighting program since 2001. California averages nearly 5,000 wildland fires annually.

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