An Cosantóir

| 13 Ireland it has to go to them first before it goes out on the floor. Breaking down far away from camp is something that no driver wants to happen. ���When large convoys leave camp, such as to Beirut, a fitter travels with them,��� Lt McKewon told us. ���If there���s a problem the fitter can���t solve we have a recovery team with an armoured 8x8 MAN ���Beast��� on standby 24/7.��� During 106 Inf Bn���s tour of duty the team carried out 44 vehicle recoveries. These included helping out several other contingents that do not have a heavy-vehicle recovery capability. Two such incidents involved a Malaysian APC that had overturned, injuring several personnel, and a Finnish Pasi APC that broke down near a minefield. The real skill in recovery is the individual operator���s ability to assess how to recover the vehicle while ensuring no further damage is done to the vehicle or injury to personnel. Lt McKewon explained that rank doesn���t come into it when operating the Beast. ���If you have the course done you are in charge,��� he said. ���I went out one of the times we helped the Malaysians and on that occasion Pte Dan Foley was in charge as he had the advanced course done and we were operating in a local village with a lot of people gathered around the scene, including members of the LAF.��� ���I had to explain to a Malaysian major at the scene that it was ok; that Dan was in charge,��� Lt McKewon recalled with a chuckle. ���Later, we received a letter from the Malaysian battalion com- mander thanking us for the assistance, which was great for the guys. The skillset they have is phenomenal.��� Engineering Platoon Another small unit with a big impact is Engineering Platoon. They have many responsibilities including camp construction and maintenance, water purification, and engineer specialist search and clearance (ESSC). The running of Camp 245 is a 24/7 job and the platoon���s main priorities are water and power. Eng Pl has to put the millions of litres that Tpt Pl brings in through the water purification system, providing clean water for drinking and ablutions. The platoon is also responsible for the generators, which are kept running 24/7. Their regular purr is a good indicator that the air conditioning system in your room will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. ���One of the big challenges for us with 107 Inf Bn is making Camp 245 a bit more comfortable,��� said Capt Tom McNally. ���It wasn���t the smoothest ride down here from Camp 6-5 for the accommodation units and many of them will need to be waterproofed. There are a few other things we have to do around the camp as well, such as street lighting: every little bit helps.��� Eng Pl���s ESSC teams, trained to detect mines, IEDs, and UXO, all of which are an ever-present danger in South Lebanon, are always on www.military.ie the defence forces magazine

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