Repair and Sustainment of B1252 SERE Dormitory, Fairchild AFB, WA
Building 1252 (B1252) is a three-story structure located on Fairchild Air Force Base, housing the USAF Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) training campus. Sized at approximately 141,676 GSF, the building includes 149 SERE Dormitory rooms and 180 Air Force Inn rooms. The facility was completed in 1991 and although it has received a few small repair projects it had not been significantly renovated since it was constructed.
Our team completed a full condition assessment of B1252, including evaluation of HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical systems as well as a full hazardous materials evaluation. We provided three courses of action for the renovation and modernization of B1252, to include more energy efficient, higher performance and sustainable systems. We brought the selected option through complete programming documents as required for a future Design-Bid-Build project to renovate the facility. The purpose of the survey was to better define the nature and extent of hazardous building materials that may been countered during renovation activities. Hazardous materials encountered during renovation activities may require special handling, disposal, or worker safety precautions. Our team collected samples for laboratory analysis of asbestos and lead and inspected for visual indications of other hazardous materials, such as mercury- and polychlorinated biphenyl-containing (PCB-containing) materials.
Field activities were scheduled to minimize the impact to the users of the complex. 551 samples of building materials were collected using procedures prescribed by the AHERA regulation and local clean air agency. The samples were analyzed for the presence of asbestos using polarized light microscopy (PLM) using a laboratory accredited by the Department of Defense Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (DoD-ELAP). ACMs identified by sample results included mastic behind mirrors. ACM identified as suspected to contain asbestos (but not verified because sampling would have damaged the material), included fire door cores, air-handling units, and electrical panels.
Our team collected 32 paint chip samples of paints encountered in the complex. The paint chips samples were analyzed for lead content by a DoD-ELAP accredited laboratory. Results of the paint chip analysis were used to identify lead that may become airborne during demolition and thin, low-density materials that may require special handling, disposal, or worker safety precautions. Several paints were identified with concentrations of lead.
