PREPARING FOR FIELD PARTY’S ESSENTIAL NEEDS

of oil applied after each day’s work before they are stored for the night. Never stow any surveying gear (especially if made of ferrous material) without checking it thoroughly to make sure it is clean and dry—particularly steel tapes. The reason for this is that, in the SEABEEs, we have a multitude of jobs done under variable conditions. Suppose that today you are sent to a job that does not require the same equipment you used yesterday and failed to clean. You are kept on this job for a few days. There is a good chance that the equipment you used the first day will be rusty when you return to use it again. Remember that you are liable for payment for any loss of government property caused by your own negligence. You will be required to sharpen surveying clearing tools, replace any broken handles, especially those on sledgehammers, and do many other things. For delicate equipment, consult the manufacturer’s handbook or other applicable publications before you attempt any servicing or cleaning, and, if necessary, ask your senior EA to explain the correct procedure to follow. PREPARING FOR FIELD PARTY’S ESSENTIAL NEEDS You need to know how to prepare or gather your various needs for the day; for example, stakes, hubs, markers, safety gear, drinking water, and food. The preparation of the list of these things is the responsibility of your party chief; however, everyone in the survey party should review the list to make sure that everything needed for that particular job is there. Remember that you are concerned with the necessary equipment not only for the job, but also for your personal needs, especially if the job is quite a distance from your base camp. In a triangulation survey, for example, your stations are generally situated in remote places. You may be ferried to your station point by helicopter or by some other means, depending on the location and the mode of transportation available. Be sure to take extra drinking water to jobs like this, and DO NOT discard your excess water until you are safely back to your base camp. MAINTAINING FIELD SANITATION In the field, devices necessary for maintaining personal hygiene and field sanitation must be improvised. If you are surveying at a remote location, it is unlikely that you will find a waterborne sewage system available for your use. The usual alternative is digging a “cat hole” about 1 ft deep and covering the feces completely with d i r t. Proper disposal of garbage should also be undertaken during field surveys. Whenever possible, avoid burning dry garbage on site. Disposal bags offer a good means of preventing litter and should be used whenever available. In extremely hot climates, your supply of potable water is expected to run low at a faster rate. To avoid dehydration, you will be required to treat your own water or face infections or diseases, such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid fever. It is imperative that water taken from any source (such as lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds) be properly treated before being used, as all these sources are presumed to be contaminated. To treat water for drinking, you can use either a plastic or aluminum canteen with the water purification compounds available in tablet form (iodine) or in ampule form (calcium hypochlorite). When disinfecting compounds are not available, boiling the water is another method for killing disease-producing organisms. The standard source of information for SEABEEs on field sanitation and personal hygiene is Seabee Combat Handbook, NAVEDTRA 10479-C2, chapter 8. GIVING VEHICLE PRESTART CHECKS AND MAINTAINING VEHICLE OPERATIONS It is likely that the field survey crew will be assigned a vehicle to transport people and equipment to and from the jobsite. Before operating the vehicle, the operator is to give it a prestart check to make sure that it is ready to run. When a vehicle is assigned to you, an operator’s daily preservice maintenance report is issued at the dispatch office. Use this form to record or log items in the vehicle requiring attention as observed during the prestart check and during the working day. Other information, such as mileage readings, operating hours, and fuel consumption may also be required. A complete checklist of the vehicle prestart and operator’s maintenance procedures are described in Equipment Operator 3 & 2, NAV- EDTRA 10640-J1, chapters 2 and 4. 12-32