MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION

center personnel routinely make copies of AMCROSS messages for the office of the chaplain or executive officer. At this point, the RP staff is required to take action. As soon as the service member is informed of the contents of the AMCROSS message, usually by the chaplain, the division officer and/or department head should be informed so that emergency leave arrangements can be granted by the command. The RP can speed up this process by coordinating with the personnel office. A ser- vice member aboard a ship at sea may not be able to depart immediately; however, commanding officers normally will make every effort to get the individual home as quickly as possible. When there is a delay in departure, a message will be sent giving an estimated time of departure and arrival of the service member. A tickler file should be constructed for the sole purpose of handling AMCROSS messages. Copies of all messages received or sent in this instance should be kept in a tickler file until after the mem- ber returns to the command. The chaplain will usually want to check with the member after the emergency leave period to ascertain whether addi- tional help is needed. In some cases the emergency leave situation may have a serious impact on the family status of the service member. This situation at home may necessitate a request for a humani- tarian transfer or even a hardship discharge from the military service. The RP staff member may not be directly involved in such requests, but should be able to instruct the person as to the procedure to be followed in such cases. Specific information concerning the humanitarian transfer is found in the Enlisted Transfer Manual (NAVPERS 15909), chapter 18. Details for requesting a hardship dis- charge are found in the Naval Military Per- sonnel Manual, Article 3850120. RPs should also be familiar with chapter 5 of RP 3 & 2, module 1, Personnel Support, NET 287-01-45-82, which also provides guidance on this subject. COMMAND RELIGIOUS PROGRAM EQUIPMENT The Command Religious Program usually operates with the basic equipment, such as typewriters, tape recorders, copy machines, and audiovisual equipment. In the future, many com- mands will acquire word processing equipment to support the Command Religious Program. Personnel who use assigned equipment must assume responsibility for its routine maintenance and cleanliness. However, RP personnel should not attempt to make major repairs to equipment. Such simple procedures as adding toner or paper to the copy machine and changing the type- writer ribbon are considered normal office func- tions. Even in carrying out these simple tasks, the RP should refer to the appropriate instruction sources for information about routine care of the equipment. EQUIPMENT FAILURE/BREAKDOWN Few pieces of equipment will operate continu- ously over a long period of time without having some temporary or permanent breakdown. Most equipment requires routine maintenance to pre- vent premature failure and to extend the life of the equipment. Equipment has limited or no usefulness if it is not operating properly. Therefore, every effort should be made to reduce or eliminate as much downtime of assigned equipment as possible. MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION In today’s Navy, the proper documentation of all actions involving the spending of defense dollars is required. Equipment may range in cost from a few pennies to several million dollars. The efficient, safe operation and maintenance of all assigned equipment is the inherent responsibility of every military member. Equipment repair beyond the capabilities or authorization of the RP staff, or buildings/ grounds upkeep beyond routine maintenance functions creates the need for maintenance by others. In such cases maintenance may be con- ducted by the local public works center (PWC) or the work maybe consigned to nongovernment agencies who contract with the Navy. In such cases documentation of the need for maintenance must be submitted on appropriate maintenance request forms. For example, if aboard ship the space heating unit in the office of the chaplain becomes inoper- able, the leading RP should submit an OPNAV 4790/2K to the repair office to request repairs. Specific guidance for completing each book on this form is contained in OPNAVINST 4790 series. Figure 3-9 shows a sample OPNAV 4790/2K. Activities ashore normally use NAVFAC 9-11014/TF-1 as the standard maintenance docu- ment. Unlike shipboard maintenance and repair, where crew members perform most of the tasks, shore activities often depend upon the public sec- tor for maintenance and repair contracts. Figure 3-10 shows a sample of NAVFAC 9-11014/TF-1. 3-21