Changes in Fort Riley barracks program places control at lower echelons

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- They might not have been obvious, but changes have been afoot in how Soldier barracks, or dormitories, are managed and maintained at Fort Riley. Those changes were mandated by the Army's Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, and required all posts to be at Initial Operating Capacity compliance no later than July 31.

Fort Riley has completed the work for IOC compliance and has been so a full month before the July 31 deadline, said James Weaver, area manager for the Army Barracks Management Program, formerly the First Sergeant's Barracks Program.

Control of the day-to-day operations for the facilities will now rest at lower echelons than previously, Weaver said. That will be made easier by the implementation of the enterprise military housing program, or eMH; a program designed for, and first implemented by the U.S. Navy, but thereafter adopted by all other military services, including the Army.

"I used to work with the brigades FSBP teams and together we (the brigades and the Fort Riley garrison) saw to the room assignments, maintenance and performed the inspections," Weaver said. "We (the garrison) will still be here and we'll always be available to assist the Soldiers, but now much of the work previously done by (brigade) FSBP teams will be at the battalion level and below."

For that reason, garrison housing staff have been training Soldiers to accomplish this work. It's no small task, said Weaver, a certified housing inspector.

"You're talking about structures that are essentially fully furnished apartment buildings," he said. "And, they cost between $12 million and $14 million dollars each. So we need to make sure they are well-taken care of."

Soldiers will use eMH, which, according to a story published May 9 on the www.army.mil website, "helps them manage sleeping space or room assignments or terminations, track furnishings, schedule inspections, track maintenance and repair and issue certificates of non-availabilities.

The eMH application also makes it easy to divide the barracks into floors, rooms, and common areas."

All of the barracks room furnishings are bar-code labeled and tracked by buildings and room number in eMH. When a soldier signs for his or her room eMH generates the room hand receipt listing all furnishings for that room. Furnishings that are determined to be fair wear and tear can be direct exchanged at the FMO warehouse, Weaver said.

Users -- Soldiers at the unit level assigned by their leadership -- will be responsible for day-to-day operations and input into eMH, and requests for accounts must be established through our UH team, said Eryk Hayden, housing management specialist, who provides specific training for Soldiers on the program.

"EMH can also create the termination letter that finance needs to help the Soldier complete out processing," Hayden said.

Weaver added that the lowest echelon at Fort Riley now tasked with barracks management is the battalion and company level, usually first sergeants and commanders.

All of this is a major shift from the days when brigades worked directly with Fort Riley garrison staff to manage barracks, Weaver said. The result usually meant a long day for those responsible.

"I used to drive around and physically check all 62 barracks for damages after a big storm," Weaver said. "That is something I will continue to do but we also need the eyes of the command and that of the Soldiers to check for any storm damage."

Small damages and repairs such as patching small holes, spot painting and replacing light bulbs are performed by company R&U Soldiers appointed by their unit leaders. If the work needing be performed is beyond the level of R&U personnel then the unit submits a Demand Maintenance Order to Directorate of Public Works.

According to the May 9 story, the ABMP replaced the First Sergeant's Barracks Program 2020, or FSBP 2020, on Feb. 1, "The new Army Barracks Management Program provides 360 degrees of support," said Shenise Foster, the housing systems program manager with Army's Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, in that story.

"Everybody has ownership in this program. From the Soldier … to the unit commanders and garrison housing offices, all the way up to HQ IMCOM and Department of the Army Headquarters."