WIESBADEN, Germany -- Jack Galloway frequently forgoes his 20-minute commute to the office and spends hours traveling to remote project sites in Eastern Europe and Africa. His eighth-floor cubicle is often empty. As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District special projects team lead, Galloway oversees projects funded by U.S. European and Africa Commands for humanitarian assistance, counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations, and exercise-related construction.
Galloway's projects span from Botswana to Latvia. This year, he's made multiple trips to Kuldiga, a western Latvian town near the Baltic Sea, to manage a humanitarian-assistance project there -- the Kurzeme Regional Dispatch Center.
Latvian and U.S. officials opened the dispatch center, set to serve more than 262,000 citizens, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 20 in Kuldiga. Although Galloway was not present, Latvian State Emergency Medical Service officials honored him with a Certificate of Appreciation. Galloway was praised for his investment in the development of Latvia's state emergency medical services and improvement of emergency medical assistance provided to its people, according to the certificate.
"We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Jack Galloway for his personal commitment to this project," said Armands Plorins, the Latvian state EMS director. "He has shown a great understanding of the needs of the EMS. I sincerely believe his help in this project made it the real success story we are so proud of."
The renovation project transformed a dilapidated Soviet-era hospital building into a modern emergency dispatch center. The fully renovated center features a gabled roof; insulated roof and facade; new electrical, water, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; backup power; and a new interior complete with dispatching and training areas, lockers and showers, administrative offices, ambulance bays and a kitchen.
Galloway was disappointed to miss the official opening, he said.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of this project. I wish I was there to accept the certificate and let the Latvian EMS know it wasn't just me -- there was a whole team of USACE professionals who supported the project," he said.
Galloway, who joined Europe District in 2012, stepped in to manage the construction contract shortly after it was awarded to SIA Koger Vide, a Latvian contractor. He inherited the project and quickly learned the peculiarities of local construction practices and regulations, said Gunita Migliniece, a program assistant at U.S. Embassy Riga's Office of Defense Cooperation.
"Jack stepped in when the project was at a critical point and instead of looking for problems, he looked for solutions," Migliniece said. "He's an extremely knowledgeable engineer."
Thanks to the work of Galloway and the entire project delivery team, Kurzeme emergency fire and rescue dispatchers and responders have a state-of-the-art facility. According to Latvian officials, the newly renovated center will enable better communication, shortened response times and faster access to ambulances.
Emergency services are really essential services, Galloway said.
"As you cut down the time of response to accidents, more lives are saved," he said. "It was really nice to be part of a project that was so central for so many people, so important for the Latvians."
Kurzeme dispatchers receive more than 47,000 requests for medical assistance annually, according to state EMS officials. The center is responsible for personnel, logistics and supplies in support of 25 emergency-responder brigades in 15 locations dispersed throughout the region.
Prior to construction completion, Kurzeme EMS personnel were scattered throughout the Kuldiga hospital campus. Administrative and medical personnel were located on different hospital floors, adding response time to patient emergencies, Plorins said.
"The new building creates synergy by locating all dispatching and emergency service personnel together," he said. "The premises also include adequate medical equipment storage rooms, enabling us to refill equipment faster. A new study hall will be used for EMS training and a garage for placement of ambulances."
What has been built is extraordinary, Galloway said.
"It is a place where people will want to come to work," he said. "You want that for emergency call dispatchers -- you want them to be happy where they are and not be miserable."
The project took more than a year and a half to complete. During the life of the project, Galloway was responsible for interfacing with and meeting the requirements of many stakeholders. He was able to satisfy the needs of all with limited money and within the contract parameters, said Bill Kowalewski, the Europe District regional program manager for EUCOM.
"Jack is a master at listening to the needs of project stakeholders, contractors and end users, and finding workable solutions," Kowalewski said. "He is truly gifted in explaining complex technical and contracting requirements to non-engineer audiences and securing their buy-in on solutions."
Despite the completion of the Kurzeme Dispatch Center, Galloway's workload remains heavy. One recently awarded Latvian state EMS project, funded by EUCOM's Civic Engagement Program, will begin construction in November, and another has been in progress for a year. Galloway is managing both the newly awarded vehicle maintenance garage at Riga Regional Management and Dispatch Center and the reconstruction of Krasts Brigade Support Center.
Kowalewski says Galloway will continue to deliver successful projects in Latvia and elsewhere because he is able to resolve technical, contractual, financial and interpersonal issues that arise during construction.
"He's a highly skilled engineer making tough decisions on design-build contracts across Europe and Africa," Kowalewski said.
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