Jack Surash, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, visited Fort Sill Aug. 18-20.
He said he left feeling re-energized.
He came to assess the condition of Fort Sill’s facilities, infrastructure, ranges and energy programs. He also saw the newest graduates of Basic Combat Training, talked with artillery instructors, and visited on-post housing.
When asked why a garrison needs to be energy efficient, Surash said “We always need to try to get our mission done using the least amount of resources.
“With respect to all things climate change, the end game there is to try to reduce emission of greenhouse gases. One thing we can do at every Army installation is to attempt to use less energy just by doing smart things.”
He said to be more energy efficient requires simple changes such as switching off the lights when leaving a room. He also said performing tasks that require a lot of energy should be done in cooler parts of the day as opposed to the hottest part of the day, or "peak hours."
“It’s harder for the utility companies to provide electricity at that time. If it’s possible to do things such as wash clothes, or run the dishwasher before or after the peak times, that would be better,” he said.
Surash’s tour of post ran the gamut. He stopped by different motor pools, Snow Hall, Summerall Hall and also visited the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense General Instruction Facility.
“We’ve really got to care about our people. That, to me means we have to have quality facilities," said Surash.
He said the more energy efficient a building is, the more the Army has funds to make the facility better for Soldiers to accomplish the mission,
Fort Sill leaders were able to show Surash some of the environment and energy initiatives that are already in place across post such as touchless water refill stations, cardboard recycling bins, and solar and automated lights.
“We always like to show off the great things that are going on here at Fort Sill and what the Garrison and installation team does. This was another opportunity to do that,” said Col. Rhett Taylor, Fort Sill Garrison commander. “Mr. Surash’s insights from Army for Installations, Energy and Environment really helped us see ourselves in a different light — where we are doing well and areas we could improve in the future.”
People first
When asked what left the biggest impression on him during his trip, Surash said it was his stop at the School Age Center.
“I was very impressed by the couple of folks that I met there that were very motivated and excited about the mission that they do. That was really great to see because taking care of people is very important, but it’s e
specially important to take care of our youth,” said Surash.
Julia Sibilla, Fort Sill Garrison deputy commander, was not surprised by his response.
“We wanted to show Mr. Surash not only what was being done on Fort Sill, but really show him the people who were making it all happen. Sometimes we forget that it is the individuals who make a place what it is. I think we succeeded in highlighting Fort Sill’s best asset: our people."
Social Sharing