Mobile kitchen feeds 500

  • Published
  • By Airman Cody Witsaman
  • 136th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Members of the 136th Force Support Squadron, Services Flight has been handpicked by the National Guard Bureau as the fourth unit to acquire a Babington Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer which arrived here February 22, 2013.

The reputation of the 136th Services Flight as upholding high standards of excellence was a deciding factor in the decision to assign the Babington DRMKT here. As a result of receiving this asset they will now be able to rapidly deploy in support of disaster relief.

"This is an asset we are able to use at any time for disaster relief," said Senior Master Sgt. Edward Walden, 136th Force Support Squadron Services Superintendent. "If the governor calls up and says, there is a forest fire here and we needed to feed a thousand people, than we get the call, and we take it."

The trailer is very effective at deploying quickly and includes many features that allow it to stand out from other disaster relief options on the market.

"The Babington DRMKT represents the state of the art in disaster release support and is the most energy efficient product of its kind on the market," said Bill Hague, Senior Military Advisor for Babington Technology.

"Fully loaded with gasoline and water, the trailer is able to drive down to a location and be ready to serve people within 90 minutes," said Walden.

What makes the Babington DRMKT so efficient is the technology behind it allowing it to feed more than 500 people per hour.

"Babington airtronic burners are the most fuel efficient, clean combustion burners on the market," said Austin Bachmann, director of sales for Babington Technology, Inc. "The airtronic burners inside the trailer are able to burn any fuel."

The Services Squadron was able to serve food to members of the 136th Airlift Wing Feb 23 during a unit training assembly weekend. Two civilian Babington representatives where present helping with the initial set-up process. Not only where they there to supervise, but to work with the Services Squadron to set up a training program for future use.

"This is true to perishable rations, there is no difference between this and what you would find in a dining facility," said Walden.

The different foods served ranged from pancakes to ribs, and was quickly welcomed by the 136th members that happened to spend lunch near the trailer. The capabilities of such an asset is a huge step up from other disaster release options in the market allowing the Services Squadron such a large variety of foods to cook
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"The difference between the Babington DRMKT and a Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen is that a SPEK can only serve heat-to-serve meals," said Walden. "With the Babington DRMKT we can serve perishable foods such as baked chicken. If you want ribs, we can make ribs, if you want eggs to order, we can make eggs to order."

The quality of the Babington DRMKT is very clear. What it is able to provide to disaster stricken areas can be lifesaving; if the technology the trailer comes equipped with doesn't immediately uncover its effectiveness in the field, the food itself will convince anyone that happens to take a bite.