MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala.  –   The Maxwell Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering flight is working behind the scenes to optimize its processes while continuing to protect the health and readiness of personnel and their families at Maxwell and Gunter. 

The flight's main function is industrial hygiene, which involves identifying and managing workplace hazards to prevent potential harm. They are responsible for monitoring 27 industrial shops on base assessing everything from air quality to chemical exposure. 

“We are checking pretty much everything in their work areas to make sure that they are safe when they're on the job,” said Breana Quimby, Maxwell Medical Group bio environmental engineering technician. “We are assessing what their exposure exactly is and then we're providing them information of what kind of protection equipment they need.” 

They also safeguard the quality of drinking water for personnel residing and working on base, which is vital to sustaining operational readiness. In addition to supporting personnel, their efforts ensure that families and the wider base community have access to safe, clean water. 

“If our warfighters or Airmen are not healthy, they're not ready, and they're not capable to deploy,” said Tech. Sgt. Hector Mendez-Chavez, Maxwell Medical Group BEE flight chief. “A healthy water system ensures that the personnel drinking it are healthy as well.” 

To optimize their mission, the flight has been integrating more modern technology, including a new air sampler that allows the flight to streamline their testing. 

“In the past, we had to have different air samplers for each low, medium and high flow,” said Quimby. “Now, we have air samplers that just do it all, and it helps us so we don’t have to take as much equipment into the field.” 

The role of the bioenvironmental engineering team has changed recently from an emergency response role to an advisory role to aid various agencies on base.  

“We used to be initial responders. Now we're taking more of a step back,” said Mendez-Chavez. “And what we are now are advisers to the fire department, emergency management and security forces personnel.” 

This shift allows the BEE flight to provide expert recommendations on protective equipment and safe actions to a broader range of on-scene personnel. 

While most of what the BEE flight does remains unseen by most Airmen, they continue to drive readiness by safeguarding long-term health through proactive hazard assessments 

“A lot of people's first and only interaction with us is gas masks,” said Mendez-Chavez. “But we have a full suite of things that we do as well and I'm always happy and willing to educate and let the people know what we do and how we do it.”