Sierra Leone News : British Engineers Proudly Deliver By British Government through Joint Forces in Sierra Leone Dec 4, 2014
THE Royal Engineers who have deployed on Operation Gritrock in Sierra Leone are now into the final phase of their mission.
This week sees the final 5 British military built Ebola Treatment Centre sites transition into a completion and handover phase. The NGO end users have taken ownership of two ETC sites (Goderich and Hastings) over the weekend and the remaining three sites have handed partial occupancy to their respective NGO’s so that they may begin fitting out buildings. The Goderich site is on the field of Bishop Jane Allen school where Claire Lintern [Mrs Tarawally] taught and close to where she now lives with Mahmoud.
The Royal Engineers from 62 Works Group Royal Engineers, comprising of 522 and 523 Specialist Teams and 34 Field Squadron deployed in late September to Sierra Leone as part of the UK’s response to assisting the government of Sierra Leone; their task was to erect Ebola Treatment Centres in 6 locations.
After a rapid planning and design process co-ordination teams were assigned to their sites. The Royal Engineers supported by Sierra Leonean Armed Forces and Sierra Leonean tradesmen, set about construction with haste.
Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Hatcher, Officer Commanding 62 Works Group Royal Engineers said: “The tenacity and extraordinary dedication of the teams on the sites has meant that we have delivered facilities that would normally take 4 ½ month to build in just 42 days.”
Since being deployed the Engineers have adapted to the evolving situation in country constructing 6 new build Ebola Treatment Centres with a capacity of 600 beds and assisting in the development of a further 400 beds in community care centres. Lt. Col. Hatcher added: “These treatment centres will be at the frontline on the battle against the Ebola Virus Disease. My teams have worked closely with DfID and the NGO community to give them what they need and worked tirelessly, through the rain, mud and humidity, to complete each site in the shortest possible timeframe – I am immensely proud of what they have achieved”.