The U.S. Army has formed a nationwide task force focused on HVAC upgrades after broken air conditioning left several rooms at Fort Carson at 90 degrees.
Here's what to know
The new HVAC Task Force aims to strengthen heating and cooling systems across Army posts to prevent similar situations in the future, according to KRDO. The task force was announced one month after the network reported on the severe heat at Fort Carson in Colorado.
One soldier, who asked to remain anonymous, said, "It's physically impossible to try and sleep in your room at those temperatures."
Soldiers used Hots&Cots — a review platform similar to Yelp for military installations — to publicize the Fort Carson conditions.
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More background
Rob Evans, founder of Hots&Cots, said, "We saw here at Fort Carson, soldiers sleeping in their cars because the AC was out."
Evans told KRDO that the new task force suggests the Army now views the Fort Carson complaints as a serious issue.
Evans blamed aging infrastructure, saying, "In a lot of these facilities, these chiller units are very old," adding, "It's hard to get parts. A couple weeks ago, I had three different installations reach out to me to let me know they were having AC issues."
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Hots&Cots has logged no recent air-conditioning outage reports from Colorado military installations.
What's being done?
Evans said people who report these problems often have little visibility into what happens after their concerns escalate, so the task force announcement is promising for service members with concerns.
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While the task force is an encouraging development, Evans also stated, "Being optimistic is good. But, I still think we need to hold them accountable. And we should be calling for transparency to see what comes out of this task force."
Where can I learn more?
HVAC breakdowns, extreme heat, and aging infrastructure are becoming increasingly common.
• At five U.S. Army bases, electrifying changes to their installations are boosting grid reliability.
• On the year's hottest day, an HVAC tech spotted the no-cooling culprit in plain sight.
• In the U.S., an HVAC apprentice warned that the refrigerants that techs vent causes major climate damage.
• Across more than 200 U.S. military bases, leaching forever chemicals threatens nearby drinking water.
• Rescue helicopter pilots say extreme summer temperatures are increasingly affecting emergency missions.
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