An ordinary day at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) took a dramatic turn when a 28-year-old employee suffered a cardiac emergency, but thanks to his supervisor's swift and potentially life-saving intervention, he is back to his normal self.

In the early morning hours of June 18, hazardous waste disposer Gannon Plouff began experiencing chest pains, increased heart rate and shortness of breath while working in the facility. This was not the first cardiac event Plouff had faced; he has suffered from a history of various heart conditions in the past. 

“When I woke up that morning, everything seemed normal until, out of nowhere, my heart’s rhythm started beating abnormally,” said Plouff. “It had done this plenty of times before and since I felt fine, I assumed it would go back to normal like it usually does.” 

A short while later, his symptoms returned as he was working in the facility, marking the start of a cardiac emergency. 

“While at work a couple hours later, I felt a flutter in my chest and my heart’s rhythm became very irregular,” said Plouff. “I knew something was wrong.” 

Upon hearing of Plouff’s symptoms, his supervisor, Compliance and Quality Operations Branch Supervisor Richard Johnston, sprang into action. 

“When Plouff told me he was having some tightness in his chest, I immediately told him to come back to the office because I knew it could get worse very fast,” said Johnston. “I called 9-1-1, grabbed the AED (automated external defibrillator) and tried to help him stay calm. By the time the paramedics got Plouff on the gurney and in the ambulance, he was experiencing atrial fibrillation. They had to shock him.” 

Paramedics got to work on Plouff immediately upon arriving to the depot. According to Plouff, his heart rate accelerated to about 250 beats per minute.  

“The medics put me in the back of the ambulance and gave me some medication to slow down my heart rate, but it didn’t work,” said Plouff. “They hooked me up to something like an AED and shocked me to lower my dangerously high heart rate. Thankfully, that worked, because once you hit 300 beats per minute, that’s when you’re at risk for heart failure.

“The worst part was when the paramedics had to shock me,” Plouff continued. “They didn’t get the chance to knock me out; I was awake for all of it. My vision started going in and out and I honestly thought I was dying. All I could think about was my wife and kids.” 

Plouff said it was the actions of his supervisor that saved his life.  

“I want to thank my boss for acting so quickly to get me an ambulance,” said Plouff. “I had already informed my boss of my heart history and he told me his son has gone through something similar, so he knew what do to.” 

Following his cardiac event, Plouff has been focusing on his recovery and spending time with his family in Texas, where his wife recently gave birth to their second child. Plouff said if he could share a piece of advice with his coworkers, it would be to listen to their bodies and support each other in the workplace.  

“I really want to share my story because, if something doesn’t feel right, it’s better to be safe than sorry,” said Plouff. “I’m grateful to still be alive because I have kids to take care of. We just had our second child. Make sure you get help before it’s too late.

“Make sure you look out for your coworkers,” Plouff continued. “My trainer, Gram Dixon, noticed I was acting different that day. He encouraged me to let our boss know what was going on, so a big thanks goes out to both my supervisor and trainer for looking out for me.”

For his actions, Johnston was presented with the FRCE Aviation Safety Professional of the Quarter award. FRCE Executive Officer Randy Berti said in emergency situations like this, every second counts. 

“The health and safety of our employees is our number one priority here at FRC East,” said Berti. “We are incredibly thankful for Mr. Johnston’s quick thinking and rapid response, which likely saved Mr. Plouff’s life. It is a testament to the success of our emergency response training and addition of AEDs throughout the facility. He is very deserving of this recognition” 

FRCE works to provide its workforce with lifesaving knowledge and skills in the form of training in first aid, CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). AEDs are portable, life-saving devices designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.  

Since 2023, FRCE’s Safety and Occupational Health Division has installed 85 new AEDs to the facility’s site at Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point, New River and Beaufort, and the Global TransPark in Kinston. As a result of this recent occurrence, the depot has further enhanced emergency preparedness by equipping the facility’s security vehicles with AEDs, as they are often one of the first to arrive on scene.  

Knowing how to recognize the signs of cardiac distress is imperative in the event of an emergency. According to The American Heart Association, common symptoms include chest pressure or pain; shortness of breath; discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach; cold sweat; and nausea or lightheadedness. Contact emergency services immediately if experiencing symptoms of cardiac distress.

Johnston said he was thankful for the training he’d received on how to respond in emergency situations like this because; without that knowledge, the outcome could have been very different.

“As a supervisor, it’s important to get to know your team,” said Johnston. “I have a tight bond with my whole shop. It allows them to trust and count on me to look out for them and act in their best interest. Health conditions and events like this one are often spontaneous, so you have to stay vigilant. At the end of the day, we are a family working together to accomplish the same goal.”

FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently welcomed a group of Craven County school teachers to the depot as a part of an externship program focused on increasing student preparation for careers in industry.

Four Craven County teachers participated in the five-day long program, which allowed the teachers to immerse themselves in FRCE’s operations by touring the depot and gaining in-depth insight from individuals working in a wide range of career fields.

FRCE K-12 STEM Education Outreach Coordinator Michelle Smith said the externship showcases the depot’s many career opportunities and pathways to local teachers and, through them, area students.

“As Eastern North Carolina’s largest employer – one that is continuously growing, I might add – supporting programs such as the teacher externship is essential for FRC East,” said Smith. “Raising awareness amongst local teachers will allow them to reach more students than we ever could alone. That helps ensure we will have the skilled and motivated workforce we need to support the depot’s future workload, contribute to the community and support the fleet.”  

FRCE has participated in the Craven County teacher externship program since 2015 as a way to promote and enhance science, technology, engineering and math education in the local community. Smith said the externship sessions focus on connecting local teachers with the command’s workforce so they can develop teaching plans that support the education needed to fill the technical careers at the depot.

“This program’s intent is to provide teachers with workforce development information and strategies for local opportunities that they can then share with their students,” said Smith. “With this, teachers can set their students up for success by helping them better understand local career opportunities and paths they can take to achieve their goals.”

Innovation Lead for the Advanced Technology and Innovation Team Randall Lewis, said during their time at FRCE, the teachers toured various production and engineering areas. Lewis, who oversees the STEM Outreach Team, also said the teachers had in-depth conversations with many FRCE professionals to help them better understand the depot’s varied career opportunities.

“We want them to see all aspects of working at FRC East,” said Lewis. “We have a huge variety of jobs here and we want the educators to be well-informed when they leave. We try to maximize their time and give them exposure to everything from engineering to logistics. They get to see the production lines and engineering shops, as well as some of the other divisions such as Training, Information Technology and Cyber Security. We try to give them a complete snapshot of all that is offered at FRC East because that's what is most beneficial for their kids when they go back.”

For many of the educators, the introduction to the variety of specialties found at FRCE was eye opening. FRCE’s workforce consists of more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers whose jobs cover a broad range of career fields.

“One of the main things I’ve seen during our time here is how many different types of jobs there are at FRC East,” said Michelle Roderick, Spanish teacher at Havelock High School. “We have visited with so many people and it’s given us an extensive overview of the organization and its many opportunities. And to know that you can be a civilian working in all these high-paying, important jobs without having to join the military is wonderful.”

Roderick also noted how the up close and personal look at the depot also provided a better understanding of the broad skill sets needed in an industry workplace such as FRCE.

“I’ve enjoyed hearing about the different skills they are looking for directly from the employees themselves,” said Roderick. “They emphasized how even though a lot of FRC East is very STEM-oriented, it’s still just as important for students to have skills outside of science, technology, engineering and math, like communication, technical writing and even public speaking.”

Desiree Jones, multi-tiered system of support teacher at Tucker Creek Middle School, said her time at FRCE is something she plans to take back to her classroom and share with her students.

“As an intervention teacher, many of my students do not end up going to college,” said Jones. “Now, we can go to our students and say hey, these are the places you can go for a career – not just a job, but a career – without having to go to college.”

Michael Leyland, media coordinator at Grover C. Fields Middle School, said the various career opportunities offered at FRCE gave him hope for his students’ futures.

“There are so many opportunities here for different types of people with different skill sets,” said Leyland. “Now that we have been exposed to all that FRC East has to offer, we can share what we have seen and learned about jobs and career pathways with our students. I think there’s power and hope in that.”

Smith said FRCE’s participation in the externship program is just one example of the depot’s extensive STEM education and outreach efforts, all of which focus on engaging, inspiring and educating students from Eastern North Carolina, while also highlighting the wide range of career opportunities available at FRCE.

“Not everyone knows about FRC East,” said Smith. “People may know someone who works here but they often don’t know what we do here. Outreach efforts like the teacher externship have allowed us to change that by speaking directly with our community. The work the depot does is important, so we want to make sure people know who we are and what we do. By keeping local students interested and involved, we hope they’ll consider joining the FRC East team when they start choosing their career paths.”

Lewis explained that the command is continuously expanding its outreach efforts as they have proven to produce positive results for FRCE.

“Our education and outreach program is constantly growing and evolving, and it’s exciting,” said Lewis. “The program’s growth allows us to build and maintain our quality workforce, and effectively support the warfighter. It takes effort but, in the end, it’s worth it when we see students who visited us years back in high school working in our labs or on our production lines.

“It’s all about the future and being able to grow a high-quality workforce of students interested in living and working in Eastern North Carolina,” Lewis continued. “We want students that are interested to know there is a potential career for them here in Eastern North Carolina.”

FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

More than 1,000 visitors had the chance to explore cutting-edge technology during a recent industry showcase event geared toward solving challenges faced in the military aviation maintenance community.

Hosted by the Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Tech Bridge in partnership with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) and Craven County, the NCMS Technology Showcase held July 16-17 at the Riverfront Convention Center of in New Bern featured almost 50 organizations presenting their newest innovations.

According to ENC Tech Bridge Director Jamaine Clemmons, the event was designed to allow stakeholders at all levels of the aviation maintenance enterprise to explore new industry products and have face-to-face conversations with the developers. This type of intentional connection can help drive the innovation that finds new uses for existing products or improves the development of technology in ways that make it beneficial to national defense efforts, he said.

“We have problems that need to be solved, and we work with industry and academia on how to solve these issues,” Clemmons explained. “Events like this technology showcase allow us to work on getting next-generation solutions into the hands of our warfighters, as well as our maintainers at our military aviation depots and shipyards.

“The type of collaboration that takes place during these events allows the ENC Tech Bridge to support the rapid development, testing and fielding of solutions that will enhance the mission readiness throughout the Naval Aviation Enterprise,” he continued. “Building these partnerships helps facilitate an environment that encourages innovation and the development of advanced technology, and that’s a win-win for these exhibitors and the Navy.”

Fleet Readiness Center East Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont said he was impressed by the variety of technologies on display during the event, and was optimistic that the interaction between attendees and exhibitors would lead to positive developments.

“Finding innovative solutions to support our maintenance operations and our forward-deployed service members is a high priority for FRC East,” Belmont said. “It’s such an important part of what we do that we brought in hundreds of our depot’s workforce to interact with these exhibitors and see how these solutions can help improve our operations, from the highest levels of our leadership to our artisans who turn wrenches on the hangar deck, engineers, logisticians and even high school interns.”

The event came about as the result of growth that has been under way since the ENC Tech Bridge launched in early 2022, and was the Tech Bridge’s largest event to date.

“It has been gratifying to watch the Tech Bridge grow from an idea into a reality, and this tech showcase is just the next step in building an ecosystem of innovation that can speed solutions to our nation’s warfighters,” said Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Engineering Group Head Mark Meno, who attended the showcase. “Events like this allow our enterprise artisans, engineers and support staff to see firsthand the emerging technology these small businesses bring to the table allows them to investigate potential uses for new equipment from a broad perspective.

“An aircraft maintainer, for instance, might have different ideas than an engineer of how a tool could be used to improve maintenance and repair operations, or consider modifications to an existing technology that could make it useful in a manner the manufacturer hadn’t yet considered,” he continued. “Having the opportunity to get all of these groups together is a really effective way to create the collaboration that drives innovation adoption of new technology, while helping our Sailors and Marines maintain the technological superiority they need to fight and win. That’s very exciting.”

Providing a venue in which those types of collaborations can begin is one of the reasons NCMS hosts technology showcase events at U.S. military facilities around the globe, said Debbie Lilu, NCMS vice president of maintenance and sustainment business development.

“NCMS was thrilled to facilitate connections between members of our trusted network of technology solution providers and the Fleet Readiness Center East and ENC Tech Bridge stakeholders,' she said. 'NCMS has established our technology showcases because we recognize that effective solutions grow out of such opportunities for dynamic idea sharing. We stand ready to assist as new collaborations formed through this event work toward demonstrating, validating, and implementing critically needed sustainment innovations.' 

The ENC Tech Bridge works to bridge the gap between the Navy and nontraditional partners like small businesses, academia and nonprofits by building an ecosystem of innovation that supports the Navy and Marine Corps. Local Tech Bridge efforts focus on several areas of consideration, including manufacturing and repair technologies; advanced manufacturing; big data, data analytics and visualization; technical insertion; augmented and mixed reality; automation and robotics; soft and wicked problem solving; and workforce development. The ENC Tech Bridge operates in conjunction with a partnership between FRCE and Craven County.

The NCMS Technology Showcase was the first collaborative business development event between Craven County and the ENC Tech Bridge, and gives the county the opportunity to support research, education and industry growth in the county along with Tech Bridge initiatives, said Craven County Economic Development Director Jeff Wood.

“This event underscores the fruitful collaboration between Craven County and the Eastern North Carolina Tech Bridge,' Wood said. “It highlights the pivotal role of our partnership to accelerate technology transfer and foster new opportunities within the aerospace defense sector.'

As part of the NavalX network, 19 Tech Bridges aim to make connections between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process. The Tech Bridge framework allows the Navy to collaborate with nontraditional partners and accelerate the innovation timeline in ways that traditional acquisition methods do not. This structure eases the collaboration process and allows the Navy to leverage the speed and efficiency improvements these nontraditional partners have experienced in recent years, ultimately putting assets in the hands of the nation’s warfighters significantly faster, at a more economical rate.

“The future starts here,” Clemmons said. “It starts with industry and innovation, and how we collaborate to solve these problem sets and bridge the gap between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process, so they can help us develop solutions for our warfighters.

“This is how we get to a posture where we’re ready to fight tomorrow’s wars, today,” he continued. “When the call comes, it starts with technology, and how our service men and women can use that technology to come home safely.”

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently achieved a significant production milestone by eliminating high-priority backorders for auxiliary power units (APU) used in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, bolstering the platform’s mission readiness.

Challenges related to the availability of parts and materials used in the APU threatened to keep a number of the Navy’s Super Hornets on the ground and led to a number of high-priority backorders known as Issue Priority Group 1 (IPG-1).

Scott Barry, the co-lead for the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office’s (PMA-265) Propulsion and Power Integrated Project Team, credited FRCE with working quickly to increase production throughput of the APUs, cutting down on backorders.

“By looking at innovative ways on expediting part deliveries, reviewing current inspection methods by engineers and increasing efficiencies in processes, FRCE eliminated IPG-1s within a staggering 12-month time frame,” said Barry. “This ensured that the Super Hornet is ready to fight tonight and enabled the Fleet to perform their mission.”

PMA-265 is responsible for acquiring, delivering and sustaining the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, ensuring mission success for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators, as well as international partners. The Super Hornet is designed to meet current Navy fighter mission requirements, maintain Fleet air defense and close air support, and increase mission range.

Working closely with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), FRCE exceeded PMA-265’s production expectations, building more APUs than requested and providing assets to fill critical requirements.

“The Super Hornets are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s carrier air wing,” said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James Belmont. “Ensuring they are mission ready is a top priority. Everyone involved was committed to providing the warfighters with the APUs they needed. Working together with our partners like this, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome.”

An APU is a gas turbine engine that serves as an independent power source for the aircraft. Although separate from the main engines, it is a key component that provides supplementary power while the aircraft is on the ground and during some phases of flight.

To ensure the availability of APUs for the Super Hornet, an integrated product team of experts from FRCE, PMA-265, DLA and NAVSUP was formed.

“This was a very tight team,” said FRCE Components Division Director Lenny Domitrovits. “Everything was being expedited. We were facing the challenge of increasing depot repair throughput despite supply constraints, and we needed to do this as quickly as possible. It was a massive effort.”

One major part of this effort involved ensuring an adequate supply of the parts needed to repair and overhaul an APU. According to Sean Doss, a component planner in FRCE’s Centralized Coordination Department, there are more than 540 parts listed on the Super Hornet APU’s bill of materials.

“A bill of material is basically a listing of all the parts necessary to make a component whole after rework,” said Doss. “We have every part listed so we know exactly how many parts it's going to take to rework a component. You might not need every part, but every part needs to be listed on the bill. This way we know exactly what is needed if we had to replace every single part.”

Domitrovits credited DLA with providing FRCE’s artisans with the parts necessary to rework the APUs despite limited time constraints.

“DLA really came through,” Domitrovits said. “It was a herculean effort on their part.”

Barry also cited the close collaboration between FRCE and DLA as playing a crucial role in putting overhauled APUs in stock and keeping the Super Hornet flying.

“FRCE and DLA teamed together to identify and aggressively attack supply constraints,” said Barry. “They got ahead of this in a high pressure environment, and ultimately, tripled the depot repair throughput.”

In addition to obtaining the necessary parts and materials, the integrated product team also worked to develop and enhance procedures and processes for inducting, reworking and sending out APUs. Engineers, logisticians, and artisans tackled problems ranging from the creation of new tooling and fixtures needed to work on the units to enhancing the efficiency of testing completed components.

“There were a lot of lessons learned and one good one we pulled away from this is empowering each person to come forth with ideas of how to increase efficiency and production in a time of constrained resources,” said Domitrovits.  “Pretty much every area came up with something innovative.”

According to Doss, team members from a variety of disciplines worked together closely and looked beyond their assigned roles to examine the APU repair and overhaul process as a whole.

“There’s that old saying about staying in your swim lane,” said Doss. “We didn't stay in our swim lanes. We're all helping one another to get things done faster, to get these APUs out to the Fleet. If the warfighter needs one now, we would like to be able to push one out now while maintaining the highest quality.

“One thing we continue to concentrate on for this particular product is turnaround time reduction,” Doss continued. “It's a never ending process – always continually improving.”

Artisans working in FRCE’s Engine Driven Compressor and Gas Turbine Shop were tasked with building units for the Super Hornet. To support the needs of the Fleet, the artisans had to drastically increase the number of APUs they built each month.

According to Justin Rimmer, shop supervisor, this involved more than simply building more units. Increasing output meant enhancing work processes as well as utilizing new tools and training new personnel.

“We have some really good artisans who’ve been doing this for a long time and they just hit this out of the park,” said Rimmer. “With so many people building at one time, we had new fixtures and new tooling made to handle the number of units we were producing. We also requested some new employees to build up our staff. Each month we met our numbers and, in many cases, exceeded them.”

Rimmer said his team was able to accomplish this despite the Super Hornet APU workload being just one facet of the shop’s responsibilities.

“We have a schedule we have to meet across the board, not just for that one APU,” said Rimmer. “We also build units for the H-60 Black Hawk helicopter and the legacy Hornet. We just got workload back for the P-3, which has been in sun down for six years. We're also working to stand up capability on the new F-35 turbomachine.

“The artisans in this shop didn’t skip a beat even while standing up these capabilities at the same time as getting this workload out,” Rimmer continued.  “We know where these APUs are going and we want the warfighter to have not only the units they need, but the best units we can send them.”

Domitrovits said this desire to support the warfighter was a driving factor for the entire integrated product team.

“When all the IPG-1s were resolved so far ahead of schedule, it demonstrated how the product team came together and everything came to fruition,” said Domitrovits. “We were able to do things that nobody thought were possible. We had to – this has a direct result on mission readiness. These APUs are going to the Fleet and enabling the warfighter to do their job. That’s what we are here to do.”

FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Learn more at www.navair.navy.mil/frce or https://www.facebook.com/FleetReadinessCenterEast.