F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Picture this. You walk into your building, turn on the lights, and BAM! A pigeon flies up in your face and wildly flaps all around the office. Who do you call? The pest management section of course.
Some of the animals seen on base may seem harmless, but they can seriously impede mission success. The personnel at pest management take necessary actions to rid the base of pest infestations.
“We do so many different things for the base and an example is controlling the rabbit population,” said Airman 1st Class Sojourner Love, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron pest management journeyman. “They can chew on wires or set off alarms, which can affect operations.”
Love mentioned that she has gained a new perspective and appreciation for the impact her job has on the base. Though she didn’t choose this career field, she has learned a lot and takes pride in doing well with every task she’s given.
“Before this job, I didn’t know much about animals and how they could harm me in terms of diseases,” Love said. “Now I’ve gained so much knowledge and it’s a good feeling to know that we play an essential role in keeping people safe so the mission can continue.”
A normal day for pest management consists of fulfilling job orders. This can be anything from pulling weeds out at a missile alert facility to helping to remove bats from the museum.
“When we moved into our new building, we had over 100 bats living in here,” said Paula Taylor, base museum director. “Thankfully, pest management developed a way to get them out and cover the holes so they couldn’t get back in. I haven’t seen one bat in five years. They really are invaluable to this base.”
Love’s supervisor emphasized her drive to balance her duties at work with taking multiple college classes and volunteering. She is the food facility inspection lead and respiratory program manager.
“When Love first arrived here, we both knew that this job was not what she had in mind, said Staff Sgt. Mark Hibdon, 90th CES pest management supervisor. “Our job can be gross at times, but she takes pride in accomplishing every task and has a positive attitude, which really sets her apart.”
To sum it all up, pest management is basically a behind the scenes entity that fights off the forces of disease and infestation to keep us all safe.