Military members and families moving to an overseas assignment can count on one thing: waiting on their household goods to catch up with them.
The Baumholder Furnishings Management Office comes to the rescue of unaccompanied and accompanied Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and their families every day.
“We provide furniture and appliances to Soldiers and families in barracks, family housing and off-post rental units,” said Kristjan Poellu, FMO Baumholder supervisor. “We’re also responsible for repairing those items and exchanging broken items.”
The warehouse contains between 6,000-12,000 pieces of furniture depending on how much of it is being used in homes.
Poellu and the rest of the staff show Soldiers and Dept. of Army civilians furniture including refrigerators, wardrobes, microwaves, beds, washers and dryers. The customer chooses what they think they will need among their allowed items (based on family size), to fill their new homes until their household goods arrive.
However, items like washers, dryers and refrigerators tend to stay in homes for the Soldier’s entire tour, according to Poellu.
“Customer service is our main mission,” Poellu added. “Without our customers, we would not have a job. So, we provide service with pride.”
The Baumholder FMO has a “symbiotic relationship” with the Baumholder Family Housing Office according to Charm Sutton, Baumholder Army Family Housing Customer Service chief.
“Our Furnishings Management Office was extremely helpful this summer,” Sutton said. “They supported our command’s mission of transitioning inbound service and family members directly into their new homes. That allowed many families to complete the mandatory quarantine more comfortably because their family was not stuck in a hotel room.”
In addition, Poellu said his staff furnished two barracks buildings and one family housing building for any isolation or quarantine situations that might arise with little notice within the BMC.
“We put beds, pillows, sheets and anything else those buildings were missing in case that situation occurred,” he said.
“Housing and FMO work together every day to make the living experience in the Baumholder Military Community as nice as we can possibly make it,” Sutton said.