Deployed plumber restores base's electrical substation equipment

Under U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Chamberlin's supervision, left, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electricians Tech. Sgt. Jimmy McAnally, Staff Sgt. Joshua Freeman, and Airman 1st Class Alvin Walker, service circuit breakers and repair a previously condemned transformer March 12, 2010 at an air base in Southwest Asia saving thousands of dollars in replacement and contracting costs. Sergeant Chamberlin is a plumber with the 386th ECES. All four Airmen are deployed from the 137th Air Refueling Wing at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lakisha Croley/Released)

Deployed plumber restores base's electrical substation equipment

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jimmy McAnally, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrician, follows safety lockout procedures and "racks out" a 400 amp circuit breaker from a de-energized 415 volt secondary line switchgear to perform troubleshooting and maintenance March 12, 2010 at an air base in Southwest Asia. Sergeant McAnally is deployed from the 137th Air Refueling Wing at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lakisha A. Croley/Released)

Deployed plumber restores base's electrical substation equipment

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Freeman, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrician, follows established lockout safety procedures and "racks out" a primary high voltage circuit breaker, physically disconnecting the 11,500 volt power source so the circuit breakers and secondary side equipment can be safely serviced March 12, 2010 at an air base in Southwest Asia. Sergeant Freeman is deployed from the 137th Air Refueling Wing at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lakisha A. Croley/Released)

Deployed plumber restores base's electrical substation equipment

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Freeman, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrician, follows established lockout safety procedures preparing to "rack out" a primary high voltage circuit breaker, physically disconnecting the voltage source so the circuit breakers can be safely serviced March 12, 2010 at an air base in Southwest Asia. Sergeant Freeman is deployed from the 137th Air Refueling Wing at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lakisha A. Croley/Released)

Deployed plumber restores base's electrical substation equipment

Published March 18, 2010
By 1st Lt. Robert Forrester
386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- "Goodness gracious great balls of fire!" While this sounds great when Jerry Lee Lewis sings it, when working around circuit breakers that say things like "1000 Amps" and "Danger, High Voltage", this is exactly what you don't want to see!

However, this is exactly what can happen if circuit breakers in high voltage primary power nodes get dirty. Even if they don't throw a fireball, they will begin to simply not work.

"We were having major issues with some of our breakers here on 'The Rock' and were to the point of having to look at sourcing an emergency repair contract that would have cost us about $95,000 for local labor and parts," said Capt. Mark Hope, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron deputy commander.

Approximately 70 percent of the civil engineer squadron here is made up of Air National Guard members and the skilled craftsmen (electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, carpenters, etc.) bring a lot of experience and knowledge from their civilian careers, he said.

One great example of this is the work Master Sgt. Mark Chamberlin was able to accomplish at the base's electrical substations. Back home Sergeant Chamberlin works for the Federal Aviation Administration as a prime power expert. He travels all over the United States examining and repairing high voltage power systems and substations.

Sergeant Chamberlin deployed here as a utilities troop from the 137th Air Refueling Wing at Will Rogers ANG Base, Okla. When he found out about the issues the base was having with some of the breakers, he stepped up and gave the electricians a helping hand.

He trained a team of experts from the electrical systems shop on how to handle the substations and they have systematically gone through and disassembled, cleaned, and re-assembled just about every main breaker on base.

"Together, they were able to refurbish the circuit breakers, fixing our substation problems in-house for only $4,000 in parts," said Captain Hope.

This project brought power to places where we didn't have power and increased our overall electrical capabilities, enabling us to continue the mission. If the primary power ever shuts down, the backup generators kick on, and customers on 'The Rock' will still have power.

"The options and experience that our Air National Guard brethren have brought to this squadron are truly a luxury and an asset to the entire wing," said Captain Hope. "We are very appreciative of the outstanding work our Guardsmen contribute."

(386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs contributed to this article)