ALI AL SALEM AIR FORCE BASE, Kuwait -- We’ve all been there before when a lightbulb flickers or a desk starts to wobble at work and it comes time to put in a work order. Waiting for our busy civil engineer Airmen to come fix such a small issue can seem unnecessary--that’s where the U-Fix-It store comes in to save the day.
Showing up to fix a shower head or replace a screw may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but those minuscule issues can quickly add up, leading to more work orders and longer wait times.
“It really helps take a lot off of their plate in the sense of if you’re able to do this project yourself it saves time and benefits both sides,” said Senior Airman Cameron Walker, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron inventory technician. “Before this store was here we would get called in to replace minor things and it just takes up a lot of our manpower.”
The U-Fix-It store at Ali Al Salem Air Base has anything a person could need for small projects around the base. From replacement shower heads to drills or circular saws--anyone can go in and check out the equipment they need to fix issues themselves.
“When I first got here I was like ‘wow, this is crazy,’ we’re just handing this free stuff out to people and I was kind of dumbfounded,” laughed Walker. “Back home we have a U-Fix-It but it’s only for facility managers, out here literally anybody can walk in and is able to grab what they need if we have it.”
Even in a small community like the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, there are some people who don’t know what an asset the base has at their disposal. Walker mentioned that he thinks the store should be utilized more frequently than it is.
“Come to us first, I think that’s the main thing I want people to know. I think we’re not used enough,” he said. “The people who do know about us lean on us a lot and we appreciate that. If you don’t know anything about civil engineering, that’s our forte, so come to us first.”
386th ECE team members want to make sure they have the most Airmen available when big projects come up around the wing. Making sure all possible hands are on deck is vital to mission success.
“Making sure we have as many Airmen as possible available to get to work orders as quickly as possible is key to avoiding mission stoppage,” Walker said. “People handling their minor issues helps us to get to those work orders and keep the mission going. That’s what CE is about--continuing the mission. It’s good to see and it’s good at the end of the day to just help out the wing in any way or shape that we can.”