Service calls increase as cold weather sets in

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The cold weather snap has people shivering and workers scrambling to keep the base's infrastructure in good operating order.

Responsible for the calls of power out or no heat is the 796th Civil Engineer Squadron's Service Call section. Roger Nelson is one of three work controllers answering more than 160 calls a day since cold weather interrupted normal weather patterns here. It's their responsibility to funnel the calls to the 22 shops throughout CE and to determine response for each call.

Mr. Nelson said each call is marked either urgent, emergency or routine. Emergency calls can range from a broken water main to the loss of power in a building. Urgent calls can be stopped-up plumbing or dripping faucets.

"Every call is important, but the ones that have the potential to waste energy or affect the mission are a priority," Mr. Nelson said.

The service call section fields problems throughout the Eglin reservation, from Mossy Head to Santa Rosa Island. And while repairs to housing fall under their shop, they are handled by a separate call-in center.

Mr. Nelson said right now a lot of the calls are electric in nature, like blowing circuits by using portable space heaters . With weather this weekend (Jan 9, 10) expected to be frigid with temperatures in the teens and single-digit wind chills, he knows what he'll face Monday morning.

"It will be busy; we can anticipate what will happen based on the calls this week," he said. "Some people, like the water guys, will work this weekend."

Facility managers are an integral part of the process in getting repairs completed. There are approximately 800 building managers here. All managers are trained on reporting procedures.

"Many of the building managers take care of minor problems like light bulbs and repairs by using the self-help store," Mr. Nelson said.

Master Sgt. Erika Follmar, Building 6 facility manager, faces many challenges with "living" in a building that's part of the historical district.

"We have a lot of issues with heating and cooling," Sergeant Follmar said, "and some walls need to be replaced. Some months we have at least three calls, and their response is always quick."

Tech Sgt. Zenobia Richardson, facility manager for Building 1, agrees. She said being the manager is an additional duty that takes about 50 percent of her time. Keeping more than 300 people satisfied in an older building is a challenge.

"The lights go out and it's either too hot or cold," she said. "There was no heat on the first floor this week but about 90 degrees on parts of the second floor."

Sergeant Richardson, who is also the NCOIC of Headquarters Operations Support and the Air Armament Center, said calls have increased from two to eight a day this past week.

The work management folks expect the increase in calls to continue as Mother Nature keeps the panhandle in its icy grip. But Mr. Nelson is philosophical about the additional workload.

"It's all part of the job," he concluded.