Exterior electricians keep lights burning bright

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Keeping the lights on is just one of the visible signs that the 796th Civil Engineer Squadron's exterior electric shop is on the job. 

From issuing digging permits to overseeing electrical requirements on BRAC construction projects, the 17-man shop keeps busy day in and day out. Two of the 17 men are assigned to testing and maintaining the grounding and lightning protections systems on explosive facilities.

"We could use 17 more people," said Jeff Kibe, exterior electric shop supervisor . "The base infrastructure is more than forty years old." 

Like most of CE, the shop lost its Airmen positions and now relies on civilians to maintain and replace electrical substations, circuits and wiring. Crews support Eglin main, Duke Field and the entire reservation. Also, there are support agreements with agencies like the Coast Guard Station to maintain their facilities. Someone is on call 24/7 to handle any emergency that threatens base service. Overtime funds last fiscal year allowed crews to work at least one weekend a month to stay on top of the demand. 

"There's a lot of lights around here, on the airfield, streets and parking lots," Mr. Kibe said. 

"We're always putting out fires," said Tom Dennis, line crew foreman for Air Force lighting and substations. "When emergencies happen, we'll pull from other crews."
A two-man team runs the "do it now," or DIN, truck which handles emergencies. Urgent calls, like trimming trees from power lines or replacement services, take about five days. Crews rotate assignments every four months to maintain proficiency and "get a taste of everything," Mr. Dennis said. 

A recent project was installing 24 power poles on Highway 85 in one day and a total of 60 poles in four days. Currently, certified high voltage electricians are working an $115,000 project to install power poles that will service the Fisher House and new dental clinic. Concrete poles weighing 4,500 pounds are being installed. 

"The concrete withstand hurricanes better and last a lot longer," Mr. Dennis said.
An airfield lighting crew keeps the lights shining from the runways to the towers. Computers run a series of vaults that pinpoint trouble spots that might arise with the lights or alarms. Airplane take-offs and landings force the crew to wait their turn on the runways. 

"We make sure all the lights stay burning," said Frank McCallion, as he re-taped the wires in a distance marker. "We make repairs while we can." 

New construction for the 7th Special Forces Group and the Joint Strike Fighter Training Center puts exterior electrical staff in a position as liaisons with the contractors to ensure Eglin standards are met. 

"We don't want to be blindsided with shoddy work," Mr. Dennis said. "We need to do inspections before the facilities are handed over to the government." 

New construction, maintenance, and repairing exterior electrical units ensures that the shop will have a steady workload into the future. 

"We're busy, but it's a great bunch of guys who work hard to get the job done," Mr. Dennis concluded.