Airmen keep eye on base's plumbing

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicole Leidholm
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Water sprays everywhere as the team quickly looks for the correct shut-off valve. Once the water has stopped spewing from the broken pipe, they send one of their own into a trench, filled knee high with water. As his boots sink into the mud below, the Airman assesses the situation of the broken pipe. The team must now drain the trench before going to work on repairing the broken pipe and restoring water to areas on base. When a water main goes out, the first responders are the Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuels systems maintenance team.

This is not only a dirty occurrence in the water and fuels career, but an emergency call that came through Monday afternoon. Just when the team thought it was time for lunch, they were wrong. But the CE team does more than just work on the water lines on base.

"We take care of all the plumbing," said Senior Airman Edward Leon, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuel systems craftsman.

We take care of interior and exterior plumbing, natural gas, fire suppression systems and domestic water distribution, said Staff Sgt. Brian McFall, 60th CES water and fuel systems craftsman.

But that is only half of the water and fuel systems maintenance team.

"On the fuels side we deal with (Jet propellant)-8, (mobility) gasoline, diesel and gasoline for all (government owned vehicles) and maintain all systems," Leon said.

"We put the additives into fuel and water, like chlorine," McFall said.

The water and fuel systems maintenance team also does hydrant maintenance, valve maintenance, area checks, grease traps, backflows and clean up any spills.

As an integral part in any mission, the team must make sure there is water and fuel available at all times.

"Without fuel, planes don't fly," Leon said.

"Water is needed for survival, without it there isn't a base," McFall said. "It is the number one consideration in building a base."

Because of this, the team checks the water quality daily for chlorine, fluoride in the water and the pH levels. They have three reservoirs to check and three underground wells for emergencies.

One of the dirties parts of the job is going into the sewers and doing sewer maintenance, McFall said.

"This one time I spent four hours hanging inside a lift station," McFall said. "It was 40 feet deep and was leaking sewage. I was covered in it, breathing hot nasty air in 100 degree and up temperatures."

The sewer however, is not the only dirty part of the job.

"A phalange went out at bulk storage," Leon said. "We worked all night sitting in fuel trying to fix it. It was winter and we took shifts to be in a vehicle to stay warm."

With all the dirt and grime the water and fuel systems maintenance team has to deal with, they do their best to stay clean and safe from hazards in their job, such as fire engulfment, chemical absorption and inhalation, benzene, asbestos and lead paint, by wearing personal protective equipment.

"I have three pairs of coveralls, two pairs of over boots, gloves, masks, goggles and a full face shield," Leon said.

Though the job can be messy and tough at times, the water and fuels systems maintenance team does their job with enthusiasm.

The best part of the job is getting it done, Leon said.