HVAC team keeps Travis comfortable

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amber Carter
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The temperature outside can affect daily life with changes to outdoor activities, clothing and even mood.

Heating, ventilating and air conditioning technicians at Travis Air Force Base, California, keep indoor temperature controlled no matter what the climate is outside.

"We are responsible for comfort heating and cooling for buildings and equipment, such as cooling communication equipment," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Sato, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron HVAC journeyman. "We also heat up large bay areas and, in general, maintain the base."

A current project that a small team of three from the 60th CES are working on involves hanging radiant heaters in Bldg. P-1, an expansive, open warehouse used to store mobility bags, gear and equipment to prepare Airmen for deployments.

"Since the warehouse is a large area, it's not efficient to heat an entire building," said Brandon Mitchell, 60th CES HVAC maintenance technician. "We save money and energy by installing the hanging radiant heaters, which use infrared to heat the people, not the building. The heat at your home heats your entire house, that would be very costly in a warehouse as large as P-1."

HVAC technicians, like oxygen, are always there but are noticed more when there is need. Emergency calls to fix refrigeration units, or heating and air conditioning units, are commonplace for the HVAC team.

"We got a call to fix a refrigeration unit at the child development center," Mitchell said. "These refrigerators can hold thousands of dollars worth of food so that becomes our priority."

The 60th CES maintains 418 facilities and a total of approximately $4.1 billion in infrastructure.

"We are a small shop and a small part of CE, but I enjoy seeing the big picture, knowing that we provided cooling to the communications tower and equipment which, in turn, helps complete the mission at Travis," Sato said.