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    Civil engineers help maintain BAF plumbing system

    Civil engineers help maintain BAF plumbing system

    Photo By Tech. Sgt. Cierra Presentado | From left to right, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Reigel Daylo, Staff Sgt. Stark...... read more read more

    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

    08.31.2015

    Story by Senior Airman Cierra Presentado 

    455th Air Expeditionary Wing   

    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – When a system needs flushing or fuel lines need maintaining, Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s water and fuels system maintenance shop work hard to make sure facility’s at Bagram are kept in operating conditions.

    The water and fuels systems team is responsible for keeping up the quality of life of a few of the living quarters for Airmen on base. While many facilities were already taken over by FLOUR contracting company, the team still maintains responsibility for some dorms as well as the fuel line on the airfield.

    “The contractors have taken over maintaining most of the facilities on base,” said Senior Airman Reynard McCord, 455 ECES water and fuels systems maintenance journeyman. “But they aren’t trained to our standard, so we check to make sure they’re doing the job correctly.”

    The team is used to getting their hands dirty.

    “We go to our facilities and basically one of us will flush all of the systems from the inside while the other two of us will be outside in the manholes pushing along anything that may come up,” McCord said. “It gets messy and smelly at times, but it’s our job and it has to get done.”

    The team not only handles the water system, but also the fuels system that supplies aircraft with fuel through an underground system.

    “We come in the facility and check for leaks that may be coming from the fuel tanks, along with other tasks that are required,” said Staff Sgt. Stark Sarrazin, 455 ECES noncommissioned officer in charge of water and fuels systems maintenance. “A lot of folks think we just maintain the plumbing system, but we do more. This is just another one of the jobs we do.”

    The team currently maintains facilities on both sides of the base. With the scheduled draw down of forces approaching, the remaining BAF facilities will be turned over to FLOUR contractors. The shop will remain in place to provide support for the fuel line.

    Although the team admits to not having the greatest job on base, they’re morale and ability to stay motivated keeps them going.

    “We have the crappiest job on base, but we are a great team and we work great together,” McCord said. “We have really good morale and we make the best out of it.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.31.2015
    Date Posted: 08.31.2015 00:26
    Story ID: 174723
    Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF

    Web Views: 130
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN