Maintenance on the go

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cassandra Whitman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  At 20 degrees below zero, icy roads and blinding snow make reaching a broken down vehicle in the Alaska wilderness challenging. Add not knowing what tools are needed to fix the vehicle and the task at hand may seem intimidating.

Tech. Sgt. Richard N. Carreon, the 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron NCO in-charge of customer service, and Senior Airman Blake H. Crowe, a 354th LRS vehicle maintenance journeyman, both know what it's like to face challenges while out on the road fixing vehicles.

Mobile maintenance provides emergency maintenance for anything that will hinder the mission here, said Carreon. He coordinates and prioritizes the calls that come through and lets Crowe, who goes out in the mobile truck, know which calls come first and where he needs to go.

"A lot of missions can be stopped if they don't have the vehicles they need," said Carreon. "If there is a vehicle blocking an aircraft, they can't take off, and that hinders the mission."

There are several challenges that come with mobile maintenance.

Weather and the size of their area of responsibility are two of these challenges the unit faces. The calls they take range from Fairbanks to beyond Delta Junction, a stretch of over 100 miles. Exposure to the cold weather is also a frequent challenge Crowe faces when out in the negative temperatures.

"He can only be outside for so long before he has to get back in the truck and warm up a bit," Carreon said.

Wearing thick gloves in the winter time can also be a challenge. Trying to handle small parts and having bulky, thick gloves on your hands can slow progress quickly.

Some of the hardest calls mobile maintenance receives are in the winter with the snow fleet. If hydraulic lines go down, or there is a big loss of coolant or oil, it can make a big mess and impede the important mission of keeping the flight line running 24/7.

It's not all bad though. There are several parts of the job that both Airmen enjoy.

"You're not stuck inside all day," Carreon said. "You get to go to different places most people will never see and help out a lot of different Airmen."

Getting the job completed on site, and not having to bring the vehicle in the shop is also a great part of mobile maintenance for the crew.

Mobile maintenance stays busy year-round. In the summer, Crowe is usually busy with the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron vehicles. The 354th CES completes a lot of construction while the weather is nice, and they need a hand with disabled vehicles once in a while.

"In the winter, it's not just CES we're busy with," Carreon said. "It's the whole base. We are doing constant jumpstarts due to weather and it's more difficult with the cold."

The mobile maintenance crew is an important asset to Eielson. Being called to complete tasks and making judgment calls to decide on which tools to bring is challenging. Weather makes every-day maintenance calls more difficult and exciting as the winter progresses. Mobile maintenance brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "ready to go at 50 below."