Base-wide cleanup occurs at Fairchild Published May 23, 2007 By Tech. Sgt. Larry Carpenter 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Fairchild conducted a base-wide clean-up May 16 in preparation for the 92nd Air Refueling Wing change of command that is scheduled for May 22. Representatives from every squadron participated in the massive undertaking, ensuring complete coverage of the base. "The base was split into sectors to provide each squadron a manageable area to cleanup," said lst Lt. Ken Allestad, 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron chief of maintenance engineering. "It's important for the base to look its best and present a professional image. We want people to come on base and say wow, Fairchild looks great." The base cleanup consisted of foreign-object debris walks, the painting of stationary objects that could use a touch up, general cleanup around the facilities on base and eliminating unsightly objects. According to Lieutenant Allestad, the cleanup also provided the opportunity for squadron members to identify and report facility discrepancies. "While Airmen are working hard, there may be things that are wrong with the buildings that go unnoticed," he said. "This cleanup provided us the chance to focus on identifying those problems and getting them fixed. "Thousands of hours have been expended because people care about how the base looks," he added. "We wanted to ensure Fairchild AFB represents the pride and heritage of the Professional Expeditionary Airmen assigned to the 92 ARW -- for our new commander, the 18 AF commander, and the many distinguished visitors and community members visiting the base next week."