Mission Monday: 92nd LRS fire truck maintainers
By Airman 1st Class Taylor Bourgeous, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
/ Published June 12, 2015
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --
Changing the oil, replacing the wiper blades, switching out tires and even replacing water pumps; this is the day-to-day life of a 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fire truck maintainer.
Senior Airman Brent Donaldson, 92nd LRS fire truck maintainer, said, "Every day there is something that will come up needing our attention, big or small."
Something doesn't have to break for them to maintain the trucks; little things like changing the oil and changing burnt out light bulbs can be just as important as the big jobs. The preventative maintenance they do is key to keeping the trucks in service.
"We have to maintain a certain amount of trucks loaded with a lot of water to keep the planes flying and put out fires if they happen," said Senior Airman Jesse Scholle, 92nd LRS fire truck maintainer.
The base has nearly 20 fire trucks the Airmen must keep in peak condition. As the trucks get older, they have a tendency to break down more often and require immediate maintenance. As such it is always very important fire fighters and maintainers keep track of any issues.
"Fire fighters do complete checks of every vehicle. They start them up, and check all the systems to make sure things are working at 100 percent efficiency," Donaldson said. "If they find any issues, they will let us know what it is so we can fix it and get the trucks ready for emergencies."
The maintainers troubleshoot different problems ranging from burnt out light bulbs to broken water pumps. The larger issues can take anywhere from several days to several weeks, sometimes costing thousands of dollars in parts. The training maintainers receive qualifies them as certified mechanics.
"I could not be more proud of our fire truck technicians who are outstanding Airmen, dedicated to the mission by always giving it 110 percent," said Master Sgt. Calvin Bishun, 92nd LRS vehicle management superintendent. "Their contribution to the mission is critical to the wing because of their responsibility to always provide a safe and serviceable fleet of fire-fighting vehicles which have a tremendous impact on the lives of others."
[Editor's note: This story is the first of a continuing series highlighting Fairchild Airmen and their mission.]