Arnold AFB officials pleased with storm recovery efforts

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
Power was restored to most of Arnold AFB during the afternoon of May 1 after strong storms downed trees and power lines April 27.

Facilities returned to the electrical distribution grid included Arnold Lakeside Center (ALC), Family Housing, Wingo Inn and the Primary Pumping Station. Since then, power has been restored to the entire base, including the Gossick Leadership Center (GLC), Crockett Cove, FamCamp and all the lake area along Northshore Road, according to Paul Thornton, Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) supervisor of Power Control.

"A lot of people had a big role in this effort but John Williams and Tom Payne, our two linemen - the only two we've got - were key to the return to service," Thornton said. "They organized the job and laid it out to maximize productivity and minimize the repair times. Their first priority was to ensure that they could do the work safely. Two other electricians, Jason Lusk and James Melton, were also out there helping our linemen with this effort."

Thornton said six or seven utility poles were down on Pumping Station Road, with 10-to-15 that had to be straightened up, cross arms fixed and wire replaced on them. He said a lot of people were involved in the effort including the Security Police who blocked the road and made it safe for the crews to work and people like Dave Simmons, deputy director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance (O&M), and the Maintenance Operations Control Center (MOCC), who helped expedite the delivery of material and equipment.

"We got the call about 6 p.m. Wednesday that the storm had hit and we came in," Thornton said. "Williams and Payne responded in some rough weather conditions. We were able to get everything in the system safe. It had gotten too dangerous to work, so our first priority was to ensure that nobody would be in danger. We were able to come in on Thursday night and put generators on all the lifts stations and keep the sewage plumbing going."

He said his crew worked from about 6 a.m. until dark Thursday through Saturday, until the majority of power was restored around 1:40 p.m. Sunday.

"The other electricians helped us get that done, including installation of generators," Thornton said. "It was well organized, and again I can't give the two linemen enough credit. They were the backbone of the whole project."

"Bart Jones [director of Facilities O&M] and Dave Simmons met with me and Mike Barlow, the ATA utilities asset owner. Bart and Dave emphasized the fact that they wanted us to work toward a goal of getting power restored by Sunday, but they wanted us to do it safely. We emphasized that to the guys and they did just that. They exceeded all expectations to be honest with you."

Barlow said the storm caused the worst line damage he has seen at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC).

"Our electrical dispatchers, operators and engineers responded well during the storm and the loss of Circuit 28," Barlow said. "Paul Thornton and our linemen immediately began planning the repairs and locating needed material. Repairs were in full swing early on Thursday morning and power was restored to the portion of Circuit 28 within the industrial area that morning. Our two linemen ... did an outstanding job completing repairs along South Hap Arnold Drive. Their experience and dedication was obvious."

Simmons agreed with Barlow's assessment.

"I was impressed by their dedication and hard work," he said. There was always someone in the bucket working on the lines. Breaks and lunch were taken between turns in the bucket repairing lines. It really made you proud to have these guys on our team."

Barlow said the damage was extensive, and the cable and conductors on Circuit 28 needed to supply power to the Primary Pumping Station are very large and heavy. Their size made the repairs even more challenging. He said the linemen and those helping them with the repairs are the "best in the business," and Thornton made sure they had what they needed to get the job done.

"Paul was the hub of the repair efforts and deserves a lot of credit," Barlow said. "I was very pleased we were able to get power back to the Primary Pumping Station and MFH [Military Family Housing] by Sunday afternoon. The response was outstanding and just another example of what folks at AEDC can do when called upon."

While work was in progress, the family housing occupants were without power and the conveniences that most people have become accustomed to, according to Simmons.

"We really appreciate the patience and the support of the family housing occupants," Simmons said. "There were many encouraging comments for the efforts of the crews. This praise motivated our crews even more to get power up and running. To improve conditions for these folks, we installed a new 600 kilowatt generator at the Wingo Inn that provided family housing residents temporary amenities until their power was restored."

There was also a great supporting cast that contributed to the return to services effort, according to Simmons. Tim Bagley and Bryan Cockfield provided engineering support for the repairs and developed a Verification Readiness Review (VRR) to systematically ensure that nothing had been left out that might cause an impact once the switch was flipped to turn the power back on.

The Roads and Grounds crew also responded, clearing the fallen trees that caused the line damage. Their work also involved clearing "leaners" that were weakened by the storm and were at risk of falling on power lines again.

Chris Jones, Roads and Grounds supervisor, said his crews responded the night of the storm and made an assessment of the damage.

"That night we worked a plan with Bart Jones to prioritize our most critical areas," Chris Jones said. "We worked with Security and Fire to reopen Highway 127 for the traffic commuting back and forth to Winchester. We worked a long night and came back in the next morning and continued our efforts to lessen the effect on the AEDC work force.

"Our crew worked safely and watched out for each other. We counted at least 80 trees that we've cut and pushed to date."

Thornton thanked Roads and Grounds for their assistance in removing trees and clearing the roads.

"Chris Jones brought in his road crew," he said. "They had the equipment to move all of it. The only thing I asked Chris to do was stay ahead of us, and Chris got his folks in here and they worked long hours the same as the linemen did."

Jones said the cleanup effort is not quite complete.

"We still have work to do, especially inside the industrial area, and we hope to get the cleanup complete over the next several days," he said.

Simmons said he couldn't say enough about the dedicated efforts and hard work of the crews.

"They were motivated by the knowledge that families, especially those with children, were being impacted and inconvenienced," he said. "You can't help but have a sense of pride [about] the skill and professionalism of our entire work force. We also had tremendous support from Air Force leadership, and we sincerely appreciated that. They were there to remove obstacles to ensure the success of the effort. It makes you very proud to be a part of this special AEDC team."