Base CE crews respond to power outage Published March 16, 2007 By Senior Airman Rachel Martinez 305th AMW MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, NJ. -- A downed power line caused a six-hour power outage and a small fire here early March 9. At about 1:30 a.m., a standby crew from the electrical distribution shop responded to a call about a power outage. While attempting to restore power, the crew noticed that a circuit had fallen atop a light fixture, causing a utility pole to catch fire at Pudgy's Circle. The fire department was contacted and quickly responded. "The response went well," said Master Sgt. David Andrews, 305th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, NCO in charge that night. "We coordinated with security forces for traffic management and with the electricians to handle power. The response times were very good." Upon arrival the fire department found a pole on fire about half way up. Pudgy's Circle was closed to all traffic and the electrical distribution shop cut off the power. The fire was extinguished in less than a half hour and the emergency was handed over to the electricians. "We have a recurring training program that keeps us proficient in all types of emergency responses, to include electrical fires," said Sergeant Andrews. It was now almost 4 a.m., and the electrical crew had to get to work restoring the power before the majority of personnel arrived for work at 7:30 a.m. A majority of the north side of base was without power, to include the fitness center, child development centers, Dorm 2424 and Building 1907. The electrical distribution stand-by crew, made up of Staff Sgt. Darren Russell, Staff Sgt. Abdul Irby and Senior Airman Cedric Lawton, worked to remove the damaged light fixture and clear the lighting circuit from the utility pole. Next, they had to work on repairing the distribution circuits. Just under six hours after the initial call, power was restored at 7:10 a.m., in time for the day workers shift. While the electrical crews periodically inspect the power lines around base to prevent these types of incidents from occurring, the recent weather caused the wire to go slack and touch the light fixture. Fortunately, the response crews were able to quickly respond and remedy the situation. "We are able to reduce the amount of time that facilities are without power by working together as well as we do, and with rapid response times and a great team effort," said Sergeant Andrews.