HVAC controls base temp

  • Published
  • By Chris Willis
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Air conditioning cooling is a luxury in most of the country, whereas heat is essential part of life.

The unsung heroes of the 341st Civil Engineer Squadron Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning shop are the Airmen who help keep the base at the ideal temperature.

HVAC not only helps morale but is necessary for the base infrastructure.

"During winter time you can have a pipe burst, or the communication center going down because the servers got too hot," said Senior Airman Julian Donahue, 341st CES HVAC technician.

The shop performs a lot of on-the-job training since the base has every form of cooling and heating units a HVAC Airman will see in their career. New members like Airman 1st Class Joseph Konecny, 341st CES HVAC technician, learn the ropes by hands-on training.

"My new job is interesting, and it was not what I expected," said Konecny. "There are a lot of different things to learn here, every system is a little different."

HVAC maintains heating and air conditioning for more than 72 buildings which are almost $1 billion in assets.  With all the different infrastructures come different heating and cooling units.

"The best part of my job is there is something different every day," said Donahue. "You don't see the same problem all the time, and it is a challenge every day to maintain those problems."

The shop has had to adapt over the years due to new technology.

"A lot of the systems that were once electric control went to digital systems," said Allen Goodman, CES HVAC shop foreman. "There is more troubleshooting to maintain the new systems because of the added technical control boards and different sequences."

Goodman and his team manage the maintenance and repair of the heating and air conditioning for the entire base. They had 102 job orders for the month of July.

The shop has a high-tempo mission, working 10 hours a day five days a week with an on-call technician in case something goes down after hours.

Donahue believes that while HVAC goes unseen most of the time, the shop has a direct effect on the base.

"We work in the shadows until something big happens and then we are in the spot light," said Donahue. "Most of the time we are out there doing our job, getting the mission done"