48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (USAFENS) -- Imagine having the ability to bring light and power to more than 5,000 people on a daily basis. This is how the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron electrical flight here begins their day.

“We troubleshoot, install and maintain all low voltage electrical systems on base, as well as (Joint Service Interior Intrusion Detection Systems),” said Staff Sgt. Lindon Crozier, 48th CES electrician.

The 48th CES Electrical Flight has 32 personnel assigned to it, consisting of both American military and Ministry of Defense civilians.

“I really consider them as unsung heroes in the squadron and wing. Day in and day out, we may take our infrastructure on the airfield and main base for granted, “ said Lt. Col. D.J. Junio, 48th CES commander. “Their efforts, although not noticed, play a critical role in the operation of RAF Lakenheath.”

One current major project for the electricians is the installation of JSIIDS in the new Strike Eagle complex here. JSIIDS are security alarms used to protect critical facilities, said Crozier.

Daily tasks for the electricians include inspection and maintenance of street lighting as well as electrical sockets, lights and electric heaters on base and all of the protective aircraft shelters on the flightline.

Airfield lighting is included in the maintenance of low voltage electrical systems throughout the base, which also correlates with the installation of lightning protection systems on the shelters.

If lightning were to strike, it would strike lightning rods placed outside the facility and then be redirected to the ground, said Master Sgt. Scott Reed, assistant electrician foreman.

By redirecting the lightning strike to the ground, it prevents the facility from having a power surge or an outage. However, since the base receives its power from off base, it’s still possible to have a power outage.

“An off-base power outage can, and has, affected us,” said Crozier, adding that all critical facilities have a back-up generator in the event of a power outage.

Dealing with outages is just one of the challenges the electrical flight here tackles.

“The worst problem I have had to deal with here was when the entire JSIIDS alarm system dropped on 72 buildings,” said Crozier.

The problem occurred a few months ago when the base phone numbers changed to the DSN prefix, said Senior Airman John Spencer, 48th CES electrician. All the telephone lines JSIIDS uses to report alarm breaches to the 48th Security Forces Squadron law enforcement desk were triggered.

“To repair the problem, we had to split up into teams and go to all 72 buildings and reset the control panels,” said Spencer.

The whole electric shop tackled the problem and got everything back online in about eight hours, said Crozier.

With 1,075 buildings to take care of and serving more than 5,000 personnel between here and Royal Air Force Feltwell, England, the 48th CES electrical flight keeps power flowing through the base; providing facilities with light, power and heat to ensure the mission gets done.