Flip a switch and a light goes on. Plug in an electric shaver and it recharges. Push start on a microwave and the food becomes piping hot. These are all easy everyday activities most people go through.

But for one shop within the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, it’s an everyday job to make sure people within the wing can do those tasks.

The electrical shop works each day to make sure tent city, the east ramp and projects at the temporary cantonment area are safe and the current is flowing. They are not the ones who generate that power but they make sure that power goes where it’s suppose to safely down the lines.

“We operate a dual system (two different voltages and frequency ranges),” said Master Sgt. Brian Ross, NCO in charge of the electrical shop. “Plus there are American and European wiring colors, so every call we answer is a challenge, we have to verify if whoever wired that fixture used U.S. or the European color codes and it may even vary inside the same building.”

Because of these challenges, the sergeant said the shop stays flexible and rolls with the punches.

“We have a very diverse group of electricians here each bringing with them their own experiences and knowledge in the trade, both military and commercial,” he said. “We run the gamut in experience from 20 years to less than two years.”

One of them is Senior Airman Johnathan Guach, who is on his first deployment.

“It’s exciting to be here and to be learning new things,” the Airman from New York said. “Every day there is something new. Whether it’s the environment, the people or the voltage differences we have here, it keeps me on my toes.”

The Airman said one of his best experiences so far, was helping troubleshoot generator outage near the flightline.

Also enjoying the time here is Senior Airman John Quaioto. Because of his deep-rooted patriotism, he left a chef job at a law firm in New York to take this deployment.

“I was active duty from 1984 to '89,” Airman Quaioto said. “But after 9-11 and before my age kept me out, I joined the Reserves in 2002.”

The executive chef and now electrician said he wouldn’t change a thing about his decision to become part of the Air Force again.

“I missed the camaraderie too much to stay out,” he said.

It’s that kind of dedication the 380th commander said makes this shop ready for anything, including a more than 150 percent increase in service calls after rain last week.

“Typically, our electric shop responds to 25 service calls per week, above any preventative maintenance or major work orders,” said Lt. Col. Craig Biondo, squadron commander. “With the recent rain, that number jumped to 64.”

Plus the shop has been busy with major projects around the base and making sure the temporary cantonment area is ready for occupants, the colonel said.

“The TCA will have new electrical systems and our reliance on antiquated tent city electrical systems will go away,” the colonel said. “This translates into less emergency work for the electric shop and enables a new preventative maintenance program to take shape. The TCA is a giant step toward standardizing our electrical systems.”

While that TCA move progresses, the electric shop will continue to work bypass surgery on current electrical systems and use preventative maintenance to help keep those lights, electrical shavers and microwave popcorn lovers happy.