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HVAC helps provide combat airpower for America

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alice Moore
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  Lifting up a panel to troubleshoot and repair a possible electrical problem in an environmental control unit and seeing a maze of white, yellow and red wires is all in a day's work for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning flight Airmen here.

The flight, part of the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, is responsible for
ensuring 1,300 air conditioning and heating units are working properly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so Airmen and assets are kept cool during hot weather and warm during cold weather. 

"We stay busy answering many service calls a day," said Master Sgt. Brian Ginter, 332nd ECES HVAC NCO in charge, who is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. "We're responsible for cleaning and maintaining these units from various locations to include aircraft shelters, dormitories, airfield theater hospitals and the distinguished visitors' suites." 

Responsible for half the environmental control units here, HVAC also provides preventative maintenance for the units.

"If a condenser is dirty, then it has to work harder," said Tech. Sgt. Chris Vanwell, 332nd ECES HVAC technician, also deployed from Hill AFB. "We work to clean the units and filters with pressure washers so things continue to work properly."

Although most may think the shop's mission ends with keeping people cool here, Master Sgt. Dennis Krzyzowski, 332nd ECES HVAC superintendent, who is deployed from Cannon AFB, N.M., said there is one important aspect of their job people don't think about. HVAC also ensures various information transfer nodes set up throughout the base operate under the right temperature conditions.

The ITNs act as focal points for communication equipment for various functions on base such as the control tower and maintenance shops on the
flightline.

"Any function on this base that involves communication components also relies on
the right temperature to ensure the components are working properly," he said. "The right temperature enables everything to work properly so we can keep aircraft launching. We support combat air power for America right here, right now, through HVAC."