Reservist finds source of base power outage Published Dec. 10, 2010 By Air Force Capt. Ashley Norris 477th FG Public Affairs JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Areas on base Sunday experienced a power outage that included the 477th Fighter Group Headquarters during the unit's monthly Unit Training Assembly weekend. Instead of sitting around waiting for the power to be restored, Tech. Sgt. John Orzechowski, 477th Civil Engineer Squadron, took action to find the problem. "I headed over to the Shoppette and saw that they were out of power also," Orzechowski said. "So I continued to follow the power lines out toward the CATM and I noticed a fuse cutout was blown on the power pole. I called the Fire Station and they notified JBER CE (Civil Engineers)." Orzechowski, a former active duty electrician, saved the JBER electricians from having to follow all of the power lines on base to find the blown fuse. "We were at a work stoppage without power," said Air Force Master Sgt. Kanya Briner, 477th Fighter Group, Knowledge Operations supervisor. "For the Reserves this is a big deal. Many service members are traditional Reservists, which means they are only at work for one weekend a month. There are a lot of things that need to get done in those short two days." JBER electricians had the power the affected area back on within a few hours. "Sergeant Orzechowski made a great find and enabled the unit to finish the training weekend," said Lt. Col. Mike Forcht. "We also appreciate the timely response from the JBER CE folks. This only re-emphasizes the great relationship the Reserve and active duty have on base."