JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Imagine having to make a difficult decision, which could result in either a costly outcome or saving a significant amount of money.
A group of Airmen from the 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron encountered this scenario and in a combined effort, not only did they exceed team-effort efficiency, but they also completed a two-week-long arduous mission which saved the Air Force $55,000.
It was supposed to be another normal work day at the shop, but that morning was different.
“We showed up Monday morning, and the fire truck was in our stall,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Cade Browning, 673d LRS refueling maintenance section chief. “We made a few phone calls to get a rundown on what was going on with it.”
The fire truck, properly known as the Teledyne P-23 Crash Fire Truck, was having transmission problems.
“Every time they would try to shift into third gear, it just basically locked the transmission because it was trying to shift into two gears at once,” said Senior Airman Kory Krause, 673d LRS fire truck and refueling maintenance journeyman. “The problem was initially found by the firemen, who were on their way to train.”
Krause explained as the driver shifted gears, the transmission locked, stopping the truck as if someone had slammed the brakes.
The firefighters drove it slowly back for repair.
To find the cause of the problem, the mechanics needed to rule out possibilities – starting with the simplest ones first.
“Initially we were trying to rule out all the easy stuff,” Browning said. “Nobody wants to be the guy who takes a fire truck apart and then come to find out, it was just two wires not connected, or someone didn't check one solenoid. So we did a lot of troubleshooting.”
Browning explained they eliminated options one by one. They knew it wasn’t an issue with the wiring harness or a solenoid. They also discarded problems with the fuses. Everything had power where it needed power and grounding where it should. The fluid looked okay, and the levels were fine. By the process of elimination, it had to be something internal.
Finally, there were only two options to choose from.
“We either buy a new transmission, which costs $55,000 and takes approximately four weeks to get here, or we rebuild the transmission,” said Browning. “We did some research and decided rebuilding the transmission was our best option.”
With what was at stake, emotions built up. Empathy was one of the most noticeable of all.
“We needed to get the truck back as quickly as possible to the fire department and our fellow firemen,” Krause said. “It's a unique vehicle, and it's special to the base and crucial for the mission.”
Having a clearer idea of the next steps to take, the group of Airmen formed by Tech. Sgt. Cade Browning, staff sergeants Taylor Lorts, John Johnson, Samuel Unke, James Hajek, Senior Airman Kory Krause, airmen first class Warren Norwood, Nicholas Johnston, Shane Ousdahl, LaMonica Lauritzen and Brendan Lupo, and two civilians – Robert Stewart and Guy Soliday – started the hardest part.
To work on the transmission, pulling it through the top was their best choice, since trying to get the transmission out from the bottom was not an option.
“It ultimately was a waste of time trying to get the transmission out from the bottom,” said Browning. “At the time we didn’t know if it was going to work, so we had to try it. Then we realize it had to come out from the top.”
That direction wasn’t easy either.
Browning explained they started by draining the 3,000-gallon water tank. They removed the protective side panels, wiring, and hoses. They had to take all the piping from the bottom of the tank off, and then some mounts on the back and front of the tank. Once everything was loose, they picked it up with a crane and set it on the ground.
But once the transmission was free, it only took an hour to figure out the problem.
“We took out the valve body, and right away we identified the broken spring,” Browning said. “We could fix it; we didn’t need a new transmission.”
After countless hours, all the dedication, research, and hard work put in to fix the transmission paid off.
“I felt relieved and proud of the team for coming together,” said Lorts, 673d LRS fire truck maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “Everyone’s effort made it possible, made it happen.”