CE team aids Kirtland following deep freeze Published March 4, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A team of 78th Civil Engineer Group plumbers recently returned from a lengthy service call to aid another base in need. The five-man team spent two weeks helping Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico recover from extensive damage caused by a rare deep freeze. The base suffered so many busted pipes it had to call in some outside help to get many buildings operational again. The team left for Kirtland Feb. 6 and returned Feb. 17. When they departed, the most significant damage had been repaired and the base was fully functional again, said Ricky Tidwell, who led the team. Teams from Edwards AFB, Calif., Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and Eglin AFB, Fla., also answered the call for help. Kirtland officials were very appreciative of their efforts, Tidwell said. "They said we did in two weeks what would have taken months if they had just stuck with what they had," Tidwell said. "It was pretty wide-scale destruction." The team put in 10-11 hour days in weather which was still very cold for the first few days, with snow still on the ground. The area was hit with a winter storm in which temperatures reached 20 below - far colder than what the buildings were designed to withstand. The Robins team spent much of its time working in hangars on the fire suppression system, along with other broken water pipes. They also spent two days replacing a 20-inch underground gate valve. With the entire area similarly struck and supplies scarce, Tidwell said Kirtland did a good job of giving the team everything it needed. "Everything went extremely well," Tidwell said. "They had everything lined up for us, and their people did a good job of getting us parts." Other members of the team were Joel Kersey, Thomas McDaniel, Terry Owens, and John Bennett. Danny Hale, utilities branch chief at Kirtland, said in an e-mail he was very appreciative of the help. "They all showed a willingness to do whatever was asked of them," he said. "They showed up early every morning and worked hard every day."