YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Members from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron worked to repair a high voltage transformer starting April 8 at 9 a.m. and finishing April 9 at 4 a.m. at Yokota Air Base, Japan. This created a power outage for certain parts of the base.

Approximately 382 facilities on the west side and main base, to include housing, work centers, the Commissary, Base Exchange, Samurai Fitness Center, Kanto and Yujo were effected.

“It was very important to the base that CE repaired the leak to prevent further damage to one of the main substations because it will help avoid an unplanned, prolonged power outage,” said Master Sgt. Richard Tagalicud, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron facility superintendent. “Our goal from this outage was to get in front of this electrical repair to ensure Yokota can continue to successfully operate our mission capabilities.”

The west side substation’s main transformer had sustained structural damage causing gas to leak. Without the gas, the transformer is susceptible to an electrical discharge which could harm the technicians performing preventative maintenance and could potentially destroy the transformer.

During the power outage, CE members de-energized the transformer, removed the remaining gas, deconstructed the transformer, and replaced the damaged part.

“Even though the power outage was inconvenient, the preventative maintenance work we performed ensured the transformer will continue to successfully work,” said Staff Sgt. Quintin Robinson, 374 CES electrical shop exterior NCO in charge. “Fixing it helped us stay proficient at our jobs and gain assurance that our equipment will safely work to keep Yokota’s mission going.”