When a ladder won't do: 512th civil engineers receive bucket truck training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  High above the ground, 512th Civil Engineer Squadron electricians received annual refresher training on electric bucket truck operations Aug. 10 here. 

Instruction on maneuvering the truck's long boom arm, checking the truck hydraulics and rotating the individual buckets the electricians stand inside, were covered in the training. 

Bucket trucks are used after work can't be done past a certain height, explained Tech Sgt. Raymond Sherwood, a 512th CES electrician present for the refresher. As long as the winds aren't over 25 knots, bucket trucks can reach heights from 50 to 70 feet in the air, he said. 

"We use the trucks for anything from replacing hangar lights to working on utility poles," said Sergeant Sherwood. "Whatever we can't get with a ladder, we'll use the bucket truck." 

Safety is paramount for both the person operating the bucket in the air and for the individual on the ground, said Staff Sgt. Rodney Rodrigue, who is also an electrician for the 512th CES. A two-person team, he explained, is always required for daily operation. 

This safety precaution is also taken into consideration when verbally communicating possible site mishaps. 

"Headache!" 

"That pretty much means if you don't move out of the way, you'll get a headache," he said. 

Sergeant Rodrigue explained the word headache is shouted as a warning to anyone below if something is accidentally dropped from the person performing duties in a bucket above. 

Although the trucks aren't heavily used during a UTA weekend, the refresher training is important, especially for anyone in the squadron going on a deployment, according to Staff Sgt. Ivan Fullerton, an electrician and bucket truck instructor. 

One of the electricians who attended the training recalled a recent deployment where he had to use the bucket truck in Iraq. 

"I was on an AEF (Air Expeditionary Force tasking)," said Senior Airman Chris Panico, "and I used a bucket truck to replace hangar lights for F-16s." 

While 512th CES members receive in-depth bucket truck training in technical school, Sergeant Fullerton said the annual refresher keeps electricians and others required to use the vehicle familiar with its operation.