Dormitory maintenance teams improve quality of life

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katherine Windish
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  The 31st Civil Engineer Squadron recently implemented a new concept that will greatly improve the quality of life of dorm residents.

The newly formed Dormitory Maintenance Teams allow dorm residents to take their maintenance issues straight to the team to be resolved, significantly shortening the process.

"Dorm residents used to have to bring their maintenance issues to their dorm manager, who would then fill out a work order to submit to the 31st CES customer service department," said Staff Sgt. Blayney, DMT NCO in charge. "The dorm residents would have to wait until the customer service department gave the work order to the appropriate shop, where it was prioritized with work orders from the whole base."

Now, dorm residents can visit or call their dorm manager's office and have the issue handled or questions answered by a member of the DMT directly.

The three-member team includes plumbing, electricity and structural experts, to accommodate any issue residenst may have. The team usually completes 90 percent of the average week's 20 to 25 work orders. It is responsible for all eight dorm buildings, on the flightline and in Area 2.

"In addition to significantly improving dorm residents' quality of life, using a minimally manned team to focus on daily dorm issues takes away 15 to 20 percent of [electrical, plumbing and structures] shops' work orders," said Sergeant Blayney. "This allows the majority of the main [civil engineer] unit free to concentrate on the rest of the base."

The team has also ensured dormitory residents have less maintenance issues by being proactive. Whether they are called to the room for a broken door, leaky faucet or flickering lights, the team is required to complete a checklist before, ensuring there are no other issues in the room. If something on the checklist needs maintenance, the team members will also fix that issue.

For more information, call Sergeant Blayney at DSN 632-7719.