FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Directorate of Public Works net zero outreach and public relationsFort Carson ensures facility upkeep and customer satisfaction is a high priority through its Facility Preventative Maintenance Program.
The program, which the Directorate of Public Works started with about 40 buildings four years ago, continues to grow and now includes 162, about 20 percent, of the major occupied buildings in the cantonment area, including all Soldier barracks, said Terry Hagen, DPW Operations and Maintenance Division DPW Base Operations Branch chief.
Facility preventative maintenance programs are an established strategy directed by Army Regulation 420-1, Army Facilities Management. The programs decrease costly repair through routine maintenance efforts before more critical issues arise.
The post's operations and maintenance contractor, Kira, Inc., which provides the program's staff, received nearly 40,400 service orders for facility repairs across post in fiscal 2013. Since the maintenance program's implementation, the contractor has tracked a 5-percent reduction in the number of routine maintenance service order calls for buildings already in the program. During recent budget cuts, routine maintenance efforts were temporarily reduced; however, contract funding was gained to start the program up again in late summer.
The ultimate goal is to include all of the major occupied facilities in the cantonment area in the preventative maintenance program, which could save the installation up to $600,000 annually, estimated Rodney Miller, the contractor's work control manager. Currently, the savings is about $120,000 a year.
Routine preventative maintenance appointments, conducted three times a year, start with the contractor's team coordinator and the facility manager assigned to the buildings meeting to determine any existing issues, check on outstanding service orders and to perform a room-by-room walkthrough.
Rooms and common areas are inspected for problems with floors, walls and ceilings; light switches are checked; doors and their hardware are looked at to ensure they are secure; and restrooms and break rooms are examined for water leaks. Any deficiencies encountered are tracked.
Once the initial inspection is performed, a team of service order staff come through and correct any problem areas within a week of the walkthrough, said Hagen. A labor estimate for each task identified is completed to determine the right number of craftsmen to assign to make all the identified repairs in a short amount of time.
The backlog of service orders has dramatically decreased, in part, since the implementation of the program, but also due to the shops estimating their labor hours and the increased effectiveness of work scheduling.
"We have seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of service orders called in and deficiencies identified during walkthroughs," said Hagen of the program's positive impact.
"The Preventative Maintenance Program has definite advantages, one being the customer does not need to call for repairs unless it is an emergency," said Mark Kendrick, the contractor's quality control inspector who provides oversight
over the contract work. "It is cost effective because the technicians are kept in one location to accomplish multiple repairs, reducing travel time, work order processing time and equipment usage time, which are all cost savings to the government and in turn to the taxpayers."
Kendrick said the technicians like the program because of the stability provided by knowing where they will be working and, having gained the knowledge of the buildings, what types of repairs to expect.
Mark Bartle, Kira Fort Carson program manager, said the primary reason for the success of the preventative maintenance program is its proactive approach. Facility maintenance prevents repair problems from arising later. Feedback has been positive for the program.
"Our customer is our biggest fan when it comes to the viability of this program," said Bartle.
Sgt. Marcus Barton, the repair and utility noncommissioned officer with the Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, building 1352, has worked closely with the preventative maintenance program staff since his arrival at Fort Carson in May.
"The service has been great, the employees have been courteous, professional and positive," said Barton. "Ninety percent of the time they are spot on, I make the call and they deploy faster than the 82nd Airborne."
Social Sharing