Space Heaters: If you didn’t get it from CE, don’t plug it in

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Luis Loza Gutierrez
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  With the recent drops in temperatures, base leadership warns personnel not to plug in space heaters.

The 319th Civil Engineer Squadron Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning section were quick to refer to the current base policy regarding space heaters.

According to Grand Forks Air Force Base Instruction 32-2001, Heat Producing Appliances and Equipment, 4.21.3, "Space heaters in government facilities shall be unauthorized. Exception: In the event an acceptable temperature cannot be maintained and CES HVAC shop is unable to provide an immediate repair, they may issue a space heater while repairs are underway. The HVAC provided heater is the only space heater authorized in a government facility."

"We understand it can get very cold even while being indoors, however, the bottom line is that no one is authorized space heaters in any government facility unless it is issued by the CE HVAC shop," said Staff Sgt. Richard Lee, an HVAC technician with the 319th CES.
Lee said that a big part of the job is to help the personnel on base work in the most comfortable temperature conditions possible. However, the space heater policy is not just about prohibiting the use of an electronic device.

"It's also about safety," said Lee. "The base fire department does a great job of letting people know how dangerous space heaters can be."

Lee said space heaters are typically left on the floor and many of the work centers on base have carpeted areas to keep workers from slipping. He said carpeted areas can easily catch fire if the space heater falls over.

"So as you can see there is a legitimate reason for this policy," said Lee. "There may be a bit of an inconvenience for some, but at the end of the day I believe people will understand that the policy was created to protect our facilities and most importantly, our people."