Edwards AFB News

Hose extensions to expedite gas station visits

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William A. O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  To eliminate wait times drivers faced at the Car Care Center gas pumps, hose extensions were installed at each of the pumps over the last few months, ending Jan. 6.

The new extensions will allow customers to refuel at any of the pumps from either side of their vehicles.

"This is going to make it faster for everyone to get gas, because now cars with their (fuel port) on the left side can pull to the right side and the hose will reach around the car," said Russell Hinrichs, Edwards Base Exchange general manager. "Being able to do that is going to eliminate a lot of waiting time."

Before the extensions he said, the shorter hoses limited pump selection, causing for long waits.

This allows for drivers to extend the hose to the other side of the vehicle which creates a more customer-friendly environment," said Mr. Hinrichs.

The project has been in the works for a while said Mr. Henrichs. However, he said the delay isn't because of the Car Care Center, but actually the part manufacturer for sending the wrong part.

"We've had pumps 9 through 12 completed for the past month, but we had to wait on the other pumps because the manufacture sent us the wrong part and when we corrected the issue, the correct one was on back order."

The entire project was completed by the Car Care center with no assistance from any outside organizations.

"We ordered the parts and installed them ourselves," said Mr. Henrich. "This is something that we did. The 95th Civil Engineering Directorate wasn't involved at all, everything was done by us."

Mr. Henrich added that he would like to thank all Car Care Center coustomers for there patiences at the pumps prior to the upgrade and while each pump was receiving the enhancement.

"We would like to thank our customers for their patiences on the matter, he said."This provides excellent customer service by allowing for a smoother traffic flow through the gas station."