The National Training Center and Fort Irwin will hold its bi-annual post wide power outage on Feb. 27 from 6 a.m.- 6 p.m.
During this period, the Directorate of Public Works teams up with Southern California Edison to conduct routine service, repairs, maintenance and upgrading of power distribution and transmission systems including substations and source lines.
The NTC and Fort Irwin plans a biannual outage in the Spring and Fall as a preventative measure to reduce the chance of an unexpected electrical outage on post in the future.
Many businesses will remain open on generators, including the Commissary, PX and 24-hour Shoppette.
During the outage, personnel on Fort Irwin are encouraged to follow ‘best practices.’
* Turn off computers and related equipment.
* Turn off and unplug uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Desktop UPS’ will not be able to power computers for the length of the outage. Leaving the Ups plugged in will fully drain the battery.
* Turn off and unplug electronic equipment including TVs, satellite/cable equipment, game consoles, stereos, sub-woofers, amps, cell phone chargers/wall warts, laser printers, large format printers, copiers, shredders, battery charges and other office equipment. This equipment frequently starts up when power is restored and are sensitive to voltage issues. As each circuit is restored, it can take some time for the voltage to stabilize.
* Leave refrigerator and freezer doors shut. They will last 12 hours, provided the doors remain closed. If you are concerned, ice is available at Tiefort View Elementary School on Barstow Road from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Two bags of ice per resident are available. If you have medication that requires refrigeration, there are steps you can take to protect your meds.
* Medications requiring refrigeration should be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius or 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit.
* Place a thermometer in the fridge prior to the outage.
* When power is restored, check the temperature inside the refrigerator to determine if medications have been exposed to higher than recommended temperatures.
* Do not store medications directly on ice.
* Again, leave the refrigerator door closed for the duration of the outage.
* If you have any questions regarding medications, contact the pharmacy at 866-957-9224, Option 4, then Option 1, Option 1
