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Photo By Airman 1st Class Madeline Herzog |
An Airman uses a key fob to access his dorm room at Royal Air Force Lakenheath,……
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Photo By Airman 1st Class Madeline Herzog | An Airman uses a key fob to access his dorm room at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, March 7, 2019. The key fob allows connection to a keyring and supplements the regular keycards assigned to the Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Madeline Herzog)
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RAF LAKENHEATH, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

Dorm residents at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England are receiving key fobs for their dorm room access as of Jan. 14, 2019.

The key fob allows connection to a keyring and supplements the regular keycards assigned to the Airmen.

Joshua B. Scherette, 48th Civil Engineering Squadron chief of unaccompanied housing, said the new low-cost technology saves the 48th Fighter Wing time and money. Additionally, based on feedback from Airmen describing the keycards as inconvenient, this solution offers residents an additional method for room entry.

“I know many of the dorm residents have been requesting a second key for quite some time and it was nice to see our voices heard,” said Senior Airman Alexander Hamilton, 48th Surgical Operations Squadron Obstetrics/Gynecology Clinic medical technician.

The previous process led to an average of ten lock-out calls per month to the Airman Dormitory Leaders. The average lock-out call requires 1.5 man-hours to process and costs between 35 and 70 U.S. dollars.

“Often times, the simplest solution is the most effective,” said Scherette. “In this case the key fobs were the simplest and most cost-effective. This innovative, reliable solution was $2,000, compared to a stand-alone kiosk station that would have cost $6,000.”

An Airman can use the key fob as a main source of room access due to convenience and accessibility.

“As a dorm resident, being given a key fob has definitely improved the quality of my dorm life,” said Hamilton. “Having the second key helps so much with accidental lock-outs and the process of calling my supervision to be let back in by Security Forces.”

Scherette said since implication, the unaccompanied housing staff has received zero calls from residents being locked-out, and customer feedback has all been positive.

If dormitory Airmen don’t already have one, they can acquire the key fob from their ADL.

This work, The key to innovation, by A1C Madeline Herzog, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.