Fairchild Town Hall Q&As

Fairchild AFB leaders held town hall briefings Aug. 19, 2021, here. The briefings included topics such as housing, child care, education and more. Listed below are some of the questions the Fairchild community posed.

Housing

• How is the base helping to house PCSing Airmen and families?
  • Effective 13 August 2021, a short-term lodging rate discount for Airmen PCSing is being offered as a short-term solution until Headquarters Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense can work on Temporary Lodging Expense and Basic Allowance for Housing long-term solutions. Individuals will be allowed to stay in temporary lodging support status in up to 30-day increments, and is extendable. This isn’t a permanent solution, but it’s a short-term win for the time being.
  • The Housing office also has a list of available homes and apartments in the local area that is updated daily. Airmen can contact the Housing office or their First Sergeant for the updated list.
• For Airmen who deploy and break their apartment lease, is there anything to help them find housing upon return?
  • The same solutions are available to these Airmen as those who are PCSing here.
• When can we expect to see Basic Allowance for Housing issues get resolved, since they actually got lowered?
  • We cannot say as to when this issue will be resolved, but our team and the leadership on base is working tirelessly for solutions, looking both up into the chain and out into the community.
• Is there any possibility for the base to qualify for Cost-of-Living Allowance?
  • CONUS COLA is designed to help offset higher prices in the highest cost locations that exceed the costs in an average CONUS location by eight percent or more.  This means the costs for non-housing types of goods and services in a particular location are at least eight percent more expensive than average CONUS assignments. A contractor provides cost data from each military housing area for the following categories: transportation, goods and services, federal income taxes, sales taxes and miscellaneous expenses.
• Why is the wait list to move on base so long?
  • Due to an unprecedented need for housing in the local area, more and more people are electing to live/move on base. Spokane’s housing vacancy is incredibly low, at 0.6 percent, making it challenging to find places to live. The base housing office and Balfour Beatty Communities are working toward solutions, but there are no quick fixes for these issues.

FSS

• Has Wing leadership looked into making FamCamp a year-round option?
  • Yes! The Mission Support Group is looking to see what they need to do to winterize the FamCamp. The Civil Engineering squadron and Legal working together to see what they can legally do to make that happen.
• Are there any long-term projects to build new things to do on base?
  • At the moment, we are gathering ideas and plans for future on-base activities. We are looking at projects like a bowling alley and other indoor entertainment options, but are also seeking feedback from the base population. If you have ideas, either long-term or short-term, please let your leaders know.
• Can we get more food options on base?
  • Base leaders are working hard to get more options available. At the moment, the 92nd Force Support Squadron and AAFES are working with local food trucks to provide services on base, there will be a new restaurant opening in the BX, and the base will continue to explore more options.

Child Care

• What is the base doing to make Child Care more accessible to everyone?
  • The 92nd FSS is looking to increase pay and staff at the Child Development Center, in order to increase its availability and reduce wait times for families to enroll their kids. There are also programs to help offset the cost of child care for those who either cannot use the CDC or are waiting for a spot and the 92nd FSS can help walk members through those processes. Contact the CDC for more information on the available subsidy programs
• When will there be more slots in the Child Development Center?
  • The Child Development Center is currently in the enrollment process, and some slots will become available as children transition from their care to the Youth Center; however, the number of slots available depends on staffing. More staff allows for more slots.
• Can the base extend Family Child Care certification to include spouses that live off base?
  • The state of Washington has very strict rules and regulations surrounding this, however the base is working diligently with the state to expand the program to include off-base spouses. Keep an eye out for information on this in the coming months.

Quality of Life

• How is the base working to keep Airmen connected?
  • Fairchild recently stood up a clubs program, ran by Airmen, for Airmen. The goal of the program is connect individuals with others who share similar interests. Right now, we have 33 different clubs and a lot of active members. You can view a list of clubs and join them on the Fairchild.af.mil website. Keep in mind, the list can be expanded at any time! If you have a hobby and would like to start a club of your own, you can contact the club program manager to set it up. https://www.fairchild.af.mil/Information/Fairchild-Clubs/
• Can military/spouses be UBER drivers?
  • Yes, as long as the passengers in the vehicle have valid ID or escort, they can get on base.

Education

• Who can help get my kids enrolled in school and provide additional information?
  • The 92nd FSS has a school liaison, Mr. Steve McMullen, who is dedicated to proving solutions for your child as an advocate between your family and the local school districts. You can read more about the services he provides here: https://www.fairchildfun.com/school-liaison
• Are there Military and Family Life Counselors for school-age children in any of the local schools?
  • In the past, Michael Anderson Elementary had an embedded MFLC; however, due to the robust mental health program within the Medical Lake School District that supports at all of the schools, the MFLC was no longer needed in the school. MFLCs can be requested by schools based on number and percentage of military students.  Schools may also request not to continue the service as well. There are MFLCs at the Airman and Family Readiness Center that are certified to care for school-age children, if necessary.

COVID

• Will spouses living on base be mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
  • At this time, there is nothing to indicate spouses of military service members will be mandated to receive the vaccine. The mandate is only certain for service members.
• What about federal employees?
  • In Secretary Austin’s memo, he urged federal employees to receive the vaccine; however, there is no certainty as to whether this will be mandated or not in the coming months.
• Will the base be looking to change its HPCON level as COVID rates seem to be increasing?
  • At this time that is unclear, but should the rates significantly increase at Fairchild, the HPCON level could change. The safety of our Airmen and their families is our number one priority, and should their safety be compromised, our team is willing to do what needs to be done to ensure their safety.