An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Fairchild firefighters respond to off base incident

  • Published
  • By Scott King
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  On Jan. 15, the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department responded to an off base, unoccupied house fire to assist firefighters from the Spokane District 10 Fire Department.

Fairchild crews arrived on scene at 1:55 p.m. with an Incident Safety Officer, an Engine crew and a Mobile Water Supply Vehicle crew. 

Upon their arrival, the Fairchild engine crew was immediately asked to make entry into the home to extinguish the fire. All four members of the crew entered the home and began to fight the fire.

The MWS vehicle was then asked to re-supply all the engines on-scene with water, as the closest water source was located three miles away, back on Fairchild. The MWS vehicle ended up returning to Fairchild to get more water, and returned to the scene to re-supply again, providing 10,000 gallons of water.

"It was a great experience working hand-in-hand with our off-base partners," said Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Brison, 92nd CES crew chief. "They were very appreciative of what we brought to the fight. We had several young Airmen who performed extremely well and were right in the thick of the firefighting efforts."

The initial fire was knocked down and overhaul of the facility began. A second crew from Fairchild responded to replace the first group of personnel. The second group continued with overhaul of the facility to ensure the fire was completely out and not hiding in walls and ceilings.
On the job less than a month, Airman 1st Class Brandon Honea, 92nd CES firefighter said, "It was good experience for us to work with the off-base fire departments, simply because the more experienced hands out there fighting the fire, the better. It wasn't individual fire departments - we were like one big department putting it out together."

Coincidentally, another young Fairchild firefighter volunteers with the firefighters of District 10.

"I actually volunteer with District 10 in my off duty time," said Senior Airman Christopher Babcock, 92nd CES firefighter. "It's always great to work within the community to see how we come together as one team. Being familiar with some of the guys from District 10 and knowing how they work and operate helped me out - I have faith that if Fairchild needed mutual aide, they would respond and work well with us."

Training is a key factor in all the successes of the Fairchild Fire Department.

"The Air Force goes to great lengths to ensure our firefighters are trained and ready for a wide range of emergencies," said Lt. Col. Jason Campbell, 92nd CES commander. "This response highlights the importance of that training not only for our base mission, but also for the capabilities our firefighters bring to the local community. Our Airmen did an outstanding job during this response and I'm proud to be their squadron commander."

The fire started in an electrical box and spread throughout the garage and west side of the living areas. Damage was limited to the garage and mechanical room.

District 10 leadership was definitely glad Fairchild was able to respond and assist.
"Fairchild's timely response allowed us to continue an aggressive interior attack and move into the mop up stage quickly," said Robert Ladd, District 10 deputy fire chief. "District 10 has always been fortunate to receive help from Fairchild on significant incidents. Having the additional resources available to support our operations is invaluable. This interaction and relationship building will be very valuable if an incident occurs on base since we will be returning the help in those instances."