Fire Department split 3 ways, protects Fairchild assets

Published Jan. 27, 2011
By Scott King
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- For the first time in their history, the 92nd Civil Engineering Squadron Fire Department is protecting Fairchild assets in three different locations.

Because of the Fairchild runway closure, KC-135 operations have been relocated to the Grant County International Airport, in Moses Lake Wash. and the Spokane International
Airport thus stretching the fire departments resources thin.

"To say this is pushing us to our limits is an understatement," said Mr. Bill Nowlin, 92nd CES fire chief. "We are stretched at every level, but are transitioning quickly to both locations."

The 64-man fire department is comprised of 70 percent military and 30 percent civilian personnel. They have five crash trucks to handle aircraft emergencies, three structural engine trucks for structure fires, one 5K water truck for wild land fires as well as re-supply for crash trucks and a heavy rescue truck for car accidents, hazardous materials situations and weapons of mass destruction incidents.

They have sent one crash and one engine truck to Moses Lake and operate around-the-clock with eight firefighters rotating every 48 hours from Fairchild to the GCIA. They have also sent one crash truck and operate 24-7 with two firefighters rotating every 48 hours from Fairchild to the SIA.

"We not only are fully 'stood up' at those two locations, but we are still providing fire support here as well," Mr. Nowlin said. "We have to maintain a presence on base for helicopter and structural fire suppression, as well as emergency medical response."
Three of the fire departments bigger challenges during this undertaking have been logistics, training and communications.

Training wise, because the GCIA and SIA are under Federal Aviation Administration (civilian) control, the Fairchild firefighters had to be certified or "badged" after receiving integrated, specialized response training at both locations.

Communications have been challenging for the Fairchild firefighters. The Air Force hand-held radios the firefighters use are protected from outside listeners using a trunking system. Because of this, all their radios needed to be re-keyed to civilian frequencies so they can communicate with the GCIA and SIA firefighters.

Logistically speaking, rotating firefighting crews constantly is not an easy task, and truckloads of fire suppression equipment and other supplies have been deployed. In addition, mutual aid agreements had to be ironed out at both locations. Mutual aid agreements marry the existing GCIA and SIA civilian firefighting responses with the Fairchild firefighting responses creating one team of responders at both locations.
The mutual aid agreements have already played out at the GCIA.

"We responded to a male having chest pains along with the Grant County Fire Department and American Medical Response crews yesterday," said Mr. Bob Woodworth, 92nd CES division chief deployed to the GCIA. "I think this will be a good situation for both Fairchild and Grant County firefighters - they can assist us and we can do the same for them."

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