HomeNewsArticle Display

West side story A year later, Fire Station 4 builds community service

  • Published
  • By John Parker
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When Fire Station 4 opened, it was praised as a self-help project that cut estimated contractor costs by more than 90 percent, with the potential to sharply cut response times to Tinker AFB's west side.

Just over a year later, response times have indeed dropped and the station has achieved another of its early goals -- growing into the base's first community firehouse.

In the past year the station's nine rotating firefighters have treated young children to fire engine play time, conducted water safety classes and handed out Halloween candy at the Youth Center.

Other programs such as child seat safety inspections are geared toward serving the base's nearly 2,800 residents living in 660 homes and 910 dorms on the base's west side.

"We wanted a community fire station where people know the firefighters," Fire and Emergency Services Chief Terry Ford said. "We're seen in the public eye, and that's really important for the fire service. It's been a very strong success for us."

The 13,634-square-foot station built from scratch in a repurposed Bldg. 7017 is a boon for residents' safety, too.

Calls involving rescues are averaging 5 minutes, 4 seconds so far this year, the chief said. That's more than 4 minutes faster than the base's multiyear baseline and beats the Department of Defense standards by nearly 2 minutes.

One of those rescues occurred in Mitchell Heights last May, firefighters said. A mother and her two children fled to their garage-floor shelter during a tornado warning. No twister struck, but the shelter's door mechanism jammed.

The mom called 911. Station 4 firefighters arrived quickly, forced open a side garage door and freed the grateful family.

All of the base's response times have shortened. Average hazardous materials responses fell by 1 minute, 16 seconds to 6 minutes, 44 seconds. EMS responses are 1 minute, 17 seconds faster, while times to building emergencies, such as homes, fell by 1 minute, 40 seconds.

All of the response times exceed the Department of Defense's minimum standards.
 
"If somebody's having chest pains, something that could be a life-threatening emergency, that extra 2 to 3 minutes means a world of difference when you're in pain," Chief Ford said.

One of the station's fastest response times happened a few months ago, Capt. Tim Ward said. A woman who was jogging collapsed and passed out on a trail. Station 4 firefighters were there about 30 seconds after they were dispatched, he said.

Tinker officials, firefighters and the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local F 211, volunteered time last year to equip, refurbish and build Station 4 with about $165,000 in self-help base project money. Contracting out that work was estimated to cost about $2 million, Chief Ford said.

Station 4 Chief Justin Dulworth, a 23-year veteran of Tinker Fire and Emergency Services, said it's been a great experience helping to build the firehouse's programs.
"I love it," the chief said. "This is a whole lot different than working in stations 1, 2 or 3. Our primary focus is the community area, the housing area, basically taking care of the citizens of Tinker."

Firefighters welcome residents and families to stop by. The station sponsors safety and community relations events with Balfour Beatty Communities and Tinker Elementary School. Reaching out to children is important in a military base environment, Captain Ward said.

"I think the biggest benefit of us is just the relationship with the kids," he said. "We've been able to go out and drive around and hang out with the kids and they've slowly realized that we're not scary, off limits people."

Chief Dulworth summed up Station 4's mission: "We're here for the citizens. We're here for them, whatever they need, night or day, 24/7."