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Base’s new west-side fire station will cut response times by half

  • Published
  • By John Parker
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A new fire station scheduled to open this month in the former 3rd Herd compound will reduce emergency response times to Tinker's west side, according to the Tinker Fire and Emergency Services Division chief.

Chief Terry Ford said current response times from stations on the base's east side can run as high as 14 to 15 minutes in heavy traffic.

The stationing of an engine company in Bldg. 7017 off of Air Depot Boulevard will better protect housing additions and military assets in the area, he said.

"It improves their accessibility to fire, rescue and emergency medical services, and we'll be able to respond to the housing areas much faster," Chief Ford said. "It cuts our response times in half."

The 72nd Air Base Wing's Civil Engineering Directorate, its Tinker Support Services and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local F-211 combined efforts to save money by converting the existing building -- which will be called Fire Station 4 -- through self-help efforts.

"The membership of the union has been instrumental in the renovation work," Chief Ford said. "They've really stepped up and led the construction effort."

The station will also provide indoor protection for other assets, such as the Mobile Command Center, the chief said.

Fire service improvements are part of the ongoing relocation of the 72nd Security Forces Squadron to the former home of the 3rd Combat Communications Group. More than a month into the phased move, the 72nd's Security Forces headquarters are up and running in Bldg. 7017, which it will share with the fire station.

James Rollings, the 72nd's chief of plans and programs, said the biggest change for Tinker personnel at this point in the move will be the need to come to Bldg. 7017 for copies of any filed police reports involving accidents, lost or missing items, crimes, etc.
To file initial reports, however, or meet with Tinker security in person, the main law enforcement desk remains at Bldg. 591 on the north side of the base, Mr. Rollings said. The base "police station" will eventually move to the complex, but there's a lot of work ahead on that, he said.

So far, the 72nd SFS has vacated Bldgs. 1036, 1088, 1128 and part of 591. The 72nd Air Base Wing headquarters and 72nd Mission Support Group are slated to move to Bldg. 1002 in the same complex later this year.

The entire consolidation at the former 3nd Herd compound should take about a year, depending on budget considerations, Mr. Rollings said.

The 911 center is also slated to move to the compound. That will be a complicated transition because of highly technical communications equipment and because Security Forces must continuously monitor base alarms and cameras, Mr. Rollings said.

"We have to build this one, get it up and running and get it certified before we can shut off the old center," Mr. Rollings said.

Once the move is over, the new location should be more convenient for Tinker personnel, he said.

"I think it will streamline processes for them," he said. "In the long term, I think we'll be able to service more of the base populace with a shorter travel radius than we had because we'll be centrally located."