JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Was. -- Nearly 11 years in the making, Fire Station 106 opened Tuesday with a cutting of a windshield frame with power scissors by Joint Base Lewis-McChord commanders Col. Thomas Brittain and Col. Valerie Hasberry. The new station primarily serves the McChord housing areas; prior to a second station, firefighters could not respond to calls in housing in the required five-minute time frame from the original station at the airfield.
"It reduces the time to get to the farthest point in housing from 10 minutes to just under four," Deputy Fire Chief James Elways said of the new station's location.
McChord Air Field had identified the need for the second, permanent station in 2001 but it wasn't until it joint based with Fort Lewis that the station was approved.
"We have routinely identified and championed for a station closer to the housing area," said JBLM Fire Department Assistant Chief John Harris. "(We) realized that the joint basing may be the platform to improve the response times. Again we championed for another station and behind me you see the fruits of that labor."
Once the station was approved a temporary location was set up in the Civil Engineers compound near the commissary while the permanent facility was under construction. Both the fire department and garrison command are proud of their work to make the $1.9 million project a reality.
"This is one of those things that in a three-year command to get to fight for at the beginning and see come to fruition at the end," Brittain said. He added that it's rare to see an infrastructure project like this one completed so quickly.
The firefighters are excited to move into their building this month. Fire Station No. 106 features individual bedrooms for each firefighter on duty, a large kitchen, recreation room, computer stations and brand new appliances. The station will also be receiving a new fire engine later this month.
Firefighter Lewis Everard helped select and order most of the appliances, including the gas range, double ovens, refrigerators and washer and dryer. He was excited to help put his mark on the new station.
"If I couldn't help build the place, I wanted to do what I could to make it mine as well," Everard said.
The two fire captains commanding the new station are proud to be the first in charge.
"It's an honor because this fire station is going to outlive us...a lot more firefighters will come through here," Capt. Jim Soderback said.
Among the firefighters assigned to Station #106 are two paramedics. Typically Army and Air Force installation fire departments do not have paramedics on their crews, necessitating the use of other emergency services.
"(The new station) not only improves response time but provides better service than before," Harris said.
Brittain is impressed with the diversity of employees at the JBLM Fire Department.
"Every day and every night all of these guys and gals are working together to protect our installation," Brittain said. "So when you talk about a joint team--Army, Air Force, military, civilian--you can't get more joint then what we have in our fire and emergency services."
The firefighters are happy to move into their new station, one that many firefighters, fire chiefs and command teams, past and present, have hoped to see built for years.
"It feels rewarding to be a part of this," Capt. Toby Bennett, who has served as a JBLM firefighter for 14 years, said. "It's nice to have a home."
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