Local council members visit, observe new fire equipment

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
Wichita Falls city councilors witnessed firsthand the type of mutual support the Sheppard Fire Department can provide during a demonstration Tuesday morning.

The department invited members of the council to visit the firehouse, including its new computerized dispatching system and two Airfield Rescue Fire Fighting vehicles, or ARFF.

Col. Steven McKay, 82nd Mission Support Group commander, said he has never seen the type of relationship Sheppard and Wichita Falls shares. That has been evident in several mutual support exercises as well as real world emergencies.

The Sheppard firefighters even man Station No. 5 in Wichita Falls when that crew is called out for high-level emergencies, ensuring other parts of Wichita Falls remain safe.
Likewise, the Wichita Falls Fire Department provides aerial, or ladder, trucks when Sheppard has structure fires.

After a tour of the facilities and new trucks, officials heated up the visit with a demonstration at the department's training site off of Bridwell Road. Officials ignited an "aircraft" fire, setting up a scenario for crews of the ARFF to respond and extinguish the flames.

The new response vehicles can hold 1,500 gallons of water, compared to 1,000 the older vehicles can contain.

Dorothy Roberts-Burns, the councilwoman for District 2, said she was impressed by the technology of the response system and the new trucks. She was also surprised by the level of mutual support provided by the base.

"That is very comforting to know how they work together to make the city and Sheppard safer," she said.

WFFD Assistant Fire Chief Bill Weske, a 27-year fire veteran, knows how important assistance from Sheppard is when disaster strikes. He was on duty in May 1995 when a Sheppard aircraft crashed into a Wichita Falls apartment complex.

"They'll be the first ones we call," the assistant chief said of his colleagues at Sheppard. "The pilots don't fly just over Sheppard. These guys know what they are doing when it comes to airplane crashes."

Although Chief Weske was impressed by the base's new trucks, he said he doesn't see a need for the city to have the same type of equipment. After all, the mutual support shared between the base and city negates that need.