Cooperation among fire departments in Wichita Falls and Sheppard AFB

  • Published
  • By Elizabeth Brooks
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Sheppard Fire Department's primary area of responsibility is within the confines of the base gates, but that doesn't stop them from assisting civil authorities during off-base emergencies.

When a brush fire on Lenore Road less than two miles from Sheppard's main gate May 13 filled the base with a smoky haze and pungent odor May 13, base firefighters stood side by side with local emergency crews to control and extinguish the blaze even though the fire was outside of Sheppard's jurisdiction.

This was the second time in May that Sheppard's fire department has assisted with an off-base fire. In the last six months, they have teamed up with local community departments to fight 17 fires off the installation.

The reach of Sheppard extends to a 35-mile radius and includes agreements with departments in Electra, Henrietta and Burkburnett.

Sheppard Fire Department has a total of 34 fire fighters, with 11 on duty at any given time. While on-duty, the firefighters work a 24-hour shift, with a one-day on and one-day off rotation.

Always ready to answer the call, the fire department here utilizes ORM (operational risk management) principles when determining if supporting off-base emergencies is feasible.

Requests for civil assistance are originated by the affected community department through a series of channels. The department in need of assistance contacts the local incident commander on-scene, who then contacts the Emergency Communications Center at Sheppard.

The ECC, staffed with five individuals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, sends the request to the Senior Fire officer for consideration of availability of personal and equipment. The Senior Fire officer also has final approval for all off-base operations.

"The goal during every response is saving lives and property," said David Mounsey, Sheppard Fire Department Chief. "These joint efforts help all those involved work together as a team, bringing different capabilities that complement each other."

All the departments, on base and off, participate in joint training, allowing each to determine the capabilities of every department and how to integrate them cohesively.
At times training occurs on base, utilizing specialized training facilities not available in the community.

"Joint training allows everyone to work to achieve a common goal, and more importantly, learn," Mounsey said.

Along with the severity of the emergency, the Senior Fire officer assesses if the situation requires specialized equipment or teams that may not be available to local departments.

Most of the equipment at Sheppard is similar to the equipment found at local departments.
 
However, Sheppard has specialized vehicles for airfield firefighting that can be adapted for incidents that may occur at a fuel storage yard or during railroad or highway incident.

Sheppard is also unique in the fact they have a ladder truck and water tanker with a 4,000 gallon capacity which is invaluable in rural areas where a viable water source may be limited.

Water is the first line of defense when it comes to fire fighting. However, with water restrictions across the area in full force and a drought three years running, fire departments are now concerned with the constraints of obtaining and deploying large amounts of water, as well as the sufficiency of water pressure.

"We have stopped using water during training exercises unless we are using actual fire at the Live-Fire Training Facilities," Mounsey said. "We now perform operational checks on our pumps weekly instead of daily.

Outside of emergency situations, the Sheppard Fire Department can be found outside the base gates participating in many local events during the year. Officials train firefighters at Fort Sill-Lawton Municipal Airport and Frederick Municipal Airport to familiarize them with various aircraft.

With an educational trailer in tow, the department also serves five counties in two states, informing the public on fire prevention and safety.

With another hot dry summer upon us, it is likely the Sheppard team will be fighting fires around Texoma again this year.