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In late December 1938,
the first piece of firefighting equipment was put into service at McClellan
Air Force Base. This unit was staffed by temporary firefighters and later
replaced by an all-civilian (civil service) fire department in May 1939.
The first Fire Chief was
Charles B. Keeley. In July 1942, Harvey E. Hansen assumed command and saw
his department grow from a single truck to more than a dozen pieces of
apparatus and four stations over a ten-year period. Although the list is
incomplete, former chiefs include: Chiefs Graham and Bromberg, Cecil Green,
Correal, Ralph Murphy, Morton Wade, Jack McComb, Darrell Parker, Cecil
Gomez, and Randy Doris. The last Fire Chief at McClellan AFB, Oliver Long,
turned over the facilities and equipment to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire
District on April 1, 2001, during a ceremony at Station 114.
McClellan AFB Fire
Department grew to a maximum of six fire stations, including one in the
housing area off Watt Avenue, north of the base. On-duty personnel numbered
in excess of 30. Although it was a very large installation, over 2,000
acres, Air Force enlisted (GI’s) firefighters were not assigned to the base
until 1985. Earlier in its history, over 125 airmen were used as
“augmentees” to assist the department in the continuous fight to make the
entire base “fire conscious”.
Because of the size and
nature of the many hazards found on McClellan AFB, an extensive Fire
Prevention Bureau was needed. One of the early Fire Marshals was Lt. Col.
E.F. Fries. Some of the hazards included many different types of aircraft,
industrial fabrication, wildland, high-density life hazard in large
buildings, chemical laboratories, a nuclear reactor, composite materials
research, and a large fuel storage area.
As early
as 1950, McClellan AFB Fire Department was a member of the Sacramento-Yolo
County Mutual Aid team and responded to fires and disasters in the
surrounding community. In 1981, Chief Jack McComb assumed command and made a
concerted effort to make the department more visible to the community and to
the neighboring fire districts. His programs included more specific
automatic and mutual aid agreements and he introduced multiple channel
radios to be able to communicate with outside agencies. He trained his
personnel in the Incident Command System and unified command procedures,
and standardized equipment and procedures. These efforts were instrumental
in helping McClellan AFB Fire Department mesh with the surrounding county
fire districts when called upon.
It was this cooperative
attitude that helped the transition process when McClellan AFB closed. Chief
Oliver Long, Captains Ken Harrington and Scott Lohmeyer, Master Sergeant
Jeff Lee and Staff Sergeant Gina Ennis conducted orientation of the base
facilities and target hazards as well as Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting
procedures. Their dedication and willingness to share information made the
transition for Metro Fire personnel extremely smooth.
McClellan AFB Fire
Department has seen its share of major incidents. Some of the dates or time
frames are vague.
• Late 1940’s – Camp
Kohler – large fire that destroyed multiple buildings in an area from the
east side of the base to the area around Palm and Hemlock;
• Early 1950’s –
apparatus responded code-3 to Travis AFB for a B-29 crash that involved a
nuclear weapon;
• October 29, 1951 – a
B-29 attempting to make an emergency landing crashed and caught fire on
Runway 16. Eleven crewmen were injured, one seriously. Authorities at the
field attributed the fast actions of firefighters with saving the lives of
those aboard the plane. Firefighter Ray Morrill died while fighting the
fire;
• Mid-1950’s – an EC-121
crashed near Watt Avenue and U Street. Citrus Heights units also responded;
• Early 1960’s – a F-104
crashed next to Haggin Oaks Golf Course. Citrus Heights, Arcade, and
Hagginwood Fire Districts also responded;
• 1973 – units responded
mutual aid to the Roseville Railyard fire that involved a train carrying
bombs;
• 1982 – multiple alarm
structure fire involving a chemical warehouse. The toxic smoke column closed
Interstate 80 for hours;
• Early 1980s – an HH-53
helicopter crashed near PFE Road during an air show at the base. They were
attempting a refueling operation with a C-130 refueler when the refueling
hose became entangled in the rotor. Citrus Heights, Dry Creek, Rio Linda,
and Elverta Fire Districts also responded;
• Early 1980’s – an
F-111 crashed near Woodland. McClellan units responded to the crash site;
• 1994 – Watt Avenue and
A Street structure fire. McClellan units established a water supply with
Large Diameter Hose (LDH) across Watt Avenue;
• 1997 – 3rd alarm
structure fire in a plating shop with toxic chemicals. Sacramento Fire
Department Hazardous Materials Team, Sacramento County and American River
Fire Districts also responded;
• McClellan units have
participated in multiple strike team responses.
Over the years, the
McClellan AFB Fire Department has had many different types of apparatus. For
the most part, apparatus were Air Force standard inventory and were able to
be deployed anywhere in the world. Early crash trucks built in the 1950’s by
American LaFrance were designated as 0-11A’s and carried 1,000 gallons of
water and 100 gallons of foam with a 500 gpm pump. McClellan AFB Fire
Department also had a very unique apparatus called the “Weasel.” It was a
track type vehicle that carried a crew of two and a small amount of water.
It was used for those areas not accessible with other apparatus. C-5 at one
time was a 1959 special use vehicle designated as an 0-6 and carried 4,000
pounds of carbon dioxide. Crash, or ARFF vehicles, progressed to carry more
water and foam and included the P-2, P-4, P-15, and P-19’s, all of which
have been assigned at McClellan through the years. In its “hey day,” the
Fire Department manned two rescue/EMS squads, four engine companies, a Haz-Mat
truck, an 85’ aerial ladder, a 5,000 gallon water tender, and four crash
trucks.
McClellan’s original Fire
Station 1 was Bldg. #4 at 36th and J Street. Station 2, Bldg. #601 was
located at 52nd and A-J Streets. Station 3, Bldg. #1074 is located on the
east side of the flight line next to taxiway Bravo. Station 3 was renumbered
to 114 for county dispatch purposes. Station 4 was Bldg. #634 located at the
north end of 52nd Street. Station 115, Bldg.# 737, is located on the west
side of the flight line near the south end. Station 115 replaced old Station
2. There was also a station in the Capehart housing area on Navaho Drive
east of Watt Avenue
Written by Engineer Fred Phelps |
