The Peoria-based Air National Guard unit hosted a ground-breaking ceremony Monday for the new Fire Crash and Rescue Station coming in July 2020.
The new station will create a better living environment, according to Colonel Daniel McDonough.
“They sleep in their offices. When they fire those huge engines up in there, all that exhaust goes right into where they work and sleep,” McDonough said.
The current station was designed for only about 10-12 people. And on a drill weekend, 30 to 40 people could be there.
“You can imagine how crowded that is,” McDonough said.
1470 & 100.3 WMBD/Kristina Leahy
The new station will be approximately 17,800 square feet, with proper living quarters, a kitchen, place to eat, and adequate room for the vehicles and equipment. Also, the station will host full-time and traditional Air National Guard firefighters that provide fire-rescue to the Peoria Air National Guard, as well as the Peoria International Airport.
With a station built for with the larger trucks in mind, the crews will also be able to improve the efficiency of their response time.
“Right now, it takes about a minute to get the truck out of the bay because it’s so tight,” McDonough said. “It takes a minute to suit up, then it takes a minute for everyone to get that truck out through the bay and then get back in the truck, then it only leaves a minute to get to the farthest reach of the base”.
Gene Olsen with the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport said crews need to get out to the midpoint of the farthest runway within three minutes of the alarm.
“It’s going to improve readiness for them, which improves readiness for us as well,” Olson said.
Olson also said the crews on base respond to medical emergencies that occur at the airport.
“It’s not unusual to have an airplane coming in with a sick passenger on board,” Olson said. “These guys get over there and triage the patient, and figure out what’s wrong with them, and get them ready for the ambulance”.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility is expected to be in July 2020.
1470 & 100.3 WMBD/Kristina Leahy
