New fire station opens door to public Published Feb. 27, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A local congressman and the 7th Bomb Wing commander dedicated a new Dyess fire station after final completions of the building Feb. 22. Congressman Randy Neugebauer and Col. Timothy Ray along with members of the 7th BW fire station opened the approximately $11.2 million project, which is more centrally located on the base to help incident response times. The firefighters to moved to the station in the first week of December, but the fire fighters just recently were able to move the final pieces of equipment and put the finishing touches in the building, said Floyd Jones, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy fire chief. At more than twice the size of the older station built in 1957, the fire stations added space includes 20 stalls, larger bunk houses, an infectious disease station, larger kitchen space, and a full-blown fitness center. "Our old fire station had only 10 stalls, which meant we had to park some of our vehicles outside of the station," Mr. Floyd Jones said. "Several pieces of equipment on these vehicles are sensitive to temperature changes, so having all of our vehicles covered will help extend the life of the equipment." Larger space in the new facility has also vastly improved the living conditions for the Airmen working and living in the station, Mr. Jones said. "Before we had 80-square-foot bunk houses for our fire fighters to sleep in, while the Air Force minimum is 120 square feet," Mr. Jones said. "The kitchen space has also increased to allow more than just a few fire fighters to make their meals. Our Airmen live in this station 24/7, so this extra space means a lot to them." A special feature in the center of the building is a heritage room created by the Airmen. The room features a historic bell the fire fighters themselves funded, a fire fighters patch engraved on the floor, items and photos of historic note, and a memorial to fallen comrades. "It was something we all wanted to do," Mr. Jones said. "The bell is something all the Airmen have enjoyed having, and some want to ring even though anyone who hears the bell ring gets a free soda from the person ringing the bell." Another change to the building has been an improved alarm system. "Before we would wake up everyone who was sleeping in their bunk rooms if a call came in," Mr. Jones said. "However, some jobs only require maybe three people to go to, so our new system allows us to wake up just the people needed in their rooms." Moving all the equipment from the old station and three other storage facilities to the new building was a lot of work, but Mr. Jones said all the Airmen believe it was worth the work. "There has been an absolute 200 percent increase in morale among the fire fighters," Mr. Jones said. "You can see the pride they take in this facility in their faces and the way they keep the building looking new. They treat this building just like their fire vehicles, and we keep our vehicles absolutely immaculate. I think they are proud to call this their home."