Camp Taji conducts grand opening of new fire station

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt | CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Soldiers and civilians from Camp Taji, Iraq, stand in front of the new fire station at its grand opening on June 10. The new station has the capability of holding four fire trucks, 18,000 gallons of water and 4,800 gallons of firefighting foam. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)  

TAJI, IRAQ

06.27.2006

Courtesy Story

1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq " After almost a year of hard work and dedication, the grand opening of a new fire station was held here June 10.

The new $2.1 million, four-bay fire station is a significant improvement over the old fire station because of its location and capabilities.

"This location was specifically picked because of the close proximity to the airfield," said Lt. Col. Jeffery Toomer, mayor of Camp Taji. "We used to park a fire truck on the airfield and the crew slept in the truck, but now they can stay at the firehouse and dispatch to the airfield quickly in case of an emergency. This fire station was specifically built for our safety on (Camp Taji)."

The new fire station is located directly across from the airfield. With its new location, response time to an airfield emergency is reduced from three minutes to one. An additional benefit is the fire station can now respond to a good portion of the downtown Taji area.

The new facility allows the storage of fire-fighting equipment in an environmentally controlled setting, keeping items such as foam, used in chemical and electrical fires, under the 120-degree breakdown temperature. The station also has the capacity to hold 18,000 gallons of water and 4,800 gallons of foam, compared to the 6,000 gallons of water and 1,800 gallons of foam the old station held.

"This has been a long journey to get this thing together," said Randy Meyer, fire chief for the Camp Taji Fire Department. "This location provides state-of-the-art equipment for flight line protection here on Camp Taji. Also, this facility was built completely accident free, which says a lot about how well it was put together."

For the firefighter, the new station comes equipped with a large training/community room, sleeping quarters for up to 20 firefighters, a game room for down time, and a large kitchen and TV room.

"This is a great accomplishment," Toomer added. "This structure is just a building, but it's a representation of the hard work and dedication of the Taji Fire Department."

• Date Taken: 06.27.2006
• Date Posted: 06.27.2006 15:14
• Story ID: 6969
• Location: TAJI, IQ