NEW FIRE STATION OPENS DEC. 3 AT OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jo Murray 510-238-8430
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OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Fire Department will officially open the new state-of-the-art Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting station on Dec. 3 with an open house and demonstration from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The equipment bays in the 33,000-square-foot facility have room for its four new Oshkosh specialized airport firetrucks, which includes one equipped with a "Snozzle" that can reach elevations as high as 50 feet and penetrate an aircraft fuselage to spray fire fighting compounds into the cabin.
The other equipment bays will house other rescue vehicles and equipment. A storage room for fire-retardant foam tanks, personnel decontamination facility, and breathing apparatus fill room also are included in the facility.
In addition, the station features modern living quarters and offices including an exercise room, laundry room, private sleeping quarters, a day room and a kitchen with a refrigerator and pantry for each of the three shifts.
The facility is comparable to others built around the country in the past few years and replaces a building constructed in 1962. It also replaces a temporary sleeping quarters and an office housed in an adjacent trailer.
The station houses a crew of six, which is composed of a captain and five firefighters. In addition to firefighting and fire prevention services, the crews provide first aid/emergency medical technician services throughout the airport.
Each of the firefighters, who are members of the Oakland Fire Department, has received hundreds of hours of structural as well as aircraft and airfield fire fighting training.
"The crews'extensive training, the overall airport design and the state-of-the-art facility and equipment enhances the safety of the airport," said Steven J. Grossman, director of aviation for the Port of Oakland. "We can respond immediately with the latest in modern firefighting equipment."
The conceptual design architect was Sandra Parmer of URS Greiner Inc. in San Francisco. The architect of record was Hansen/Murakami/Eshima of Oakland. The general contractor was C. Overaa & Company of Richmond.
Dec. 2, 1998
