Aux field fire station hosts open house

  • Published
  • By Sonic Johnson
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Wing and local community leaders joined over 50 BLAZE Team members at the newly-renovated fire station open house at Columbus Air Force Bases' auxiliary airfield on Thursday, July 8.

The 10 month fire station renovation not only improved the quality of life for the five firefighters that are on duty each day, but also reduced the environmental footprint by making the facility smaller and more energy efficient.

The auxiliary airfield, often referred to by its nickname "Gunshy", is located south of Columbus AFB off U.S. Highway 45 in the town of Shuqualak, Miss. Firefighters from the 14th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Emergency Services Flight make the one-hour trip to be in place before T-6 training operations can be conducted. The auxiliary airfield helps relieve the congestion of the T-6 pattern at Columbus AFB.

Col. Roger Watkins, 14th Flying Training Wing commander and Col. Ken Bryson, 14th Mission Support Group commander, were joined by Shuqualak Mayor Velma Jenkins, Macon Mayor Bob Boykin and several Noxubee County officials to tour the newly renovated fire station.

Lt. Col. Lars Hubert, 37th Flying Training Squadron commander and Lt. Col. Kelly Holbert, now the 41st Flying Training Squadron commander, arrived together at the fire station on the flight line side when they took time out of a T-6A Texan II training mission to land at Gunshy to participate in the Open House and have lunch.

Senior Airman Nathan Milan, Open House Project Officer, coordinated a lunch feast of hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages and all the picnic fixings for the over 50 invited guests.

The $816 thousand project was funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

"This is a great achievement for the morale of my firefighter who spend up to 16 hours a day, five days a week at the facility," beamed Chief Neil Hogan, Fire Chief for Columbus AFB.