183rd Firefighters Sticking Around For At Least Another Year
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Printable FormatState Register-Journal By BERNARD SCHOENBURG
Firefighters with the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing learned Tuesday the Springfield base has received a new mission that will keep them on the job for at least another year.
"We can kind of take a deep breath now," said Senior Master Sgt. John Ring, fire chief for the 183rd. "We have a year extension, and we are going to work even harder. Hopefully, we will get a new flying mission."
The immediate mission involves maintenance work on F-16 fighters. Jets from across the country will be landing in Springfield to be worked on, which means firefighting personnel will be needed at the base.
There's been no change in the plan to relocate all of the wing's F-16s by Oct. 1.
There are about 17 or 18 firefighters with the 183rd who receive a total of $1.4 million in federal salary and benefits per year.
"The important thing for the 183rd and Springfield is that the maintenance folks who have been here doing maintenance work on the F-16s will continue to do that same type of work, and additionally, the firefighters that were scheduled to leave Oct. 15 of this year have been extended," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Illinois National Guard adjutant general.
The maintenance duties, which will begin in October and run through September 2009, are in addition to two other non-flying missions for the 183rd that were announced in July: an engine repair facility and an Air and Space Operations Center.
Enyart thanked Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin, both D-Ill., for their continued support.
The two senators issued a joint press release Tuesday, pledging to continue working for a permanent flying mission for the base at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport.
"The 183rd Fighter Wing and its firefighter unit in Springfield provide invaluable support to Illinois' security, readiness and emergency preparedness," Obama said in the release. "The National Guard took an important step today by granting a one-year extension of the firefighter unit. However, I will continue working with Sen. Durbin to secure a long-term flying mission for the 183rd and maintain these emergency response capabilities in our state."
Durbin has pushed a plan that would move small military cargo planes to Springfield, which has happened at some other bases that are losing their fighter jets. A spokeswoman for the senator said Tuesday there is no new information on the status of that initiative.
National Guard officials estimate that there will be at most two F-16s undergoing maintenance in Springfield at any one time. The 183rd will provide "phased maintenance," which includes a very intense inspection of each fighter jet.
In addition to the air base, the firefighters provide protection for the airport itself.
Mayor Tim Davlin, who was at the base for Tuesday's announcement, said he's pleased the firefighters have been given a reprieve.
"This really would have hit us in the pocket," Davlin said. "We would have had to continue providing firefighting service out here, and firefighting service isn't cheap."
Ring noted that his firefighters also assist nearby communities when asked.
"We aren't big in numbers, but we are big in quality training, certification, and we are big in helping out in the community," he said.
Sherman Fire Chief Rich Coon said he's called on the 183rd firefighters from time to time for help in dealing with medical emergencies, automobile crashes and even structure fires.
"The 183rd is a valuable asset to our community. Anybody with a volunteer fire department can use all of the mutual aid you can get. The 183rd has been a valuable mutual-aid company to us on many occasions," Coon said.
Over the next year, as Guard and political officials continue to work to find a new flying mission for the base, the firefighters will continue to do their job, Ring said.
"Every deployment, every inspection, every call, we try to do the best we can," he said. "Our goal for the next year is to get even better at what we are doing. I can't express how grateful we are to the people who have helped us through this."