News

All Robins fire stations reach VPP Gold status

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Fire Station 1, located on Robins Parkway, was designated a VPP Gold Safe Site Nov. 3.

This means that all three fire stations across the installation have earned the Voluntary Protection Program Gold honor.

"In our job, safety is paramount whether in the station or out on an emergency," said Fire Chief Forest Johnson. "This is something we really have to embrace in our business. It's good to see the guys have taken this on and everyone has pitched in. "

An assessment team from the Robins Voluntary Protection Program office spent several hours Thursday morning at the station, receiving briefings from firefighters, explanations of how safety is not only a part of the workplace, but home culture, and also checking paperwork.

"They have really taken VPP and applied it to everything they do," said Kenny Dees, Center VPP program manager.

For example, before and after photos of a storage building were shown to the inspection team which detailed the station's VPP journey.

"This place is a storage building, but it's immaculate," commented Dees.

Fire equipment, personal protective equipment, tools, and other items used to maintain the station were all properly organized and color-coded.

Dees said his team checked paperwork, looked at how the station mentored other organizations, how they shared experiences of what VPP is, and checked proper documentation of hazards and methods used.

Firefighters also plan to implement a health and wellness program.

"There were a lot of great things they did," Dees added.

Station 1 includes the dispatch center, and a staff of 15 fire inspectors, administrative personnel and firefighters.