News

Operational changes will not affect fire emergency service

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • Robins Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Planned operational chang-es in Robins' Fire Emergency Services will not affect the division's ability to respond to emergencies.

The changes will also not alter other services the division provides, said Forest Johnson, Robins' Fire Chief.

In addition to maintaining three fire stations, the services the division provides include conducting fire safety training for employees and residents, reviewing plans for new construction, and performing more than 500 inspections a year of buildings and other facilities on base.

On Sunday, Robins' FES will begin using a concept of operations that has been in place at almost all Air Force bases since 2007. That concept allows for lower numbers of workers required on duty, which provides units greater flexibility to better manage their personnel.

Johnson said the changes do not mean the FES here will automatically schedule fewer workers on a shift; it simply will allow Robins' FES more flexibility to make adjustments when employees are absent or away from the job for other unforeseen reasons.

"Our objective has always been and will remain to have the right number of trained personnel available for safe and effective operations," he said. Johnson went on to say that while Robins' FES "responded to 712 fire and emergency-related events in 2011, and exceeded the Air Force goal for response times on all types of emergencies" he expects his team "to once again exceed that (response time) goal."