Altus AFB aids community in firefighting efforts Published July 23, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Seidl 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Altus Air Force Base fire department responded to a call for aid in extinguishing a fully involved apartment complex fire in the city of Altus at 3 p.m. July 13. Two vehicles and six firefighters from the 97th CES, responded to the call for help. "It felt great to know that when our community needs us we're there ready and eager to help out at a drop of a dime and vice versa," said Sergeant Joshua Jamison, 97th CES. Upon arriving at the scene of the fire, the Altus firefighters gained entry into the apartment, assisted with extinguishing the fire, performed salvage operations, and searched for undiscovered pockets of fire. "The fire was all but out and the Altus firefighters were exhausted from battling the blaze," Sergeant Jamison said. "When we arrived on scene, we took over as far as putting out any fire extension and spot fires and we conducted salvage and overhaul." Two Altus AFB firefighters performed a search of the exterior to find any fire that had escaped the building. Altus city fire chief J.R. Wheeler declared the fire extinguished at 3:58 p.m. and the Altus AFB firefighters were back in the firehouse by 5 p.m. "We definitely had to work together as a team, not only with ourselves but with the city fire department," Sergeant Jamison said.