Morris Air National Guard Base sits at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona, and is home to the 162nd Wing, the largest fighter wing in the Air National Guard. The installation is internationally recognized for its F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot training mission, training both U.S. and allied nation pilots. Supporting continuous fighter aircraft operations has required Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting capabilities for decades, and the base's long operational history alongside older aviation support buildings has made both AFFF and asbestos exposure relevant here.
Because Morris ANGB supports continuous fighter aircraft operations, it has long maintained Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting capabilities, and its firefighters historically trained with AFFF because it was the military standard for suppressing aviation fuel fires. Air Force records show legacy AFFF entered service in the 1970s for petroleum fire suppression, and a Preliminary Assessment prepared by the Air Force specifically documents historical AFFF use tied to firefighting activities and fire suppression systems at the base. Training included live-fire exercises, aircraft crash rescue simulations, aviation fuel fire scenarios, foam application exercises, emergency response drills, and fire suppression equipment training.
Firefighters were exposed while mixing foam concentrate, operating hoses during live-fire exercises, extinguishing simulated aircraft fuel fires, testing proportioning systems, cleaning firefighting vehicles and equipment, servicing foam storage and delivery systems, and taking part in recurring ARFF certification exercises throughout their careers.
Roles at Morris ANGB with the greatest likelihood of AFFF exposure include:
- Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting specialist
- crash/fire/rescue crew chief
- fire department training officer
- probationary firefighter
- Air National Guard fire station personnel
Repeated practical training meant many firefighters routinely handled AFFF over the course of their careers. Studies have linked PFAS chemicals in legacy AFFF to kidney cancer and testicular cancer among firefighters with this kind of repeated exposure. If you trained or served as a firefighter at Morris ANGB and were later diagnosed with one of these cancers, you may be entitled to compensation.
Like many military aviation installations built and expanded through the mid-20th century, Morris ANGB likely incorporated asbestos-containing materials for their fire-resistant properties, thermal insulation, durability, and low maintenance requirements. Materials commonly found in aviation support buildings and maintenance shops of this era included:
- steam plant insulation
- generators and turbines
- floor tile adhesive
- transite ceiling panels
- joint compound
- boiler coating
- wiring insulation
- fireproof wallboard
Occupations most likely to have disturbed these materials while maintaining or renovating older hangars and support buildings included:
- aircraft maintenance technician
- flight-line mechanic
- power plant operator
- HVAC technician
- pipefitter
- electrician
- civil engineer
- civilian contractor
Mesothelioma and lung cancer are the diseases most consistently connected to this type of exposure. Mesothelioma takes root in the lining of the lungs after asbestos fibers are inhaled, while lung cancer forms directly in lung tissue, and neither tends to appear until 20 to 50 years have passed. That long gap means many who served or worked at Morris ANGB decades ago are only now facing a diagnosis. If a lung cancer or mesothelioma diagnosis traces back to asbestos exposure at Morris Air National Guard Base, our team can help you pursue the compensation you're owed.