Located near Bellevue, Nebraska, just south of Omaha, the installation traces back to 1894 as Fort Crook before becoming an Army Air Corps airfield during World War II and being renamed Offutt Air Force Base in 1948 to honor First Lieutenant Jarvis J. Offutt. It served as headquarters for the Strategic Air Command and today hosts U.S. Strategic Command and the 55th Wing, the Air Force's largest intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance wing, supporting generations of aircraft including the B-52 and RC-135. Supporting that mission over the decades meant building out aircraft hangars, strategic bomber support facilities, boiler plants, and steam and utility systems, most of it constructed between the 1940s and 1970s.
AFFF exposure at Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base historically operated a dedicated Fire Training Area, designated FT001, where firefighters trained to respond to aircraft emergencies and aviation fuel fires. Official Air Force environmental investigations confirm FT001 was used from the 1970s until 1994 for live-fire training involving AFFF, with firefighters practicing in controlled burn pits built to simulate aircraft crash scenarios before the site closed and was replaced with newer facilities.
More than two decades of activity at FT001 meant firefighters handled AFFF as a routine part of the job:
- crash rescue drills simulated real aircraft emergencies
- crews suppressed live aviation fuel fires as part of certification
- foam concentrate was mixed and applied during training burns
- proportioning systems were tested to confirm proper foam mixing
- vehicles and crash response equipment were cleaned after each exercise
- foam storage and delivery systems were maintained between sessions
Air Force Fire Protection Specialists and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting personnel carried the bulk of this exposure, joined by fire instructors, firefighter trainees, fire apparatus operators, and the staff who maintained foam systems and firefighting vehicles. Firefighters exposed to AFFF this way over time face a documented risk of these cancers:
If your firefighter service at Offutt Air Force Base overlapped with FT001's operation and you've since received one of these diagnoses, our team can review your history and let you know whether you're eligible to file an AFFF claim.
Asbestos exposure at Offutt Air Force Base
Asbestos was widely used throughout Offutt Air Force Base for its fire-resistant and insulating properties, built into the structural and mechanical systems of buildings constructed during the mid-20th century. Materials commonly used throughout its hangars, boiler plants, and administrative buildings included:
Asbestos exposure wasn't spread evenly across every job on base. It concentrated in the hands of the people who kept hangars, mechanical systems, and fire stations running day to day, work that meant direct, repeated contact with insulation, wiring, and structural materials built decades earlier:
Because Offutt Air Force Base contains decades of World War II and Cold War-era infrastructure, workers servicing these aging buildings and utility systems faced exposure risk that extended well past the point when asbestos's dangers became widely known. Mesothelioma and lung cancer, the two conditions most closely tied to this kind of work, often don't surface for 20 to 50 years after the original exposure, meaning a veteran who worked at Offutt Air Force Base decades ago might only be seeing symptoms now. If your service included that kind of maintenance work and you've since received either diagnosis, contact our team to find out whether you're eligible to file an asbestos claim.