Officially known as Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, the installation sits in Dublin, California, and was established in 1943 as a Navy Seabee training center before later becoming Parks Air Force Base and then transferring to the Army in 1959. Today it functions as one of the Army Reserve's premier training centers on the West Coast, supporting mobilization, military intelligence training, emergency preparedness, deployment operations, live-fire range work, and aviation activities. World War II-era buildings alongside Cold War-era expansions have left the base with a mix of classrooms, maintenance buildings, warehouses, and utility systems spanning multiple generations of construction.
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area maintains firefighting capabilities to support both military training operations and installation emergency response. Unlike many older installations, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area documented AFFF use is relatively recent: Army Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection records identify a Current Fire Training Area as an Area of Potential Interest because AFFF may have been used there during live-fire exercises beginning around 2003 and continuing to the present. Army investigators confirmed this through records reviews, aerial photography, personnel interviews, and site reconnaissance.
Firefighters training at this site followed a routine that repeated across each certification cycle:
- foam concentrate mixed before live-fire drills
- hoses operated against simulated fuel fires
- vehicles and protective equipment cleaned after each exercise
- foam storage tanks and delivery systems maintained between sessions
- certification renewed on a recurring basis
Army firefighters and trainees carried most of this exposure, along with fire instructors, civilian firefighters assigned to the installation, and the personnel responsible for keeping firefighting vehicles and foam systems operational.
Firefighters exposed to AFFF over time face a documented risk of four specific cancers: kidney, testicular, liver, and thyroid. That risk doesn't come from a single drill, it builds with every session spent handling the foam, which is why someone who trained at Parks Reserve Forces Training Area anytime after 2003 could be affected even now. A diagnosis of any of these cancers following firefighter service here is reason enough to talk to our team about whether you're eligible to file.
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area originated during World War II and expanded through the Cold War, decades when asbestos-containing materials were standard throughout military construction for insulation and fire protection. Buildings dating to both eras remain part of the installation today, including support facilities, classrooms, maintenance buildings, and warehouses. Materials commonly used during this period included:
- pipe insulation
- boiler insulation
- steam distribution insulation
- HVAC insulation
- fireproof wallboard
- roofing materials
- vinyl floor tile
- adhesive
- ceiling tile
- gasket and packing material
Workers with the greatest likelihood of disturbing these materials while maintaining or renovating older buildings included:
- Army engineer
- electrician
- pipefitter
- HVAC mechanic
- boiler technician
- building maintenance worker
- construction worker
- civilian contractor
Personnel responsible for maintaining this aging infrastructure faced the greatest opportunity for exposure over the years, since World War II and Cold War-era buildings continued in active use long after the health risks of asbestos became known. Mesothelioma and lung cancer are the two illnesses most closely tied to asbestos exposure, and both can take 20 to 50 years to appear after fibers are first inhaled. If you performed maintenance work at Parks Reserve Forces Training Area and have since been diagnosed with either condition, contact our team to find out whether you're eligible to file a claim.