Vance Air Force Base

Vance Air Force Base is an active U.S. Air Force pilot training installation located near Enid in Garfield County, Oklahoma. The base traces its origins to 1941, when it was activated as the Air Corps Basic Flying School to train aviators during World War II, and it was known for a time as Enid Army Air Field. In 1949 the installation was renamed in honor of Lt. Col. Leon Robert Vance Jr., a local World War II Medal of Honor recipient. Today the base is home to the 71st Flying Training Wing, which conducts joint specialized undergraduate pilot training for U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and allied officers. Decades of flight operations and the supporting aircraft rescue and firefighting activities are central to the base mission.

Like many military airfields with active flight lines, Vance Air Force Base has been associated with concerns about potential exposure to certain persistent chemicals connected to firefighting operations. In 2020 the Department of Defense expanded a nationwide review of suspected contamination sites, and Vance was identified among the Oklahoma military installations included in that probe because of historical firefighting foam use. The contaminants of concern at the base relate primarily to compounds found in that foam.

1. AFFF (aqueous film forming foam): This firefighting foam was used for decades at military airfields to suppress fuel fires during emergency response and training drills. At Vance Air Force Base, AFFF use associated with aircraft rescue and firefighting operations has been cited as the likely source of the chemical concerns identified during the federal review. Exposure to the substances in this foam has been associated in some studies with a range of health concerns.
2. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances): PFAS are a large group of synthetic chemicals that resist breaking down in the environment, which is why they are sometimes called forever chemicals. They were a key ingredient in the AFFF used at the base and can migrate into soil and groundwater. PFAS exposure has been associated with potential health effects in some research, and these compounds are a focus of ongoing federal testing.
3. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate): PFOS is a specific PFAS compound that was common in older firefighting foam formulations. Its presence at sites such as Vance reflects the historical use of AFFF on the flight line. PFOS has been the subject of concerns about potential long term health effects, and it is among the substances targeted in drinking water sampling near military facilities.
4. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid): PFOA is another individual PFAS compound historically linked to firefighting foam and related industrial uses. As with PFOS, its association with the base stems from past AFFF use, and concerns about potential exposure have prompted environmental testing. PFOA has been studied in connection with several potential health concerns.

Vance Air Force Base is not listed on the National Priorities List, the federal Superfund program for the most contaminated sites. Investigation and any resulting cleanup are being addressed through the Department of Defense environmental restoration process, in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. These efforts have included sampling near military facilities to determine whether PFAS from past activities reached neighboring water sources, and the base has reported moving away from the legacy firefighting foam linked to PFOS and PFOA.

Veterans, family members, and others who lived or worked at Vance Air Force Base may wish to stay informed as testing and restoration work continues. Anyone with questions about possible exposure or related health concerns is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal health care provider.