Westover Air Force Base has been a fixture in western Massachusetts since World War II. This 2,500-acre facility, located in the communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, originally served as a bomber training site. During the past nine decades, the field has transformed to accomplish many tasks. It is currently home to the 439th Airlift Wing with a C5 Super Galaxy transport aircraft fleet.

Westover holds the distinction of being the largest Air Reserve base in the United States. The runway here is the longest in Massachusetts and, as such, it was once designated a backup landing site for the space shuttle. Approximately fifty-five hundred military and civilian personnel are employed on base.

A career fire department provides fire protection for the base. They operate an impressive fleet of ARFF apparatus, two structural engines, a rescue, a hazmat, one tanker, and various support vehicles.