A military installation, not a town.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a joint Army and Air Force installation in Pierce County, formed on February 1, 2010. McChord Field was named in May 1938 for Colonel William McChord. It is neither a city nor a town, and we do not describe it as one. Our coverage file lists one ZIP code for it, 98438, labeled McChord AFB, about 6.8 miles from Steilacoom. We mention it for accuracy, while the rodent work stays about sealing, trapping and checking the house.
The installation, not us, sets access. If you live in base housing or work in a base building, ask your housing office or facilities contact first, since the rules about who may enter and who may do work are not ours to make.
What the coverage data shows.
Here is the part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord we serve, arranged by ZIP code and distance. Anything not listed falls outside our range.
| ZIP code. | Distance from Steilacoom. | Covered. |
|---|---|---|
| 98438. | 6.8 miles. | Yes. |
Kind of place: joint Army and Air Force military installation. County: Pierce County. The rodent work itself follows the same inspection steps either way.
How surroundings change the job.
Because we cannot presume access, the sensible first step is a call. Give your exact address or building, say whether it is on or off the base and you get a candid answer on whether a technician can get there. Off-base homes in the surrounding area follow the same plan as anywhere else.
A building's age affects where animals get in. Older houses often have settled foundations, tired vents and utility holes nobody sealed. Newer ones fit more tightly, yet gaps still open around pipes, cables and the seams where roof meets wall.
What a first call usually covers.
These are the signals worth acting on, and they help us judge whether a visit can wait for morning.
- Pellets in a kitchen, storeroom or loading bay.
- Gnawed packaging or cardboard.
- Sounds above a drop ceiling.
- Employees reporting a rodent inside the building.
- Slots around a dock door or delivery entrance.
Where the schedule has room, a technician can come the same day. Ring and ask what is open.
Dial (888) 686-4821Wet months and rodents.
Around Puget Sound the wet season stretches from autumn into spring. Soaked ground and cold rain drive animals toward dry, warm buildings, so a quiet summer can give way to a noisy October. A walk around the outside before the first big storms costs little.
From first look to follow-up.
When mice seem likely, mouse control is the natural starting page. Pellets or burrows that suggest rats lead to rat control, which pays more attention to the foundation and the roofline. If the walk-through turns up less than you feared, we say that too.
What we will and will not promise here.
We do not describe base streets, buildings or housing, and we claim no relationship with the installation. This page exists because ZIP code 98438 is in our coverage data and passed our distance check, not because we operate on the base.
If your address is in a restricted area, we say so on the call. If it is a civilian property sharing the same ZIP code, the usual plan applies: inspect, trap, seal and check back.
Night and weekend calls.
Someone answers the phone at every hour. A same-day trip to Joint Base Lewis-McChord is possible if the day has space, and with about 6.8 miles from Steilacoom we give a realistic window on the call.
Take care first: a brief CDC-style list
Nothing here is particular to our visits. Any health agency would tell you the same before you start picking things up.
- Treat dry waste as something to soak, not something to brush.
- A musty outbuilding deserves thirty minutes of open air before anyone works in it.
- Put on rubber or plastic gloves, and when the job is finished wash both hands with soap and running water.
- Mist the waste with disinfectant, or a bleach mix made as the label says, so that nothing lifts, and allow about five minutes.
- A sealed plastic bag takes droppings, towels and carcasses to the household trash.
- How risky an exposure was is a doctor's call. Go if fever, aches or labored breathing develop.
Public guidelines behind this advice
Want to verify the guidance? Start with these pages. They are general references, not recommendations of any business.
- CDC page on hantavirus prevention: Excluding rodents, handling settled droppings and nests with care, and where sealing and trapping fit in.
- CDC page on rodent cleanup: Bagging, disinfecting and ventilating: the sequence behind the cleanup steps in this guide.