FORT DRUM, N.Y. (April 30, 2015) -- The Fort Drum Fire and Emergency Services Division has been named Best Medium Department in the Army for 2014 after advancing past the Atlantic Region and Installation Management Command levels of this annual competition.
Fort Drum Fire Chief Donald Striejewske attributes this entirely to the team of professionals working and training, maintaining equipment, providing assistance and responding to calls every day. The accomplishments -- and there are many -- that earned them the award cannot be pinned to one, two or even three people, but the entire team, the chief explained.
"It's always been about teamwork with us," Striejewske said. "That's goes for all our programs and how we execute them."
Highlights include:
* Firefighters responded to 2,140 calls for help, 105 airfield emergencies, 13 structure fires, 12 wild land fires, 322 hazardous material incidents and 576 medical calls, and they protected $3.8 billion in buildings and $30 million in aircraft from destruction by fire with only $461,000 in fire loss.
* Fifty-seven firefighters completed 17,517 hours of in-house training, averaging 278 hours per person.
* The department earned 104 Department of Defense certifications issued in 2014, exceeding planned training objectives.
* Three officers earned fire officer designations; there are only nine in DOD and 163 worldwide.
* The fire chief earned Commission on Professional Credentialing fire marshal designation -- only one in the Army and among 69 worldwide; he also was selected to serve as commissioner on the CPC for the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
Fort Drum FES is one of only five fire departments in the Army accredited through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, and the process itself is a tedious and rigorous examination of processes.
"It's a huge undertaking, and that's why many fire departments don't even pursue it," Striejewske said. "There are 247 objectives, and each one of those has sub-objectives, so there has to be committees that actually work that all the way to the firefighter level. Everyone's involved in this -- it's not just the fire chief, the deputy and assistant chiefs involved."
The accreditation definitely makes them stand apart, but Striejewske also takes pride when they can join a crowd.
"Last year was the first time we've ever paraded," he said. "We marched at the Jefferson County Fair and maybe only had 10 folks in line with our fire truck behind us. To me, as fire chief, it made me proud because we are representing who we are and what we do. It's really hard for our guys to take the time to do that."
When Striejewske shared the news about the award, there was not a lot of back-patting or ego-flaunting in the department. The recognition is nice, but that's not really what they're all about, the chief said.
"We are here to provide a service and do a mission the best we can," he said. "Winning this award is a tribute to the guys out there. They're a solid group of folks who are going to watch each other's backs and do the job they signed up to do."
Like any tight-knit team, it's hard not to use "family" to describe them. They enjoy the good days together and muster support to get through the bad ones. When one firefighter suffered a stroke and had to leave the service, others stepped up to organize a fundraising run in his honor.
"He is still part of our family even though he doesn't work here anymore," Striejewske said. "They're always checking in on him and including him in a lot of stuff. That's what it's all about."
Striejewske said volunteer firefighters have become a diminishing demographic in the U.S. because of the time commitment and difficulty of maintaining the training requirements.
That makes it all the more significant that 33 Fort Drum firefighters belong to volunteer fire departments, dedicating 6,000 combined hours and responding to 4,000 calls for help in the past year.
"The other part of that is those firefighters live half their lives here -- 24 hours on, 24 hours off," Striejewske said. "Every other day they're here, and even when they're off-duty, they're still responding to fires, accidents, hazardous material calls. It's in our blood, and it's something you've got to have the drive for. It's not just a job for most firefighters."
Lt. Col. Michelle M. Goyette, director of emergency services, said the department consistently goes above and beyond expectations.
"I think it takes a special person to be able to serve … because you're not doing it for glory or awards. You're doing it for others," Goyette said. "I think when you hear them say, 'we're just doing our job,' that's exactly why they chose to do it. They serve the community, they serve Fort Drum and they serve each other."
Last year, Fort Drum's Fire Prevention Branch was named the Army's best, and the Fire and Emergency Services Division won numerous awards as a large department and has continued to do so since it was re-designated as a medium-sized department in 2009.
Fort Drum is now awaiting the results of the Department of Defense competition.
Related Links:
Stand To: Army Fire and Emergency Services
Social Sharing