Humphreys Fire Officer named the Fire Service Instructor of the Year

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – Born in Korea, Hungpyo Rucci doesn’t have memories of Korean fire trucks driving by with lights flashing or horns blaring. But when Rucci moved to the United States as a child, fire trucks were seen regularly and the children around him aspired to be fire fighters and police officers.

They wanted to be heroes.

Rucci didn’t necessarily want to be a hero, but he believes the desire to help others was planted during his childhood years - and it didn’t go away.

Today, after 28 years of serving others, Rucci, who serves as the assistant chief of training for Fire and Emergency Services at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, was honored as the Fire Service Instructor of the Year for U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Pacific.

Origin Story

Rucci started his career as a fire protection specialist in the U.S. Air Force in 1996. When he was first offered the job as a fire fighter in the Air Force, Rucci said he was reminded of his feelings as a child on the value of helping protect the community.

“Fire fighters are highly reliable people who are flexible to complex scenarios thrown at them and on top of that, they have this eager to be better every day - and that makes me come to work every day,” said Rucci.

Those feelings provided motivation to put on the 75 pounds of gear each day, said Rucci, and after 24 years, Rucci retired as a master sergeant. However, rather than put away the gear, Rucci chose to continue to serve as a civilian working for the Navy and the Army as a senior fire officer – training others to serve. Rucci said he finds motivation to put on the weight every day from the people he trains and develops.

Train to fight

Under Rucci’s leadership, an education center was created with the capability to fully certify fire fighters. Previously, firefighters would travel to Camp Walker or Osan Air Base for their training, however now the 105 firefighters at Camp Humphreys can keep their certification up-to-date in house which is important because Humphreys is the largest overseas installation and the busiest U.S. Army airfield in the Pacific

“Humphreys is big and busy and that means there is always a call for help,” said Rucci. “We get an average of three to four calls a day.”

Rucci said not every situation they respond to is an emergency because they work in on an Army post. The installation creates a safe environment where many things are heavily protected, roads maintain a low speed limit, and multiple safety measures in place. However, when fire fighters are dispatched, Rucci often goes out with them to validate their competency. Rucci said he is always impressed with how the trainings that fire fighters received apply in real-life situations, and it’s a great opportunity for him to see the outcomes of the trainings.

Win for the Team

Rucci’s award stemmed from the previous year’s activities where he validated on eight aircraft, performed 286 medical emergencies and 372 structural emergencies, safeguarding more than 37,000 personnel, 960 facilities, 120 aircraft, and 60,000 sorties. In addition, Rucci streamlined the annual training plan, incorporated more than 50 redundant training subjects, increased training proficiency by 35 percent – which saved 4,000 man hours. He also led the planning for the garrison’s full-scale exercise where he evaluated the response capabilities of multiple agencies.

“What I love about my job is that you get to work with the fire fighters with great attitude about learning and refining their skills even the ones with decades of experience are eager to learn new things” said Rucci. “And that leads to remarkable results like being selected as the best fire department of the year.”

Not only did Rucci earn the instructor of the year title, but the Humphreys Fire and Emergency Services department was named the Best Medium Fire Department among the U.S. Army Installation Management Command for 2023. The last time the department won the title was in 2017.

“These guys do a lot,” said Rucci. “Having someone recognize their hard work means a lot.”