Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Fire and Emergency Services personnel were recognized as Fort Leavenworth Firefighters of the Year by Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth Commanding General Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle April 15, 2024, at Station No. 2 on Fort Leavenworth. The three firefighters were given personalized plaques during the recognition to celebrate their achievements.
Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Firefighter Brandon Barufaldi was named 2023 Fort Leavenworth Civilian Firefighter of the Year, Fire Capt. Joshua Carroll was named 2023 Fort Leavenworth Fire Officer of the Year, and Fire Inspector Capt. Antonio Masisak was named 2023 Fort Leavenworth Department of the Army Fire Inspector of the Year.
At the end of 2023/first of 2024, nomination packages for each of them were sent forward for consideration at higher levels, as were packages for Fire Department of the Year and Fire Prevention Program of the Year, in the DoD annual Fire and Emergency Services Awards competition.
“It’s very difficult to delineate who stands out in the fire department. Everyone in the department has unique strengths and are high performers,” said Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Chief Marshall Fiedler. “However, the three awardees were nominated by their supervisors and were selected for their individual achievements, as well as their participation as team members for the greater good of the community.”
Fort Leavenworth Civilian Firefighter of the Year Brandon Barufaldi
Fiedler described Barufaldi as an up-and-coming firefighter in fire protection.
“This past year, he has been committed to improving his skills and performance every day at work,” Fiedler said. “He earned several professional certifications, and he and his team worked very hard to ensure the readiness and resilience of the operations division in the effort to be there when our community needs us. I’m excited to see Brandon’s continued development and maturity into a well-seasoned Army professional.”
Barufaldi’s nomination cites him as responding to 120 emergencies, exhibiting a perfect duty performance every time, and responding as driver-operator and providing “quick patient assessment (that) enabled quick patient transfer to (advanced life support) units and transport to medical facilities,” with all patients recovering and no lives lost.
He is described as dedicated, having completed all certifications/requirements for the next level one year in advance. As a member of the Respiratory Protection Program Team, he maintained 76 masks in the department and achieved 100 percent OSHA compliance noted during a 2023 inspection. His nomination also describes him as a solidly competent decision-maker and having “technical skills used as a benchmark for firefighters to learn (self-contained breathing apparatus) maintenance.”
Barufaldi promoted the importance of physical fitness, leading teammates in daily workouts to maintain readiness to respond and helped ensure complete compliance for the entire department. His contribution as a public educator during Fire Prevention Week is credited as helping make it one of the department’s most successful educational programs, with more than 2,000 children and adults reached that week.
Barufaldi’s nomination listed several other accomplishments and examples of job dedication, including filling in as needed as crew chief and lieutenant, saving 240 hours of overtime; volunteering to assist community partners during live-fire training; completing certification for Incident Safety Officer, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor II and Fire Inspector II; and instructing 15 firefighters on continuing education units necessary to maintain emergency medical technician certification.
Fort Leavenworth Fire Officer of the Year Capt. Joshua Carroll
Carroll’s nomination describes him as a dynamic fire officer and an outstanding leader who motivates others and lives the Army Core Values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
“Captain Carroll is admired by peers, subordinates, and supervisors alike for his integrity and honor,” Fiedler said. “Throughout his career, Josh approaches any situation, emergency or not, with a level of maturity and professionalism that all others should work to emulate.”
Carroll’s nomination included a long list of accomplishments and examples of excellent job performance, leadership ability, initiative and resourcefulness, including being selected as the newest fire captain “because of his maturity, mission support, and skills”; “expertly managed the (personal protective equipment) care and maintenance; enacted a program to track and record inspections and maintenance; and achieved 100 percent accurate reports in recent inspection.”
Carroll managed 11 personnel hiring actions and reduced the hiring lag by 80 percent. His team of five firefighters amassed more than 2,100 hours of training time — five times the requirement.
He is credited with helping review policy and research, procure and implement various systems and procedures to reduce overtime by more than 60 percent, improve decontamination and cleaning methods, streamline processes, and more.
Carroll’s nomination also noted his service as a mentor for troubled youth in Kansas City.
Fort Leavenworth Department of the Army Fire Inspector of the Year Capt. Antonio Masisak
Masisak’s and the Fire Prevention Team’s responsibilities include multiple child centers, four community schools and three prisons, including the only maximum-security prison in the DoD, conducting 242 inspections and identifying 86 major safety hazards while correcting 122 others. According to Masisak’s nomination, he and his team also conducted 29 project acceptance tests, and “ensured projects in essential facilities were ready and on time, and ensured life safety code compliance.”
His nomination describes him as someone who exceeds standards and is prompt, friendly and professional, “our most supportive member of the department, willing to help other sections, serves as timekeeper, trains other firefighters in pre-fire planning… always achieves positive results.” The nomination also notes that Masisak committed “personal time to revamp the department pre-incident plan program, and eliminated redundancies and populated plans with accurate, clear information needed for emergencies.”
“Captain Masisak has a value of selfless service at a level not found in many, but we’re very fortunate to have this level of commitment throughout the Fire Prevention Team,” Fiedler said. “Tony and the rest of the Prevention Team’s ‘can-do’ attitude and commitment to serve the community is beyond what I’ve seen in 40 years of DoD service. Whether it be an internal or external customer, Tony will do his best to exceed expectations and help whoever needs assistance.”
Showing initiative in continuing education, Masisak has completed certifications as HazMat Technician, Incident Commander and Fire Officer III, and certified in Fire Investigator Training, Army Civilian Education System supervisor class, and amassed more than 400 hours of proficiency training. He also completed Life Safety Educator and the National Electrical Safety Systems, among other accomplishments.
Fiedler said he thinks it is important for an organization to showcase goal achievement.
“When one or a team of employees achieves a goal, it is a leader’s duty to ensure it’s recognized,” he said. “This awards program is just one avenue we use to reinforce and acknowledge their contribution and support for the mission. I truly appreciate their work.”
Fiedler said Fort Leavenworth has one of the lowest fire loss rates and fastest emergency response times in the Army because of the dedication of the firefighters and other professionals who work on the installation.
“Fort Leavenworth enjoys one of the most successful community risk reduction programs in the Army — we enjoy one of the lowest response rates, nearly zero fire loss, and lowest accident rates in the Army,” he said. “This doesn’t happen by accident or through luck — it happens due to work and commitment of Fire and Emergency Services, (Directorate of Public Works) craft shops, Garrison Safety professionals, and Garrison leaders. It’s a real team effort, and it’s an honor to work with such good people.”
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