JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The fire and rescue crews for the Army's largest West Coast installation have once again been named one of U.S. Army Installation Management Command's best. Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fire and Emergency Services Division in the Directorate of Emergency Services, was recently named IMCOM- Central Region's 2011 Fire Department of the Year (Large Department).
The JBLM FES' 160 employees, a diverse makeup of DOD civilian, Army, Air Force and Air Force Reserve personnel, were measured against Large Department competition from Fort Bliss and Fort Hood, Texas. According to Fire Protection officials for IMCOM's Central Region, the teams were measured on "their interpreted efforts of the department's customer service, department-level awards, accreditation, certifications and other recognition, innovativeness, quality of life initiatives (within or outside of the department), firefighter health and safety initiatives," along with other parameters.
JBLM Fire Chief Dean Dixon, who also serves as FES division chief for DES, said having his team recognized by IMCOM in its first full year as a joint base force was especially satisfying.
"Nobody else has the Air Force intermixed in it -- two airfields that are active 24 hours a day and mandatorily staffed," Dixon said. "There are no more McChord Field fire department and Fort Lewis fire department; we're one. People come and go from every single station and intermix at every single place."
An example of FES' joint team effort is its partnership with the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord Field to create a specialized C-17 wing fuel cell confined-space rescue team, a first for the Army. Between the 62nd and 446th Airlift wings, more than 50 C-17 aircraft are stationed at JBLM.
JBLM's FES teams protect approximately 98,000 acres and the 55,000 Soldiers, Airmen, civilians and family members who live and work at JBLM. They've also deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as DOD assets.
JBLM firefighters are augmented by service members from units like the 627th Civil Engineer Squadron, 555th Engineer Brigade and 593rd Sustainment Brigade. Dixon said FES leaders take pride in further mentoring these troops during their time at JBLM.
"The key difference is the civilian typically has tenure here, where the (service members) are constantly revolving," Dixon said. "They come to us trained and fully capable firefighters, but we get them trained up on the local stuff. We're working on systems to get them more worked in to all of the stations."
Dixon said though performance comes first, to him, the accolades matter.
"It helps morale and gives us some bragging rights -- it matters to me as the fire chief," he said. "I love talking to counterparts and I assume that's the same of the firefighters. It's something they can brag about when they're talking to their buds who work for other stations."
JBLM Deputy Fire Chief James Elways said he wasn't surprised that IMCOM was impressed by a team he's impressed by every day.
"Our personnel are very involved in the community," he said. "They take great pride in being here to support the Soldiers and Airmen so they can go and do their duties and protect our nation."
Army and DOD-level winner announcements are expected in August.
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