Academy fire department named best in Air Force

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Co. --  The 10th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight was recently named the 2010 medium-sized Air Force Fire Department of the Year.

The department competed against 175 other fire and emergency services flights and will be recognized by Air Force Civil Engineer Maj. Gen. Timothy Byers, at the Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Service Conference later this year.

Each contender for the award submitted detailed information on customer service, departmental recognition, innovations and initiatives.

The Air Force Academy fire department's award package highlighted several of their responses in 2010, including life-saving actions at a parachuting accident, rapid mitigation of several major fires and responses to more than 300 incidents along Interstate 25.

In addition to their emergency duties, the department was also recognized for their outstanding efforts on the installation, in the local community and throughout the DoD. In particular, as the only DoD fire agency to be accredited for more than 10 years, the Academy fire department provides leadership and mentorship to both DoD and civilian fire departments. Their efforts within the community included the donation of hundreds of hours to assist local charities while also providing a public fire education program described by outside evaluators as the "best seen to date."

"We are thrilled to be named the Best Fire Department in the Air Force for 2010," said Ernst Piercy, Academy fire chief. The teamwork and professionalism of our firefighters has given us the ability to make a positive impact on base, in the DoD and around the world. The department's hard work and extraordinary efforts were the clear catalyst that led to this prestigious honor."

The 10th Mission Support Group commander, Col. Timothy Ferguson added, "This award is a tremendous achievement. This recognition complements the hard work the USAFA Fire Department personnel puts in 24/7, 365 days a year."

The Academy Fire and Emergency Services Flight will now compete at the DoD level against the best fire departments from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Defense Logistics Agency and Coast Guard.

The DoD Fire Department of the Year will be announced in August at the Fire Rescue International conference in Atlanta.