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U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz’s Fire Department will represent the Installation Management Command in the Department of Defense Annual Fire and Emergency Services Awards competition for the best Large Fire Department.
The DOD F&ES award program is a competitive process spanning across Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency fire departments, fire officers and firefighters. The IMCOM awardees will move on to compete with their peers at U.S. Army Materiel Command, U.S. Army, and finally to DOD.
“We submitted four strong nominations and were confident about a good outcome,” said Lt. Col. David Castillo, director of emergency services and garrison provost marshal, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz. “We were happy to see 3 of the 4 nominations win at the IMCOM level.”
In addition to winning the Best Large Fire Department category, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz’s fire department has three firefighters recognized as best in IMCOM in the Civilian Fire Officer, Fire Service Instructor, and Fire Chief categories.
USAG Rheinland-Pfalz’s Fire Department won Large Fire Department of the Year at the IMCOM-Europe level in 2017, 2018, and 2019. However, this is the first time they have won 3 awards in the individual categories.
Here are the individual category winners:
Deputy Fire Chief Adam Montoya, identified as IMCOM’s best Civilian Fire Officer, authored the Garrison’s Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover; he also built the first-ever certification program, linked the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz fire department with DOD Fire Certificate Authority, and arranged for course enrollment/testing through sister services.
Acting Assistant Chief of Training Tobias Lang, recipient of IMCOM’s best Fire Service Instructor, displayed exceptional skill in managing the department’s annual training budget, scheduling 52 classes, budgeting $195K, and yielding 137 certifications (a 71 percent increase over previous year). He is also credited for being the architect behind the rookie training program, establishing the training curriculum, and teaching foundational skills during the 10-day course; he instructed 12 classes and prepared 27 fire fighters for the regional training center.
Fire Chief Gerald Adams, selected as IMCOM’s best Fire Chief, commanded the response to an overturned fuel tanker incident at the Rhine Ordnance Barracks’ main gate, quickly stabilizing the damaged trailer while preventing the spillage of 6,000 liters of fuel. In doing so, he averted an environmental disaster and was able to restore base access within an hour. Adams also reinforced partnerships with German authorities when he responded to a 25-acre wildland fire by shuttling 10,000 gallons of water and supplying the front line responders who were shielding the town and major transportation artery. He received a letter of appreciation from the city mayor for his prompt response. In addition to these achievements, Adams also wrote the largest Mutual Aid Agreement in Germany between U.S. and host nation partners. This agreement outlined detailed response expectations and general aid procedures, bringing together three cities, four counties, and 10 communities.
The award winners were announced in a memorandum signed by Lt. Gen. Omar Jones, IMCOM commanding general that states each fire department and individual that is nominated represents the best of IMCOM’s 73 installations and over 4,000 firefighters. Their extraordinary performance speaks well to their commitment to protecting our installations and keeping our communities safe.
Castillo attributed his department’s victory to a well-rounded team effort with strong garrison leadership at its core.
“Superb leadership from the garrison commander, the directorate, our fire chief and our team commitment to the mission, customer service, training, and innovation were all factors that contributed to our success,” he said.
USAG Rheinland-Pfalz’s Fire and Emergency Services directorate is an all-hazard response agency, who currently has 199 employees and is looking to fill another 20 positions in the upcoming months, said Castillo.
“The scope of our services includes structural fire response, emergency dispatch, hazardous materials response, technical rescue, basic life support, fire prevention and public education,” he said.
The F&ES Award winners will be announced, at echelon in the coming months, with the culminating DOD winners expected to be announced in May. See the 2022 DOD Fire and Emergency Services Awards winners here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3402759/dod-announces-winners-of-the-2022-dod-fire-and-emergency-services-awards/
