Air Force announces 2014 Fire Emergency Services awards

  • Published
  • By Jess Echerri
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
The 2014 Air Force Civil Engineer Fire Emergency Services winners have been announced by the Air Force Director of Civil Engineers Brig. Gen. Timothy S. Green.
This is the first year a selection board with members representing all major commands was used to select the award winners.

The award winners were recognized for contributions to the success of the Air Force and Department of Defense fire emergency services missions. They were judged on various criteria including community contribution, innovation and certificates.

In the next level of the competition, the award winners will be judged against firefighters from other services in the Department of Defense Military Firefighter of the Year awards.

"This was a great year for Air Force firefighters," said Chief Master Sgt. Scott Knupp, the career field manager at Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Fire Emergency Services Division. "I'm proud to see these winners recognized and wish them luck at the DOD level."

Congratulations to:

· Senior Airman Jordan Salas of the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Yutaka Higa of the 18th CES at Kadena Air Base, Japan, named Air Force Firefighters of the Year.

· Master Sgt. Therman Watkins of the 374th CES at Yokota Air Base, Japan, and Yuji Nakayama of the 18th CES, named Air Force Fire Officers of the Year.

· Tech. Sgt. Aaron Brackett of the 312th Training Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, named Air Force Fire Service Instructor of the Year.

· Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Ralph E. Sanborn Fire Department of the Year award:  8th CES, Kunsan Air Base, Korea,  in the small base category; 51st CES, Osan Air Base, Korea, in the medium base category; and 18th CES at Kadena in the large base category.

Altus AFB's 97th CES Fire Emergency Services in Oklahoma won the Air Force Fire Prevention Program of the year award.

Kadena's 18th CES Fire Emergency Services won the Air Force Mr. Robert A. McAllister Heroism award for rescuing Airmen trapped inside a guard shack during Typhoon Neoguri.  A team of seven on-duty firefighters swam across high flood waters to hack away at the reinforced concrete roof of the shack where two Airmen were trapped. The firefighters were able to complete the rescue before the Airmen ran out of air inside the shack.