They are on call 24/7, running towards danger and saving lives by fighting a never-ending, relentless enemy -- fire -- which is why Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) honors its firefighters with the annual Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) awards program.

CNIC’s Director of Operations Tim Alexander and retired director of Navy F&ES Bill Killen presented plaques during a ceremony held inside the Cold War Museum at the Washington Navy Yard June 4.

“I’m very proud of all of our first responders,” said Alexander. “More importantly, I’m proud and thankful for what they do on a daily basis and how important what they do for the safety and security of the installations.”

Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson, commander of CNIC, announced the awardees stationed across the 71 installations on March 1.

“Braco zulu and congratulations to all of our Navy F&ES award winners and nominees,” stated Jackson in the shore enterprise-wide message. “Competition at this level is very fierce and selecting this year's winners was extremely challenging. All participants should be very proud of their professional achievements and well-deserved recognition.”

Seventy-three nominations were submitted to compete under one of 14 categories for the 2018 Navy F&ES awards.  All regions, ships, and squadrons were eligible to submit nominations for: large fire department, medium fire department, small fire department, fire prevention program, Navy military firefighter, Navy civilian firefighter, military fire officer, civilian fire officer, fire service instructor, emergency medical service (EMS) provider, Navy fire inspector, Navy fire chief, F&ES Hall of Fame and F&ES lifetime achievement.

The winners in those categories are the Navy nominees for the corresponding DoD F&ES Awards. The EMS Provider of the Year and Navy Fire Chief of the Year are Navy-only awards.

The 2018 award recipients are:

Navy Small Fire Department of the Year:  Commander Fleet Activities (CFA) Okinawa, Japan

Navy Medium Department of the Year:  CFA Yokosuka, Japan

Navy Large Fire Department of the Year:  Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic District 3, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Navy Fire Prevention Program of the Year:  CFA Yokosuka, Japan

Navy Military Firefighter of the Year:  Senior Airman Peter Kuykendall, Naval Support Activity Andersen, Guam

Navy Civilian Firefighter of the Year:  Norihisa Seyama, CFA Yokosuka, Japan

Navy Military Fire Officer of the Year:  Damage Controllman 1st Class Riley Judd, Naval Support Facility Thurmont, Maryland

Navy Civilian Fire Officer of the Year:  Nicholas Christensen, NB Ventura County, California   

Navy Fire Service Instructor of the Year:  Bobby Morse, Navy Region Northwest, Washington, D.C.

Navy EMS Provider of the Year:  Jason Kinlaw, CNRMA District 3, JEB Little Creek-Ft Story, Virginia

Navy Fire Inspector of the Year:  Antoine Johnson, San Diego Metro

Navy Fire Chief of the Year:  John Adkins, CFA Sasebo, Japan

Navy F&ES Hall of Fame: retired Fire Chief Jerry Sack, Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California, and retired Area Fire Marshal William “Bill” Hennessey Sr., Northern Division Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Navy F&ES Lifetime Achievement Award: Fire Chief John Adkins, CFA Sasebo, Japan

“The fire services is an evolutionary operation,” said newly Hall of Fame inductee Hennessey, who served four years in the Navy and is a native of Waterford, Connecticut. “When we find something that is better than what we used to do, we test it and prove it. There’s always improvements and it’s always young people that’s driving the improvements. It’s rewarding to see and watch.”

The Navy F&ES Hall of Fame was established in 2003 to recognize significant and distinguished contributions to the Navy firefighting services.

Hennessey started his fire service career in 1974 in Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and retired in 1995 while serving in West Division at San Bruno, California.

“I still get to travel a lot,” Hennessey added. “I work for a company that has radio fire alarm equipment at a lot of naval stations and naval bases around the country and around the world. I still get to see the new, young men and women in the fire service. I see how excited they are to be there. Because once you’re in the fire service, it’s family. We all become brothers and sisters, and make sure we leave no one behind.

Category criteria was developed by the Department of Defense F&ES working group comprised of the chiefs of the service component’s respective F&ES programs.

Selections for fire departments and fire prevention program of the year were based on: emergency response performance; department level recognition, accreditation and certifications; customer outreach and public education; training and education; innovation and initiatives in safety, health and quality of life; fire prevention inspections, engineering, code compliance and enforcement; community and public education programs; and innovativeness.

Selections for individual categories were based on accomplishments, job performance, technical competence, leadership ability, initiative, resourcefulness, program development, training development, performance as an instructor, trainer or speaker and professional credentials.

CNIC is comprised of approximately 52,000 military and civilian personnel worldwide responsible for the operations, maintenance and quality of life programs to support the Navy's fleet, Sailors and their families. For more about the Navy's shore enterprise, visit: http://www.cnic.navy.mil.

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