DVIDS – News – Fire department receives highest award for 2023

RICHMOND, Virginia – The Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management at the Richmond Fire Department received three awards for its 2023 efforts in recognition of the department’s commitment to safety, efficiency and innovation.

Awards include DLA Firefighter of the Year, DLA Fire Department of the Year and DLA Fire Protection Program of the Year.

Assistant Fire Chief William Hock was named DLA’s Fire Officer of the Year. In honor of the honor, Hock credited his team for his success, saying, “I owe most of it to my team. They are the ones that make me the fire officer I am. I can’t do my job without a great team supporting me.”

Hock’s tenure as interim fire chief at DLA Susquehanna from November 5 to December 31, 2023, demonstrated his ability to effectively lead DLA’s largest fire department. His leadership was critical to implementing the new requirements of Section 388 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which required the Department of Defense to adhere to national standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association regarding staffing requirements for building and aircraft rescue firefighting.

Hock’s accomplishments include being awarded the Chief Fire Officer Award, a rare honor.

“When applying for the CFO position, a chief executive is evaluated on seven different components ranging from resume review to educational level and professional contributions to technical competency,” Hock said.

The DLA Richmond Fire Department received the DLA Fire Department of the Year award for its emergency response efforts and operational excellence. Last year, the department protected the nation’s premier aviation logistics base, saving more than 3,000 lives, 611 acres and 84 facilities during 219 emergencies.

The department was particularly recognized for containing a fire at the Bellwood Apartments, where quick action contained the fire to the room in which it started. In addition, the department demonstrated its standards of safety and efficiency when it responded to a traffic accident at the gate, which required advanced life support for a trauma patient, and when it responded to a restaurant fire.

Training and commitment are the pillars of the department’s success.

“The department implements an annual training plan each calendar year,” said Wesley Farber, training lieutenant. “This is a multi-step process that begins with ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and continuous self-assessments and conducting strengths and weaknesses assessments.”

The fire protection program was also recognized as Fire Protection Program of the Year for its proactive measures and community engagement. The program’s success is demonstrated by the fact that inspections and compliance have resulted in no damage or loss to Department of Defense mission-critical assets.

Prevention staff conducted 391 inspections and worked closely with plant engineers to maintain life safety standards. The annual Fire Prevention Week campaign educated 800 employees and children on fire safety.

The department’s innovative approaches have continued to improve fire safety operations. One initiative was the development of a company-wide training program for fire safety officers based on the learning management system.

“The fire safety officers are the backbone of fire protection,” says Hock. “They are the eyes and ears of fire protection in the workplace every day.”

The DLA Richmond Fire Department continues to focus on improvements and innovation. Future goals include purchasing new equipment and commissioning a fire station alarm system to improve responsiveness and timeliness. Additionally, the department aims to foster collaboration with neighboring departments through training and response initiatives.

“These awards recognize the dedication of our employees in ensuring we provide world-class customer service and emergency response capabilities to the DLA Richmond community,” said Chris Bales, deputy director of operations.

Looking ahead, the department is focused on self-improvement through regular internal audits and on maintaining its accreditation status, ensuring benchmarks are met in both internal and external assessments.