Photo By Munnaf Joarder | Members of the 127th Civil Engineer Squadron's Fire Department, Selfridge Air National...... read more read more
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The Selfridge Fire Department has done it again.
The 127th Civil Engineer Squadron's Fire Department at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, has been named as the top mid-sized fire department in the Air Force. Only the second time an Air National Guard unit has been awarded this prestigious title, Selfridge also won the first for the ANG back in 2005.
Keeping watch at Selfridge around the clock, seven days a week, the staff of 47 civilians and 32 military members has a heart for the communities they serve. In 2022, their annual golf outing raised $50,000 for Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, the organization's largest single donation that year.
They also were instrumental in supporting the 2022 Selfridge Open House and Air Show, coordinating firefighters, medics, advanced life support and medical aid tents for the safety and well-being of more than 100,000 people in attendance. During Fire Prevention Month in October, members of the Base Fire Department set up fire prevention displays in front of the base commissary to pass along fire safety and prevention tips that protect property and homes, and help keep Team Selfridge members and their families safe.
"As an ANG fire department, we are a blended family of civilians and drill status guardsmen," said Fire Chief Christopher Ross, 127th CES. "We pride ourselves in supporting each other with the 'one team, one fight' concept, and this year was exemplary because of the stress we faced with our operations tempo on each front."
Selfridge firefighters regularly responded to emergencies both in and outside the base. The unit fulfilled 62 mutual aid requests supporting four adjacent jurisdictions outside the base during the past year, ranging from fires, to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescue calls, and incidents involving hazardous materials. Firefighting Airmen from Selfridge were heavily involved with training seven Latvian firefighters on aircraft emergency egress actions as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program. And, firefighters from Selfridge were also on scene for safety and possible emergencies during the 2022 U.S. Highway 28 landing in Michigan's upper peninsula when the 127th Wing conducted the Air Force's first highway landing integrated combat turns.
Ross went on to note, "We are just one department across the ANG enterprise of 54 states and territories that is consistently challenged by the same pace of play with less funding, personnel and resources than our active duty counterparts. We do it because we cannot fail and we excel at it because we care."
The unit now moves on to compete at the Department of Defense level against other military service branches.
About the 127th Wing
Comprised of approximately 1,500 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the 127th Wing supports both the Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 105th year of continuous military air operations in 2022
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2023 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 441973 |
| Location: | SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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