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DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – The Davis-Monthan Fire Department has been recognized with the Civil Engineer Fire Department of the Year Award at both the Air Combat Command and Air Force levels, Jan. 29, 2025. The department now advances to compete for the Department of Defense’s Ralph E. Sanborn Fire Department of the Year Award.
The annual Air Force Civil Engineer Awards recognize fire departments in small, medium, and large categories, with Davis-Monthan winning in the medium category, the most competitive among them.
“First, we compete at the major command level, so all ACC bases put their packages up annually,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Zachary Sielaff, Davis-Monthan deputy fire chief. “Then from there, just like every other award, we go up to the next tier, which is Air Force level. We won at the ACC level this year, and then we took the Air Force level award as well. Now we’re competing at the DoD level against all the other service branches. Hopefully we walk away with the award.”
The Civil Engineer Fire Department of the Year Award evaluates a department’s emergency response performance, department-level awards accreditation and certificates, and training and education innovation. It honors excellence in operational effectiveness, accreditation and the department’s contributions to the broader firefighting community.
“The first category we get judged on is emergency response performance, which is what we do: the calls we go on, and the impact of our response,” Sielaff said. “The second is department level awards, accreditation and certifications. The last category covers training and education innovation initiatives, which is the catch-all category for anything else we did, any big accomplishments, initiatives or recognition of performance statements that don’t fit any of the other categories.”
Davis-Monthan firefighters maintain their high standards through intensive training and collaboration with local emergency response partners, including the Tucson, Rural Metro, Santa Rita, and multiple other fire departments throughout Pima County. Their continued readiness ensures effective response to emergencies on and off base.
“It’s the day-to-day performance,” Sielaff said. “Our young guys are working through career development courses, and our mid-tier noncommissioned officers and civilians are training them, getting them spun up. We train, train, train so that when we go out and perform on the fireground or an emergency scene, it’s second nature.”
This award highlights the dedication and professionalism of the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron’s fire department. Their mission aligns with the Air Force’s priorities of readiness, innovation and excellence in all we do, ensuring the safety of Airmen, their families and the surrounding community.
“This isn’t my award; this is the department’s award,” said Sielaff. “As a senior enlisted leader for the department, to be able to share this with the team and let them know that they did it, it means the world and I’m absolutely hoping for the DoD award.”
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2025 14:53 |
| Story ID: | 493357 |
| Location: | DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Davis-Monthan Fire Department Earns Prestigious Air Force-Level Award, by SrA William Finn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
