“These awardees represent the best-of-the-best across Navy Installations Command’s 3,200 F&ES personnel, said Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey, commander of Navy Installations Command. “They selflessly serve to protect and respond under the most difficult circumstances.”
Lindsey spoke of the 31 lives saved by CNIC F&ES responders in calendar year 2022.
“You touch people’s lives every day,” said Lindsey. “I’m honored to serve with you and very impressed by the work you do – whether it’s responding to a shipboard fire, protecting our warfighting assets, or preventing fires from happening through education, inspections, and training. You never fail to answer the call for help.”
This year’s awards received 84 nomination submissions to compete for the 14 award categories.
Fire Officer Cristopher Cruz, assistant chief of operations at Naval Station Rota, spent his youth dreaming of becoming a firefighter – a dream that became a reality when he joined Navy F&ES at the age of 18.
“I have been able to work with incredibly diverse departments and great fire chiefs from around the Navy, which have helped improve my leadership abilities,” said Cruz.
Cruz, from Yona, Guam, was selected not only as the Navy F&ES Civilian Fire Officer of the Year, but was also selected as the Department of Defense Fire Civilian Fire Officer of the Year.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent all the amazing fire officers in Navy F&ES,” Cruz said of the award. “I am so thankful to accept this award on behalf of all the great firefighters I have worked for this past year. They deserve the real credit.”
Every Sailor is a firefighter, but some Sailors carry those skills with them to shore duty. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Neil Ferrer, from San Francisco, was selected as the Navy F&ES Military Fire Officer of the Year.
“My primary job as an aircraft director on the flight deck was coming to an end and it was time to move to shore duty,” said Ferrer, assigned to Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Gulf Coast Fire & Emergency Services in Florida. “My LPO told me that there is more to being an ABH than just moving aircraft all day.”
Ferrer attended fire school in Texas, and went on to be stationed in Rota, Spain, where he gained his first experiences as a firefighter on shore duty.
“As a Sailor, especially at sea, we are expected to be proficient and expert in our fields,” said Ferrer. “In high tempo environments, the pressure and obstacles that we have to overcome forces us to work as a unit and build unbiased camaraderie within each other to complete the mission. It’s the same as being a firefighter. Once we hear the alarm, it is second nature that we respond as soon as and as safely as possible.”
The Navy F&ES Military Fire Officer of the Year is awarded to military personnel E-6 and above.
“It is my utmost honor to be awarded as the Navy’s Military Fire Officer of the Year,” said Ferrer. “I can honestly say that I was grateful enough just being selected for CNRSE, but for the Navy? It’s more than what I could ask for.”
Ferrer said that he is thankful for having a great leadership behind him and guiding him to be the best version of himself. He is also thankful for his junior Sailors that trust him to lead them.
“This cannot be done by one person alone,” he added. “It’s a team effort where everyone relies on everybody to be competent and to watch each other’s back.”
More than 50 CNIC Fire & Emergency Services personnel from around the regions and family members attended the event.
“Our CNIC F&ES responders, inspectors, and management staff are all dedicated to keeping our personnel safe,” said Carl B. Glover Jr., director of CNIC F&ES. “Their devotion displayed daily exceeds exemplary standards. BZ to all the CNIC F&ES award winners and nominees.”
2022 F&ES Award recipients and runner-ups:
Small Fire Department of the Year: Naval Support Facility Thurmont
Runner-up: Navy Region Mid-Atlantic District 10, Naval Station Great Lakes
Medium Fire Department of the Year: Naval Station Mayport
Runner-up: Navy Region Mid-Atlantic District 6, Naval Submarine Base New
London and Naval Station Newport
Large Fire Department of the Year: Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo
Runner-up: Navy Region Mid-Atlantic District 3, Virginia Beach
Fire Prevention Program of the Year: Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, District 3,
Virginia Beach
Runner-up: Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka
Military Firefighter of the Year: ABH2 (AW/SW/IW) Edward Lujan, Naval Support Facility Thurmont
Runner-up: ABH2 (AW) Lorenzo Resendiz, Naval Air Station Sigonella
Civilian Firefighter of the Year: Tylor Snell, Naval Station Mayport
Runner-up: Daisuke Nagasawa, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka
Military Fire Officer of the Year: ABH1 (AW/SW/IW) Neil Ferrer, Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Gulf Coast Fire & Emergency Services
Runner-up: ABH1 Jeremy Padilla, Naval Support Activity Naples
Civilian Fire Officer of the Year: Christopher Cruz, Naval Station Rota
Runner-up: Kevin Moyer, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Fire Service Instructor of the Year: Joseph Tabor, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic
District 3, Virginia Beach
Runner-up: Shinji Yuasa, Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo
Category criteria was developed by the Department of Defense F&ES working group comprised of the fire chiefs of the service component’s respective F&ES programs. The above winners represent the Navy and also competed at the DoD level.
Navy-only awards:
EMS Provider of the Year: Albert Curley, Naval Station Mayport
Runner-up: Kenneth Massengale, Naval Support Activity Annapolis
Fire Inspector of the Year: Rudolph Medina, Metro San Diego
Runner-Up: Stacy Cruz, Joint Region Marianas
Fire Chief of the Year: David Michaelsen, Commander, Navy Region Northwest
Runner-up: Robert Wimes, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka
The Navy F&ES Hall of Fame was established in 2003 to recognize significant and distinguished contributions to the Navy firefighting services.
Navy F&ES Hall of Fame Inductees:
Andrew Arndt, Assistant Chief (ret.), Naval Station Great Lakes (formerly Commander, Navy Region Midwest).
Mark Hendley, District Fire Chief (ret.), Naval District Washington Central Battalion
Joseph Clinton Booth Duke Sr., Fire Chief (deceased), Naval Air Station Patuxent River
The Navy F&ES Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have been firefighters for at least 20 years, to include 10 years of service to Navy F&ES, and whose remarkable achievements in the fire service exemplify outstanding performance.
Navy Lifetime Achievement Award:
Cmdr. Matthew Matthias, USNR (deceased), Navy Reserve Commander, Navy Installations Command
Commander, Navy Installations Command is responsible for worldwide U.S. Navy shore installation management designing and developing integrated solutions for sustainment, development of Navy shore infrastructure, and execution and oversight of multiple quality of life programs and services. CNIC oversees 10 Navy regions, 70 bases and more than 48,000 employees who sustain the Fleet, enable the Fighter and support the Family. Follow CNIC on Facebook at Facebook.com/NavyInstallations, Twitter @cnichq and Instagram @cnichq.
