Photo By Cpl. Samantha Sanchez | U.S. Marines attached to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting pose for a photo aboard...... read more read more
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The year 2020 marked the start of a world-wide pandemic, and for most people it meant the Coronavirus Disease put their lives and careers hold. However, that wasn’t the case for the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting crew aboard Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF has proven themselves to be resilient and innovative in more ways than one which earned them not one but three 2020 awards/titles. They were recognized with the 2020 Small Fire Department of the Year, 2020 ARFF Department of the Year, and U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Justin Curl, assistant chief of operations, received the individual award of 2020 Fire Officer of the Year for the second consecutive year.
“I wouldn’t get anything if it wasn’t for the junior marines out there on the floor doing the work,” Curl explained. “So this year winning the individual award, but also winning the department awards as well, just goes to show that what really got me here- it was a team effort.”
Curl oversees the day-to-day operations of the MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF, to ensure his Marines are on the right track, doing the right thing, and following the proper processes and procedures to effectively complete the mission, he said.
“Last year I was the assistant chief of training and during that time period COVID-19 shocked the world so we had to figure out ways to continue our training and our certifications even throughout the pandemic,” Curl described. “Everything we do is based off of everyone working together, overlapping responsibilities, and knowing [each other’s] jobs so we have to do drills together constantly.”
No matter the pandemic and lack of manpower, MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF was able to provide a seamless uninterrupted training schedule to increase readiness for the base.
“We were able to create administrative solutions to mend issues that impacted every MCAS ARFF,” explained CWO2 Justin Barnes, officer in charge. “We had uninterrupted airfield and logistical support, along with sustaining operations through manpower shortages coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Curl’s creativity, being able to modernize the way they operate allowed them to have that uninterrupted training schedule, Barnes said.
“The Marines didn’t even know the pandemic was affecting other stations,” Barnes described. “[Gunnery Sgt. Curl] was able to be creative and modify our local training plans to stay consistent throughout the pandemic, where other stations were not able to do that.”
As far as small department of the year, the MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF beat out thirteen other submissions, not including those that did not make it through the vetting process, Barnes explained.
“It meant a lot for us to be able to bring these awards home, especially during the pandemic,” Barnes said, “There wasn’t a whole lot to be positive about, and this showed the Marines that what they do is important and their hard work is being recognized across the Marine Corps.”
Winning an award is no small feat but the MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF exceeded all expectations winning three 2020 awards, all earned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to the MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF and to Gunnery Sgt. Curl on the well-deserved distinctions. Semper Fidelis!
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2021 21:04 |
| Story ID: | 399807 |
| Location: | MCB HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 306 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, A Burning Desire for Success: MCAS Kaneohe Bay ARFF, by Cpl Samantha Sanchez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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