Chievres fire fighters win best in USAFE

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CHIEVRES AIR BASE, Belgium (USAFENS) --  Fire fighters from the 309th Airlift Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight are winners of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Fire Department of the Year (Small Department) award. The flight now competes for Air Force-level honors.

The 18-member unit never missed a step providing airfield support for the 309th Airlift Squadron despite losing one-third of the flight to deployments for eight months, said Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Bouillon, fire chief for the 309th AS.

"There was no stopping the mission. It was seamless – like we had all 18 fire fighters," said Chief Bouillon. “It was some really hard work. And the best part about it was they just kept going -- they didn’t say, ‘Hey, we’re tired.’ That’s what sets them apart.”

Despite putting in more than an additional 500 work hours during the deployment shortfall, the flight still found time for community involvement.

Fire fighters visited local Department of Defense Dependents Schools to teach fire prevention, opened the fire station as a site for college classes available to community members, and collected and distributed toys for a local orphanage.