JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Joint Base Andrews proves once again that it is home to some of the most-elite Airmen in the Air Force by naming Jason Haddock, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy fire chief, winner of the 2012 Air Force Association Outstanding Air Force Civilian - Civilian Program Specialist of the Year. Haddock was one of five civilians who were recognized for their accomplishments in their specific civilian program and awarded the recognition. Currently, there are 36,000 civilians working for the Air Force.
After serving 9 years as an active-duty Air Force firefighter, Haddock transitioned into the civilian side of fire emergency services and has since served a total of 15 years in the career field. Presently, Haddock is the deputy fire chief of a 58-person fire station on one of the most-visible bases in the U.S. located in the heart of the National Capitol Region - Joint Base Andrews.
"Among his numerous duties, Haddock took over and has turned around our Fire Emergency Service's Self Assessment Program; he's the compliance manager, said Senior Master Sgt. David Wilson, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief and supervisor to Haddock. "Anything wrong or sideways with our program, he's the guy to take care of it and get it done. He's our Mr. Do Everything."
In addition to molding the fire department's Self Assessment Program into being the most-compliant that it's been in years, Haddock took on the role as lead manager of his shop's Fire Prevention Section and Health and Safety Program. With Haddock at the helm, in the past year these three programs have transitioned from the brink of non existence to now efficiently operating within compliance and adhering to all Air Force Instruction and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
"For the Health and Safety Program alone - program shortfalls have been identified, an ORM (Operational Risk Management) has been developed and Health and Safety Physicals for all of Andrews' firemen have been initiated," said Haddock. "Because firefighters are more active than the average Airman, these physicals are extremely necessary and conducted annually."
Along with raising health and safety standards for the base's firemen, Haddock's position as director of the base's Fire Prevention Section helped bring the fire prevention standards of the buildings and facilities these firemen protect up to the same functioning par.
"Taking on the responsibility of Fire Prevention Section lead couldn't have been accomplished by myself," said Haddock. "In this section alone we're conducting proper facility inspections, tracking deficiencies within each building - starting the day they're identified until the day they're fixed - working with base counterparts to make sure every aspect of fire prevention is identified, and that proper notification gets made, and we've developed a plan to make sure contractors are held at standards to ensure the life safety for future Andrews building occupants."
Haddock was notified that he had won the recognition after receiving a congratulatory call from his commander, Lt. Col. Michael Zuhlsdorf. But, despite the lauds, Haddock remains humble about his initiatives within the department, citing the resiliency and energy of his troops as the real reason his programs have become so successful.
"Do you really think I could have turned this place around by myself?" said Haddock. "This award isn't what I did; it's what we did as a department. I don't look at it as a single award; I look at it as a team award. It's nice to be recognized at the Air Force level, but, I didn't get here alone. Everyone made all we did possible."