NASSIG Fire & Emergency Department Win Region Awards

By Bill Casey, NAS Sigonella F&ES Department Chief

Congratulations to the NAS Sigonella Fire and Emergency Services Department! The following individuals were nominated and won their respective category at the Region level for the 2020 Navy Fire & Emergency Services Awards program, and the NAS Sigonella Fire Prevention Program won Fire Prevention Program of the Year.

Fire Captain Giovanni Naselli CNREURAFCENT Civilian Firefighter of the Year 2020

Based on Mr. Naselli’s familiarity with the Sicilian fire service, he spearheaded discussions with the Sicilian Bureau of Land Management, the Sicilian Forestry Department, and the cities of Catania & Niscemi Fire Departments to raise the level of fire protection and fire response time for NAS Sigonella’s two main installations and the U.S. Transmitter Site in Niscemi, Italy. His efforts forged the organizational partnerships necessary to enable rapid fire response in support of the NAS Sigonella mission.

ABH2 (AW/SW) Hannah Overby

CNREURAFCENT Military Firefighter of the Year 2020

Aviation Botswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Overby service tested four aircraft fire rescue vehicles valued at $1.6 million and identified 30 pump and mechanical discrepancies. She also managed eight breathing air samples, ensuring the air compressor maintained within standards. Furthermore, she orchestrated plans to alleviate shipping shortfalls which reduced lag time by 45 days and she played a critical role in forging overseas COVID-19 mitigation practices.

Assistant Fire Chief Lincoln E. Ratliff

CNREURAFCENT Fire Officer of the Year 2020

Chief Ratliff wrote a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) allowing the department to utilize structural firefighting ensembles in lieu of Airfield Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) ensembles. The JHA required hours of research through scientific journals, consensus fire standards, and years of historical response data. The final product was a well-articulated facts-based JHA which could be utilized to protect the organization’s decision should it be required. Financially, the JHA saved $475,000 annually since it precluded NAS Sigonella from the requirement to purchase and maintain two different sets of protective ensembles.

NAS Sigonella Fire Prevention Program

CNREURAFCENT Fire Prevention Program of the Year 2020

Special congratulations to Assistant Chief Thomas Rowell, Fire Inspector Tatum, and Fire Inspector Musumeci for the culmination of their efforts resulting in their recognition as the CNREURAFCENT Fire Prevention Program of the Year 2020. The team conducted a holistic review of their fire prevention program and identified ten dormant Risk Assessment Code II violations. They wasted no time in resurrecting the effort to document and initiate action for correction to raise the level of fire protection on our installation!