Osan fire chief to receive prestigious Korean award

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  A member of Osan's fire department will be awarded the 49th Annual Korean National Fire Fighter's Day Gyeonggi Province Governor Award during a ceremony Nov. 4, 2011.

Chief Master Sgt. Reco Houston, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief, won this year's award and is the first member of Osan to receive this recognition in recent years. He said he was humbled to be recognized but feels the real reward comes from helping the community and building a mutual trust with the local fire department.

"The efforts my department has taken to reach out to our host nation mutual aid partners has been met with enthusiasm, specifically by the Songtan Fire Chief Yim, Jung Ho," Houston said. "Our partnering has been educational for both Korean and American firefighters and even fun. That's reward in itself."

It might be an individual award, but he said he couldn't have done it without his team of firefighters.

"The key to mutual aid is that it should be mutual," Houston said. "By having us as their partners, the local community gains another 51 highly trained responders, not to mention the emergency response resources we can make available to keep them safe."

He said no matter the location firefighters have a responsibility to the community, and it's important everyone knows emergency services will be there whenever needed. He thinks the Osan and local communities know this to be true.

All Air Force fire departments are manned to immediately respond to a single emergency at a time but due to manpower cuts they rely more on recall of off-duty firefighters and mutual aid partners in the event of any large-scale or off-base disasters.

"By having a trusted relationship with our host nation departments, Osan has capable and willing partners who will go into harm's way to help us mitigate emergencies," Houston said.

The chief's combined approach to operations using community, partnership, brotherhood and teamwork won him this award.

According to the Songtan fire chief, Houston was recommended for this award because he has contributed a great deal to enhance the Korean-U.S. firefighting cooperation with interest in various fields including disaster response and emergency medical services in the Pyongtaek area.

"Like the joint exercise last month in preparation for aircraft fires, we should be able to strengthen our response considering the unique characteristics of the area and find a way to continue mutual development in various activities," Yim said.

It's no surprise to some that Houston was nominated, but he was caught off guard.

"I was surprised when Chief Yim told me," Houston said. "I can only guess that it is in appreciation for reaching out to build and improve our relationships. While Chief Yim knows that protecting and supporting the 51st Fighter Wing is my primary mission, he truly appreciates my willingness to do everything I can to prepare for and respond should the local community need us."

Houston will be presented the "Man of Merit" by Kyonggi Governor Kim, Mun Su.

The selection as a Man of Merit was completed by the Contribution Judging Committee of Songtan Fire Station on Oct. 6.

Afterward, Houston was recommended by the Firefighting Administration Section of Kyonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters, and was finally approved and announced as the winner by the Contribution Judging Committee of Kyonggi Province Oct. 17.

Mr. Yim, Hongkun, 51st CES, said the Osan and Songtan fire departments have built a solid relationship due to their professional partnership and mutual aid during live-fire aircraft training, and the amount of time they share when working together during off-base responses.

Since Houston's arrival in May 2011, his team has trained more than 100 local community firefighters here on Osan, responded jointly off base in support of both Osan and Songtan exercises, and successfully fought a large-scale factory fire.

"I believe that in times to come we will be responding a lot more as our host nation partners know that we truly mean mutual aid," Houston said.

The certificate of recognition will be presented to Houston in a ceremony at the beginning of November, but the true meaning of the award means more to the firefighters here.

"(This award) means that we have built a trusted professional relationship that is valued by our civilian counterparts in the local community," Houston said. "Every member of my flight loves being a firefighter. We have tremendous desire to protect and serve, and this award demonstrates that Korean firefighters have respect for fellow American brothers of the badge."

Although the award will be presented to Houston, he said it will be proudly displayed as recognition of his team's efforts and viewed as an encouragement to press forward.