Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune’s Fire and Emergency Services Division, Department of Public Safety was recently named the recipient of the Large Fire Department of the Year for the Marine Corps.

Now, after having won the award on a Marine Corps scale, the department will go toe-to-toe against the other military branches as well as the Defense Logistics Agency. The base is slated to receive the award at the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference in Atlanta, which is slated for the fall of this year. At the same time, it will be announced who won the Department of Defense Large Fire Department of the Year.

This is not the first time that the fire department has won the award, in fact they have won it countless times.

“It’s something that we’re all proud to have accomplished, we all worked hard to improve our services and to get recognized for doing a great job makes it feel pretty good,” said Glenn Zurek, the assistant chief of training with Fire and Emergency Services Division, Department of Public Safety, MCB Camp Lejeune. “It’s something that is a challenge every year as we try and raise the bar. We look at how we provide the services and evaluate and refine it to make it better than last year.”

Zurek also added that the conference is a great time to share ideas and then put them to a test to see if it makes their service to the community better.

“When a 9-1-1 call comes in we’re going in, be it Camp Lejeune or New River, and we have to be prepared for anything we may come across,” said Zurek. “And it was because of what every individual station did as well as the fire education, emergency medical services and hazmat teams that we won.”

The base was judged on six different areas, all crucial to win the award, but even more important to the safety of the base. The areas were customer service, department of awards accreditations, certificates and other recognitions, innovativeness, implemented management principles and initiative and an ‘other’ category.

“We take pride in winning the award,” said Zurek. “Every life is precious to us and we will continue to keep our public safety personnel trained and up to date for anything that may come our way.”