Moody firefighter named GEICO winner

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mona Ferrell
  • 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  A firefighter here doused the competition recently by being named as an Air Force-level winner for the 2005 Government Employee Insurance Company Military Service awards.

Chosen to compete in the Fire Prevention and Fire Safety category, Tech. Sgt. Shannon Anderson, assistant chief of hazardous material safety for Moody’s Fire and Emergency Services, will now vie for the GEICO award against nominees selected by the other military services. 

The awards, established by GEICO in 1988, pay tribute to members of the military for their contributions to the public good in their roles as “citizens and soldiers” in the categories of drug and alcohol abuse prevention, fire safety and fire prevention and traffic safety and accident prevention. 

While serving as a fire prevention role model both on and off duty is not new for Sergeant Anderson, achieving these high-level accolades is humbling, he said. 

“When I was told that I was chosen as the Air Force Special Operations Command award winner, I was ecstatic,” said Sergeant Anderson. “To win this award at the Air Force level — it’s unbelievable and beyond my wildest dreams. 

“Educating our on-base and local community on fire protection and fire safety issues and responding to emergencies at a moment’s notice — I couldn’t be in a more exciting job,” continued Sergeant Anderson, who’s been an Air Force firefighter for more than 11 years. “It’s a job I take seriously.” 

It’s this type of service before self attitude that’s catapulted the Moody firefighter to the top, said Steven Seward, Moody’s Fire and Protection Services fire chief. 

“Sergeant Anderson is motivated and mission oriented,” said Mr. Seward. “He’s a total professional and continually meshes his technical expertise with outstanding leadership skills to get the job done.” 

And one only has to glance at Sergeant Anderson’s accomplishments to see his leadership skills at work, said Mr. Seward. During the past year, he acted as an Exercise Evaluation Team representative during 40 base wartime exercise scenarios. 

He also volunteered more than 1,000 off-duty hours conducting CPR and life support training to 250 base members. 

And, keeping continuous self-improvement at the top of his list, he was one of only three members of the local community to complete a course for technicians on Urban Search and Rescue techniques. 

But it’s through an entire team effort that the accomplishments were achieved, said Sergeant Anderson, who was also recognized by the local community as the Valdosta Exchange Club 2005 Military Firefighter of the Year. 

“Nothing is achieved without teamwork,” he said. “I’d like to thank my commander, members of the civil engineer community and the 347th Rescue Wing for helping me be selected for this award.” 

And it’s this type of gratitude that sets him apart from the pack. 

“Sergeant Anderson is the epitome of what an NCO and firefighter should be,” Mr. Seward said. “He’s a ‘wow’ kind of guy and a future chief master sergeant. I couldn’t be happier for him.”