799th SFS turns up the heat, wins Fire Muster traveling trophy

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Adawn Kelsey
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada --  The Nellis/Creech Fire Department hosted the 4th annual Fire Muster at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, in culmination of National Fire Prevention Week Oct. 10, 2014.

This year's fire prevention week theme was "working smoke alarms save lives."

During the fire muster competition 10 teams from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and 799th Air Base Group competed for the rights to the traveling fire muster trophy. The competition included 5 different obstacles with the goal of completing the challenges in the least amount of time.

Rob Tello, 99th Civil Engineering Squadron fire inspector, said the 4th annual Fire Prevention Week Fire Muster brought in a lot of excitement and participation from the units around the base.

"People came throughout the day for more than just the competition," he said. "We also had an information fair, the Creech Chapel-sponsored a bar-b-que and there was a 5K run. It gives everyone a chance to get outside together, have some fun and get a little competition going."

Of the 10 teams, the top four battled for a spot in the final competition. The two finalist teams were the 799th Security Forces Squadron and the Reaper Aircraft Maintenance Unit. The 799th SFS ultimately gained the bragging rights for the next 11 months and will have the traveling trophy to display until next year's competition.

Staff Sgt. Jason Dees, 799th SFS Commanders Support Staff NCO in charge, said the dedication his squadron has to their physical training had a big impact on their performance in the fire muster.

"We came to represent," he said. "That's what security forces does, especially when it comes to PT. Winning matters. That's our motto every day at PT, and we mean it."

Capt. Michael Cheatham, 799th SFS commander, said the teamwork was strong throughout the competition.

"It was awesome; we went 4-0 and won every event," he said.

While the competition concluded the Fire Prevention Week, Tello said the focus is really all on the importance of fire prevention and is something people should practice on a regular basis.

"It's not just one day. Fire prevention is something people should pay attention to every day," he said.