Wolf named firefighter of the year Published April 25, 2008 By Senior Airman Ben Mota 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- Riiiiiiiiiing! No not an alarm clock, but yes an alarm. One minute to get your boots and gear on and off you go. Lives are at stake. Twenty-four hours a day, seven-days a week, the Grissom fire department maintains a constant level of readiness, but one fire fighter's ability to go above and beyond his duties recently earned Daniel Wolf Grissom's Firefighter of the Year Award. "Every since I was a little kid I have enjoyed helping people," said Mr. Wolf. "I chose fire fighting because it fit my personality and I enjoyed the excitement of the job," he added. Mr. Wolf has been at Grissom for approximately two years, but served as a firefighter in the Air Force for eight years. During his Air Force career he participated in two wartime tours: Ali Al Salem, Kuwait and Kirkuk, Iraq. Recently, Mr. Wolf was involved with an emergency rescue involving a young male who jumped from a moving vehicle and was critically injured. He was the acting crew chief of the vehicle dispatched to the injured boy. His crew was the first emergency services to arrive at the scene with their heavy medical response vehicle, Rescue 5. It is designed to carry large amounts of specialty equipment used by fire fighters for extractions and medical treatment. Upon arrival, Mr. Wolf gave oxygen to the injured teen and packaged him for aerial transport. "The quick response and the medical care given by Dan saved the teenager's life," said John Ireland, acting fire chief. Mr. Wolf is certified three levels above his job requirements through the International Fire Service Accredited Congress. His certifications include: fire officer III, fire instructor III and fire inspector II. "He is a multi-functional individual," said Mr. Ireland. "He is an all around good firefighter, highly trained and very motivated, but most of all he is friendly and always willing to help anyone," he added. Mr. Wolf says that he appreciates the award and recognition but notes that the people that he works with are partly responsible for making him who he is today. "After 10 years of service and working with other firefighters in over 20 countries, these are some of the best people I have ever worked with," he said. "It is easy being good at what you do when you have a great crew to support you."
