Winning awards isn't new to Russell Tarver. Yet this year, he adds another honor — the first Fire Chief of the Year winner to be nominated by the Federal and Military Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Tarver is regional fire chief, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Japan. His work force is a mix of U.S. and Japanese citizens who protect industrial complexes, fuel storage areas, American public housing and Department of Defense schools, as well as active naval airfields and one of the Navy's largest overseas ports. The CNFJ Fire Department includes 18 fire stations and provides protection for more than 45,000 people at 29 different areas and to the ships of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces. The department responded to 1,800 emergencies and conducted more than 8,500 inspections annually.

Tarver shares the same facility with the base Fire Chief at Yokoska, Japan. His regional staff includes chiefs, training, supply section and administration. Tarver has lived in Japan for the past seven years.

What do you believe is the single significant achievement that led to you being nominated for the 2007 Career Chief of the Year award?

I'm blessed to be surrounded by 500 professionals spread across the Pacific protecting our military installations and interest. Our firefighters are committed to serving the community and understand their roles as Navy fire and emergency services ambassadors.

Your seven years in Japan have offered you an opportunity to establish and implement a number of proactive programs, particularly within local communities.

Collectively, we've expanded our regional department's partnership with the host nation fire and emergency services throughout Japan, improving the safety for those who reside both on and off base. We currently have over 40 mutual-aid and interservice-support agreements. We exercise these agreements annually, participating in over 10 major joint exercises with surrounding fire departments, city officials, U.S. military forces, Japanese maritime self-defense forces and numerous other agencies.

It's the partnerships with our host nation that we are most proud of. We have a mutual aid agreement of trust. We've had major events here in Japan such as the earthquake in Hokkaido a couple years ago and we were able to step in and provide assistance. We were the collection point for AFFF and were able to get it to them.

What education and training helped you get to where you are today?

I have an associate's degree in mortuary science, advanced fire officer certifications through [the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress], and [am] currently working on my emergency management degree and have EMI certifications 100, 200, 700 and 800.

The military gave me structure and that's one of the main things that I liked — opportunity and structure. I believe the military is much better than other organizations as far as fairness. When I look at the fairness across the board, I think the military is a good place to be. I've seen fairness in the military. I also think a balance between formal education, hands-on training and solid mentorship has been the key to my success.

What have been the biggest challenges during your career?

Time management and implementing change with the department. I readily admit that my wife, Debra, is the glue that keeps me together and keeps me calm.

How has the military fire service changed from when you first entered?

I've seen major changes in technology — notebooks to [ruggedized laptops], bulky maps to GPS, riding on the tail board to air-conditioned cabs — and our mission has evolved from structural and aircraft firefighting to include advanced EMS and ambulance transport services, basic hazmat to weapons of mass destruction. Fire departments are run more as businesses than ever before so budgeting and contracting experience are assets and critical.

What are your top three priorities that are you currently working on?

Supporting the transition of the first-ever forward-deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the theatre. This requires additional training and providing input to the carrier transition-working group on key infrastructure improvements; launching the Commission on Fire Accreditation International process throughout the region; and a $1 million project converting search-and-rescue training towers to live-fire propane burn trainers.

What can the public sector fire service learn from the military/federal fire service?

The threats (munitions/weapons, exotic fuels, WMD) in the past that were thought to only impact our military installations and interests have now expanded beyond the fence line and into our cities. Federal/military fire departments have the experience, training, equipment, and emergency procedures in-place to mitigate many of these threats.

How much longer before you retire and what would you hope to do?

I have 13 years before pondering retirement. I continue to enjoy family, mentor young men and women, and educate and encourage more minorities to consider careers in the fire services.

What advice would you offer to officers aspiring to become fire chiefs?

Seek mentorship from leaders you admire, maintain your thirst for knowledge, recognize your people and grow from every situation you face — whether good or bad. Honor, teamwork, dedication and attention to detail [are] key to our department's success.

A View of the CNFJ

The Commander, Naval Forces, Japan, won four 2006 Navy Fire and Emergency Services Awards: Large Fire Department of the Year; Fire Prevention Program of the Year; Civilian Fire Officer of the Year; and Civilian Firefighter of the Year. In fact, the CNFJ has won the Navy Fire Department of the Year Award in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

Winners of the Navy Fire and Emergency Services Awards are put forward for the Department of Defense annual awards. CNFJ won the DOD's Fire Prevention Program of the Year and the Civilian Firefighter of the Year Award.

The Fire Prevention Division encompasses more than 29 geographically separated areas with over 30 million square feet. It operates with two prevention chiefs and seven local national inspectors. The division conducted over 8,641 fire inspections and issued more than 2,143 Hot Work permits region-wide.

The division provided education and hands-on training to an estimated 60,000 personnel, including local mutual aid communities. It also hosted more than 3,600 community visitors throughout 2006, created a database to track fire safety deficiencies and to monitor the corrective actions, developed bilingual presentations, and trained more than 1,100 fire wardens.

CNFJ also has won the DOD's Large Fire Department of the Year Award, and CNFJ staff members have won the Fire Officer of the Year for the Navy and Firefighter of the Year Awards.