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Airman earns DoD firefighter of the year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jennifer Viveiros
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  It takes a special kind of person to become a firefighter. 

These people are a breed of selfless protectors who put their lives at risk every day for the sake of others. People trust and rely on firefighters and for good reason. Whether there's a fire, a flood or someone in need of medical attention, firefighters are prepared to handle almost any crisis situation. 

One Warren Airman has taken his commitment to being a firefighter above and beyond these high expectations. 

Senior Airman Joshua Livingston, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron, has earned the title of Department of Defense Firefighter of the Year. 

Airman Livingston earned this title through work done at Warren. It was here he won Warren Firefighter of the Quarter and Warren Firefighter of the Year. He later went on to take the title for Air Force Space Command, the Air Force and finally the DoD. 

Some of his notable achievements include saving the life of an infant who was in respiratory distress, stabilizing several victims involved in a multi-vehicle accident on a major interstate and treating a patient who was badly burned in an electrical fire. Airman Livingston has also responded to more than 150 fires throughout his firefighting career. 

Airman Livingston said he joined the Air Force in order to become a firefighter. 

"I've always wanted to be a fireman," he said. "I grew up in Southern California where there are a lot of brush fires." 

He said he was inspired by his experience in California, and it encouraged him to want to help others. 

"After you help a family, you know they are so thankful for what you do," he added. 

Despite being singled out for this award, Airman Livingston attributes much of this achievement to the help of his coworkers and supervisors. 

"I couldn't have done it without the help of my department -- all they've done for me, all the training they've given me; they help me do my job," he said. 

Airman Livingston is now following in the footsteps of his leaders and is taking rookie Airmen under his wing. He is responsible for performing evaluations and helping new Airmen with upgrade training and on-the-job training. 

He said he's even helped put together a packet for new Airmen to record training and assist with keeping their records organized. This is something he's done on his own time and is not required of his position. 

"I put a lot of extra hours into my job," he said. 

Even with the extra hours, Airman Livingston still finds time to give back to both Warren and the local community. He's a volunteer firefighter in Cheyenne, conducts in-home fire extinguisher training for day-care providers and teaches a basic CPR class for local scout troops. He developed a puppet training skit to teach emergency evacuation procedures to local school children, and he also portrayed the Warren Fire Department mascot Sparky the fire dog. 

Despite the numerous achievements and successes in his career field, Airman Livingston said he's really just doing his job. He remains humble about his award and looks forward to a long future as an Air Force firefighter. 

His advice to other Airmen seeking this award is to "keep working hard, don't complain about doing things. Just do your job and try to find a better way to do it." 

"Remember we're here to help people; we're not here for ourselves," he added. 

According to Airman Livingston, if a person does good things, good things will come.