The Fort Riley Fire Department has won the U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s Central Region Fire Prevention Program of the Year award.  The department will not compete at the Department of Defense level competition, with the winner announced later this month.

The Fire Prevention Branch was instrumental in the accolades.

According to Ivan May, lead fire inspector, the Prevention Branch was the recipient of the Michelle Brenner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fire Educators Association of Kansas.

The branch also received a perfect score on the recent Fire and Emergency Services Program Assessment, which boosted the department’s overall evaluation score to 99.51 percent.

May said the primary mission of the Prevention Branch is to provide oversight for facility fire safety inspections at Fort Riley and to review construction projects. He added that the Prevention Branch is responsible for educating soldiers, family members, patrons of the installation and people from the surrounding communities.

William Hadley, FRFD assistant fire chief, said the department also partners with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer and the Directorate of Public Works to ensure buildings meet fire codes.