BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., - A Colorado Air National Guard
member is the Air Force's eyes and ears for over 500 firefighters, who are
scattered across 16 bases and multiple Forward Operating Bases in nine
different countries.
Senior Master Sgt. Deanne Criswell of the 140th Wing, based here, became the
Colorado Air Guard's fire chief in 2002. The position also made her the first
female fire chief in the wing and the entire Air National Guard.
While this is a historic achievement, her current duties are equally
impressive. Criswell is currently deployed to the Middle East as the Air
Force's Forward Functional Fire Manager.
Her responsibilities are so encompassing, one might think the position would
include a large support staff. However, her office consists of a laptop, a
rucksack, body armor and a side arm.
Criswell is constantly on the move across Central Command's area of
responsibility. A few times she has traveled with a seven-person safety-team,
but she usually travels alone to meet with firefighters wherever they may be.
To get there, she catches rides on Air Force cargo planes, Army helicopters,
coalition transports, or hitch-hikes on convoys that are headed where she
needs to go.
"I throw my three-day pack on, and it's been known to last me 11 days," said
Criswell.
As operations wind down in Iraq, Criswell has been busy shifting and
redeploying assets to Afghanistan. She says her brief tour has already
stretched her leadership abilities beyond what she ever expected.
Her list of accomplishments read like years of super-star work, but it's all
been done in just four months. She has provided oversight for two firefighter
training academies, supervised the transition of five bases and repositioned
assets all over the Middle East.
Recently, she deployed 12 firefighters and their equipment to a remote
Forward Operating Base, ensuring a C-17 capable runway in just 96 hours. She
also made a realignment recommendation, which is estimated to save the
government $9 million in contractor costs.
Criswell says the heat and operations tempo has been taxing. She looks
forward to returning home and relaxing - but only for a while. She recently
completed a half marathon and is training to run the Marine Corps Marathon in
Washington, D.C. this October. She's run 14 miles in Kyrgyzstan, 10 miles at
a small forward operating base in Afghanistan and a half marathon in Qatar,
to name a few.
"She often times get up at 3 in the morning to run when it's coolest. She's
crazy," said her husband, Chief Master Sgt. John Criswell, who currently
serves as the command chief of the 140th Wing.
Criswell has been a Guardsman her entire 19-year career, and "I haven't
regretted a minute of it," she said.