TRACY, Calif. –
Christopher Loyd, Security and Emergency Services fire department training captain, Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management, San Joaquin, was selected as the 2023 DLA Fire Service Instructor of the Year.
Loyd excels in the training arena. He instructed fire operations personnel in specialty equipment usage in a customized large search area resulting in decreased trapped identification time during simulations. Further, to protect installation personnel for a real-time event, Loyd led the planning and evaluation for an interagency warehouse fire drill enhancing mutual aid coordination to identify radio, command, and apparatus issues.
Additionally, he coordinated installation and regional cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for more than 100 multidisciplinary emergency response personnel installing competency to provide initial stabilizing care.
Always looking for ways to enhance training, he created more than 50 International Firefighting Training Association-approved skills reinforcing firefighter tasks taught through tailored lesson plans based on incidents aligning instructional content with operational trends. Further, Loyd authored detailed fire evolution training to meet National Fire Protection Association 1410 standards for training oversight and risk mitigation resulting in crews demonstrating 12 percent faster completion of evolutions.
Program development at the forefront, Loyd led the implementation of a new skills validation program tracking firefighter, driver/operator, and acting captain qualifications ensuring personnel were properly prepared for key positions in the department. He also directed inspector and dispatcher training programs helping achieve DoD and Federal Emergency Management Agency certifications for personnel to meet mission essential needs and readiness.
Loyd is a role model for the fire department. He mentored firefighter trainees during staff shortages by teaching both operations skills and administered training simultaneously leading to their development.
He is a high performer. Loyd utilizes his educational expertise across incident management, prevention philosophies, and leadership foundations that enriched the training curriculum. Further, he demonstrates dedication to improvement by pursuing advanced certifications significantly above required level and completed Plans Examiner, scoring an impressive 96 percent.
“Training Captain Loyd exemplifies the model firefighter through his consistent efforts to perform his duties above all expectations,” said Jonathan Mathews, site director, DLA Installation Management, San Joaquin. “He is dedicated and contributes immensely to the success of DLA’s mission and is deserving of this prestigious award.”