Assistant fire chief takes service to his country and community seriously

  • Published
  • By Janae' Daniels
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  George DeShields III, the newest Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) assistant fire chief, can remember as a little boy watching his dad fight fires as a volunteer firefighter in Kennett Square, Pa.

"I thought it was a cool job," he explained. "Now, I know it's the best in the world. You get to help people and do well for your community whether it's actually responding to an emergency or just supporting the community in whatever they need."

In 1986, DeShields enlisted into the United States Air Force to become a firefighter.

"I joined the Air Force because I wanted to serve my country and as soon as I finished my training in Texas I was off to South Dakota to begin my career as a firefighter," he said.

Throughout his 21 years of serving, DeShields says his assignments to Germany and Korea were his best.

"It's a toss-up between Germany and Korea. I liked Germany because I like to travel and I love being overseas learning new cultures," he explained. "I liked Korea because I was challenged. I worked in the fire department but worked in fire prevention, outside my normal realm of things, so I was learning the job and learning something new about the fire service and doing my job a different way."

DeShields visited AEDC from Eglin AFB, Fla., during a Unit Compliance Inspection in 2004. He immediately took an interest in AEDC and its working environment.

"I came as an augmentee for the inspection and really liked what I saw," he recollected. "It was the first time I had done an inspection in the states [he did several overseas] and it was the first time I inspected an all-civilian fire department. I thought the level of professionalism and the quality of people and the way they did things - I just thought it was awesome."

He was also impressed by the way people were treated and the way the fire chief looked after his guys and the things he did for them.

"I walked into the fire station and plastered down the wall was photos of department members who have been deployed to defend our country and on the other wall were plaques, pictures and High Mach articles commemorating successful rescue and training operations - it's things like that - that says a lot about the quality of the troops and leadership here," he said. "So I thought this would be a great place to be someday."

But, before that someday would come, DeShields decided to retire from the Air Force in October 2007. He was a little unsure of what to do next.

"I chose to go overseas as a contractor for two years," he said. "For 21 years I had a job and then one day I didn't because I retired and I needed a job. But, it was also a way for me to continue supporting the troops."

Although DeShields was proud to serve his country in time of need, he felt it was time to move on to the next phase of his life and career.

"I was ready for a change. It was very fast paced over there," he said. "When I first got there I was working in operations 48-hours on and 24 off. Then I moved to their headquarters running 39 fire departments in three countries seven-days-a-week, 15 hours a day - it's gets old."

That someday finally came in September 2009 when DeShields was hired as an
assistant fire chief.

"It's a lot slower paced here, but it's good because I get to learn at a slower pace," he explained. "I'm not being thrown to the wolves and it's easier to take things in. It's a really unique operation here; different than anything I have ever done. It also gives me time to get accustom to what's going on here and do a lot of training with the guys I work with."

DeShields realizes there is a wealth of knowledge and experience he is coming into and is willing to not only learn but also teach as well.

"I often get the 'that's not the way we do things here' and I allow them to explain to me where they're coming from and then usually I explain to them where I am coming from and the light comes on for both of us. They agree that there is a different way to do things and that they could learn from it and it's been a piece of cake.

"Twenty something years in the Air Force and a couple of years as a contractor overseas, I would be remiss in my duties as a leader to come in here and think I knew everything and I could show them the light. I keep my mind open to what is going on and what has gone on and build from there."

For someone who has known him personally and professionally, George Chambers, assistant chief, says DeShields is a great asset to AEDC.

"I have worked with and known George for the past 14 years and have found him to be people oriented, fun loving and hard working. He is an excellent leader, mentor and assistant chief," Chambers said. "He brings a wide range of experience to AEDC, from not only the private sector, but the Air Force and from the contract side of fire protection.

"He is very people minded; taking care of his people is priority #1, which leads to priority #2 getting the job done. He has brought a fresh perspective into the fire department along with more than 20-plus years experience in this profession."

DeShields considers Chambers a mentor and is glad to be working with him again.

"I worked with George in Germany for the better part of four years and he is an outstanding leader and a great mentor to me," he explained. "He has taught me a lot about fire service, leadership and about taking care of people."

Firefighter Brandon Gunn considers DeShields the best supervisor he's worked for to date.

"Chief DeShields is one of the best supervisors that I've ever had the privilege of working with," Gunn said. "He is fair with everyone and treats all of his men with respect, and he is ever willing to help us with any issues we may have. He expects his people to excel in everything they do and his experience and knowledge is unmatched."

When asked if he considered anything outside of firefighting once he retired, DeShields said he couldn't and didn't imagine it.

"I believe that everyone is called to something and this is me," he explained. "This is what I was supposed to do. I went to school for a year to be an electrician and I've toyed with the idea of being on the medical side of this job; however, it's just not for me. This is all I've wanted to do and I feel so comfortable doing it."

From the day he arrived, DeShields feels like he's been a part of the family.

"Normally, in a fire station you are part of the family immediately. I can go to any fire station in the United States and they will accept me because I'm a fireman," he explained. "But, here it was as if they were waiting for me. It was as if I was a long lost brother and I came home."

Crew Chief Gary George summed it up in a nutshell.

"We're having a great time indoctrinating George to our ways here at Arnold," George said. "He's got a great personality and we're looking forward to working with him."