Balmina Sehra
U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs
A U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart firefighter took top honors in Europe during the 2022 Fire and Emergency Services Awards recently.
Tobias Heumann, a firefighter with the garrison’s Directorate of Emergency Services, was named “Installation Management Command – Europe’s Top Civilian Firefighter,” besting candidates from more than seven other garrisons across the continent.
“[Heumann] demonstrated resourcefulness and the ability to overcome challenges within each of their functional areas,” IMCOM-E said in a statement. “Each candidate has contributed significantly to IMCOM-E’s mission and had a positive impact on the communities they serve.”
His teammates said they nominated him for his “uncommon courage, dedication to USAG Stuttgart stakeholders, steadfast leadership attributes, and his commitment to excellence above and beyond the standards.”
Winning the award came as a surprise to Heumann, he said that “it was a great honor” and shows that his work and efforts are being recognized.
The 35-year-old from Ansbach, joined the garrison in July 2020, but has been living what he calls “the best job in the world” since 2011 when he began as a volunteer firefighter in Bechhofen.
Heumann said he’s passionate about having a job that can help people in distress and make meaningful contributions to his community.
“Usually when we get to the scene, the people there are having the worst day of their life,” he said. “We get to help them feel immediately better, and I love having a job that can do that”.
While he’s proud of his recent award, Heumann is not hanging up his bunker gear anytime soon. He plans to get more training, improve his skills and be there for people in need.
“I want to engage more with the community and find different opportunities to do so,” he said “I love engaging with the community and helping out wherever I can.”
Heumann will next compete at HQ IMCOM, if selected he will go against peers at Army Materiel Command before potentially competing at the DA and DOD levels.