The Department of the Army announced the winners of the 2022 Army Community Partnership Awards this week. Of the seven community partnerships recognized, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hood was awarded three. One for a partnership with the City of Killeen, Texas, Fire Department; one for a partnership with the City of Killeen Regional Airport and one for a partnership with the Central Texas Emergency Management Working Group.

According to the Army’s press release, “The installations and their community partners are being recognized for forming innovative partnerships to improve quality of life for soldiers and their families, enhance readiness, modernize services, provide efficiencies, expand capabilities, strengthen community relations and contribute to reform initiatives throughout the Army.”

Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services and the Killeen Fire Department were honored for their mutual-aid agreement for emergency management, structural emergencies, wildland fires and swift-water rescue support. This agreement responds to initial fire suppression protection to all of Fort Hood’s non-continuous housing villages, where nearly 1,500 soldiers and families live. KFD recently provided substantial mutual aid assistance to help extinguish a 33,000+ acre wildland fire.

The Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport and Robert Gray Army Airfield were recognized for a joint-use agreement signed in 2001. An intergovernmental support agreement is now in place to share responsibility for the maintenance of all airfield infrastructure at RGAAF. This enhances operation and mission capabilities to sustain and upgrade airfield infrastructure.

“We are excited to be recognized for the partnership we have with Robert Gray Army Airfield (RGAAF),” said Mike Wilson, City of Killeen Aviation Executive Director. “The partnership we have had with the RGAAF team for over 18 years is a great example of how a Joint Use Airport should operate. We have different missions but we work as one team to help ensure that each of us are successful.”

Killeen Fire Chief, Jim Kubinski added, “The relationship between the City of Killeen and Fort Hood is the epitome of teamwork. They are aware that they can always count on our services and assistance, and we know they also have our back.”