Team Kirtland and the Kirtland Air Force Base Fire Department said goodbye to the Fire Chief April 16, 2019, as Darryl Stewart was showered with gifts and accolades in a ceremony at Fire Station 2 here. Stewart, who arrived at his post at Kirtland in March 2013, is now headed to be the installation fire chief at Fort Gordon, Ga. His six-plus years at Kirtland were distinguished earning him an Award for Meritorious Civilian Service. Numerous awards for the department were capped off with KAFBFD being named Air Force Global Strike Command’s Large Base Fire Department of the Year for 2018. The fire chief, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, was also instrumental in the stand-up of a paramedic non-firefighter transportation mission on Kirtland and an-house fire academy, which graduated seven new members of the KAFBFD last year, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jaime Jimenez.