Columbus employee recognized for yard fire response

Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services employee Tom Rager was recently honored as DLA Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Rager, a property disposal specialist at DLA Disposition Services Columbus, Ohio, site, was among a handful of employees recently recognized for the award by DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly.

On May 21, a fire started on a pallet of excess tires held in Columbus' property disposal yard. Hundreds of additional tires were staged nearby, creating a risk that the fire could spread, according to Rager's nomination. He had finished his workday and was waiting for his wife, with whom he carpools, when he said he got a call about a fire at the back of the yard.

Rager went to the gate, got into a loader and headed to the back of the yard. Police personnel were already at the scene attempting to put out the fire with fire extinguishers.

"It was only one pallet, so I started moving all the other tires around the fire so they didn't catch on fire also," he said.

Rager also moved a tug, a type of material handling equipment designed for pushing, pulling and steering heavy loads in logistics and warehouse environments, out of the way as emergency crews responded. The fire department eventually arrived and extinguished the fire.

According to his nomination, Rager's actions helped keep the fire contained to the initial pallet and protected government property from further damage.

Rager also processed 24 semitrailers of demilitarization-required property during the quarter, according to the nomination, and processed, segregated, sorted and loaded more than 100,000 pounds of material in support of a scrap metal sales contract.

Rager said his typical workday begins at 6:30 a.m. and includes everything from weighing customer trucks entering and leaving the yard to processing property for reutilization or scrap. He also sorts and loads material for shipment to reutilization customers, including warfighters, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments.

Rager said he likes to work outside, see the sun rise each morning, and appreciates his coworkers. He also said his selection as Employee of the Quarter was a new experience.

"It definitely feels weird to be picked for this," Rager said. "I have never worked at a job where you are awarded for doing your job and doing it well. I am happy to be picked and thankful that others see my hard work."