Columbus employee honored for response to yard fire

Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services employee Tom Rager has been named DLA Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, following a rapid response to a yard fire and sustained high-volume workload at the agency’s Columbus, Ohio, site.

Rager, a property disposal specialist, was among several honorees recognized by DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly. “These individuals consistently demonstrate the mission-focused leadership necessary to strengthen our agency and, most importantly, sustain our unwavering commitment to the agency and the warfighter,” wrote Charles Barber, director of DLA human resources, in a congratulatory announcement.

According to his nomination, a blaze ignited May 21 on a pallet of excess tires in the Columbus property disposal yard, where hundreds more tires were staged nearby. Rager had finished his shift and was waiting for his carpool when he received a call about the fire at the back of the yard. He entered the facility, took a loader to the scene and found police personnel working 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. He also moved a tug, a piece of material handling equipment, out of the way as emergency crews arrived. The fire department later extinguished the blaze. The nomination credited Rager’s actions with containing the fire to a single pallet and preventing further damage to government property.

Beyond the emergency response, the nomination cited Rager’s throughput during the quarter: processing 24 semitrailers of demilitarization-required property and handling more than 100,000 pounds of material in support of a scrap metal sales contract. His day-to-day duties start at 6:30 a.m. and range from weighing customer trucks entering and leaving the yard to preparing property for reutilization or scrap. He also sorts and loads material bound for reutilization customers, including warfighters, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement agencies and fire departments.

Rager said he enjoys working outdoors, watching the sunrise and collaborating with colleagues. Reflecting on the recognition, he added: “It definitely feels weird to be picked for this. 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.”