Recognizing and honoring firefighters for their many contributions throughout the history of the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I want to first of all thank my distinguished chairman for his kind comments and for his leadership on a number of issues, especially those today dealing with the fire service, and thank the distinguished ranking member as well and the other Members who will speak here today.

Madam Speaker, I would not be in this body were it not for my involvement in the fire service of America. I grew up the youngest of nine children in a fire service family. Like my six older brothers and father, I became involved as a firefighter, president of my fire company, chief of my fire company, state instructor, and while teaching school during the day went back and got a degree in fire protection.

When I came to Congress, what I saw was a Federal Government that was not being responsive to the 1.2 million men and women who serve this country. It was back 18 years ago that we formed the Fire Caucus. It has been the largest caucus in the Congress for the past 10 years, 340 Members.

The institute, which will benefit from the dinner tomorrow night, works the issues of firefighters in this Congress, and has given us unbelievable success, success in the form of grants. Working with our good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and our good friend, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht), and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) and others, we have established great programs to assist these people in protecting their towns.

And to our colleagues I would say, you know, the fire service is more than just people who fight fires. They are really the heart and soul of America. They are the backbone of our communities. The 32,000 organizations, 85 percent of whom are volunteer, are the organizations that organize July 4th parades, Memorial Day celebrations; they rescue the cats in the trees.

They pump the cellars out when they are flooded. They are the people who allow us to vote in their fire halls on election day. They are the receptions where we have our weddings and our anniversaries in the fire station. They host the Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. They are the fabric of what makes America what it is. There is no other group of people in the country that works as largely volunteers, where 100 of them are killed during the course of their volunteer activities, as well as their paid activities.

The fire service is America. It is older than the country is, the first fire department having been founded 250 years ago. The fire service is what this country is all about, people who give back in small towns and big cities to protect our communities.

The fire service is finally getting national recognition, and all of us need to continue that effort. Madam Speaker, in my 20 years in Congress, I have been at all of our disasters of major significance: The floods in the Midwest, the Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City, Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo, Loma Pietra, Northridge earthquakes, and in every case, every case, the men and women of the fire service are there protecting our towns. They are our domestic defenders. They are the people who respond for us.

Madam Speaker, I was at the World Trade Center in 1993 and met a fellow who would become my good friend, Chief Ray Downey. He made recommendations to us that we in this Congress took to heart. We established the Gilmore Commission because of Chief Downey's recommendations. The saddest call I took on September the 11 of 2001 was from a battalion chief friend of mine in New York who said, ``Curt, Ray is down. He has been killed by the collapse of the first tower.''

I said, ``I will be on the first train into New York the next day.'' And so I went on the first Amtrak train into New York City, was met at Penn Station by a battalion chief and taken down to Ground Zero where I spent the day at the headquarters of the Fire Department of New York, with the firefighters who were there doing harrowing acts and attempting to identify people that were still trapped.

As I walked from the center of the activity at Ground Zero around the back of one of these seven-story piles of rubble, I could see two firefighters on their knees. And I could barely read the back of their turn-out gear. As I got closer, I saw the names on the back, and there were the names Downey and Downey.

You see, like firefighting families all across America, when the father gets involved, so do the brothers and so do the uncles. There were two of Ray Downey's five kids, searching through the rubble to try to find the remains of their father at the last site that he had been seen.

We did not find Ray Downey's remains until 8 months later through DNA evidence, that we could give him a proper burial. I said it cannot get much worse than this. But you have to understand, Madam Speaker, who those men and women are. I went back to the Javits Center with the head of the firefighters union, Harold Shaitberger.

Our job was to greet the family members of those who were missing, the 343 firefighters that were missing and eventually were determined to be killed in the collapse of the Trade Center towers. And I remember two families standing out. The first was a woman in her late 30s. She had a baby

in her arms and was being held up by her brother and her sister. As she came in, I said, I am terribly sorry. The country is grieving with you. Who is missing?

She said, Congressman, my husband is missing. He was the rock of my family. He was everything. He was a great neighbor. He was involved in the community. What do I do now, Congressman? We have 10 children.

We sometimes take these people for granted. Ten children yet still developing time to help protect his neighbors and his friends and people he had never met.

And then a second woman came in in her 50s. She was being helped by her brother. I went over and I embraced her. I said, I am terribly sorry. Who is missing? And she said, Congressman, my husband is missing.

Her name was Angelini, I will never forget it. She said, Congressman, my husband was ready to retire from the New York City Fire Department, just a matter of months after a full career. He is gone, I know he will not be back, because I would have gotten a call by now.

I said, I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Angelini. She said, But, Congressman, my son is gone too. You see, he wanted to be like his father.

So Angelini Junior was like his father, a firefighter in New York. Both of them were killed by the collapse of the Trade Center towers. How do we tell that family that the work they did is so vitally important to our country? We tell it by doing the things that we are doing in Congress to support those firefighters that are alive.

And I would ask my colleagues on this day that we welcome 2,200 firefighters to Washington to help me right a wrong. Junior firefighters today have been ruled by the Justice Department that they are not eligible as American heroes. It is outrageous to the junior firefighters killed in the line of duty, 1 year below the normal age of 18, cannot qualify for public safety officer death benefits.

We need to right the wrong of the Justice Department so that anyone who volunteers, whether it be a 15- or 16-year-old junior firefighter in Wisconsin, or whether it be a 17-year-old Eagle Scout doing his volunteer fire work in Florida, if they are killed in the line of duty, they too are American heroes.

Today, that is not the case. So I thank my colleagues for their support. I thank them for their leadership. I welcome everyone tomorrow night as we celebrate, for the 17th time, America's true domestic defenders, the men and women of the American fire service. I thank my colleagues for yielding the time to me.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), thank him for his leadership on this issue, and thank him for his commitment to firefighters throughout this country.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of our Nation's firefighters. I am proud to have cosponsored this resolution. I am even more proud of my work with the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, which I have been privileged to cochair with the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who started that caucus, and who is, I think, probably the most ardent spokesperson on behalf of firefighters and firefighting safety in this country.

The Fire Services Caucus, Madam Speaker, has long championed initiatives to include the safety and well-being of our Nation's firefighters and to enhance their ability to protect our communities.

Specifically, we have worked to establish and fund the assistance to the firefighters grant program, which has provided more than $2 billion in equipment and training grants for career and volunteer fire departments across the country.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that we recognize the extraordinary contribution to the passage of that act. Indeed, he was the author of that act, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell). I want to thank him for his leadership which is untiring, unflagging and so effective on behalf of our firefighters and the emergency response personnel all over this country. I thank him.

Madam Speaker, more recently we have worked to authorize and fund the SAFER program, which the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) also talked about, and perhaps others have as well, which provides much- needed assistance to allow career and volunteer departments to hire and recruit additional personnel. Understaffing is not only a safety problem for our neighborhoods, but a safety problem for our men and women who risk their lives in our defense.

It is appropriate that we work tirelessly on behalf of the 1.1 million men and women serving as our domestic defenders. We send men and women abroad to defend freedom, to defend democracy. We are tragically losing some of those people in Iraq today and perhaps Afghanistan. They do so as volunteers. They do so because they believe in our country, in its ideals and in freedom.

Very frankly, here at home we are kept safe by men and women in uniform as well, our police and our firefighters and our emergency responders. We owe them not only a debt of gratitude, but we owe investing in their enterprise to keep them safe and to keep our neighborhoods and communities safe.

We ask far too many of them to risk their lives in our defense every day with outdated equipment, Madam Speaker, insufficient training and inadequate staffing, and we have an obligation to provide them the necessary resources to perform their jobs as safely and effectively as possible.

By honoring this obligation and supporting programs like the SAFER Act and the fire grants, we not only ensure they will go home to their loved ones at the end of the day, we also enable them to better perform their job by protecting us and our loved ones every day.

Madam Speaker, we will all vote for this resolution. It is easy to vote for resolutions. It is appropriate to vote for this resolution, but if we really mean what we say in honoring these firefighters, men and women, volunteers and career, if we really mean that, the gentleman from New Jersey is correct, and I am sure, I have not heard others speak, but I am sure the observation was made as well, we need to invest our resources behind the work that they do. This resolution, while appropriate and while important, it will not be as meaningful as it otherwise would be.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 188, a bipartisan resolution that I have offered, along with the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), honoring the service and sacrifices of our Nation's firefighters.

I am a former volunteer firefighter, so I understand what our 1.1 million firefighters give up in the name of service. Our firefighters, whether they are paid or volunteer, put their lives at risk with every call they must answer.

Our paid firefighters are active in many charitable activities that benefit our communities. They lose time away from their families. They train and prepare, yet they never complain. Madam Speaker, in the case of volunteer firefighters, they often have to devote time in raising money to purchase equipment and pay for training that will keep them safe while they protect us and our property.

Sadly, each year over 100 firefighters lose their lives in the line of duty. I encourage every Member of Congress to pay a visit to the National Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

From my home State of Mississippi in 2004, two firefighters were killed in the line of duty. Those two firefighters, Elliott Davis, Jr., and Terrie Eiland, paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens.

Recently, Mississippi constructed a memorial park in Pearl, Mississippi, to honor the 67 firefighters from the State who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. We all vividly remember the heroism of the firefighters in New York on 9/11; over 340 firefighters lost their lives on this horrific day.

It is impossible to know, Madam Speaker, how many thousands of lives the selfless response of the New York firefighters saved that day. Our firefighters and other first responders are the first line of defense for many incidents of terrorism or national disaster.

This week over 2,000 fire service leaders from around the United States are in Washington to attend the 17th annual Natural Fire and Emergency Services dinner and seminar. These fine men and women are here to learn more about what we are doing in Washington to support firefighters.

At the same time, we can learn a great deal from them. These men and women are the living embodiment of what makes this country so great. I encourage each Member of Congress to take time from their schedules to meet with their local fire service representatives who are in town.

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pride to stand before this body in support of House Resolution 188, a measure that honors and recognizes firefighters for their many contributions throughout our history. In many respects, this measure says thank you to all firefighters for all of the sacrifices, the dedication, and the commitment they continually display in protecting our towns, cities, States, and our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 188) recognizing and honoring firefighters for their many contributions throughout the history of the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this worthwhile resolution that honors our Nation's incredible firefighters. This resolution extends the most sincere gratitude of the House of Representatives to the more than 1 million men and women who stand ready to put their lives on the line each time that fire station alarm bell rings.

Madam speaker, American firefighters respond to nearly 25 million calls each year from citizens across the country. Their dependability and service during countless kinds of urgent events are traits that Americans have come to count on.

From their unequal bravery at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, to their responsiveness during the 2003 California wildfires, to their aid provided time and time again following the series of hurricanes in Florida last fall, firefighters have been on the front lines of many headlining emergencies in recent years.

Through these events, I believe Americans have gained an even greater level of admiration for firefighters because of their courage and selflessness.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of all Members, I want to thank firefighters for their service to this country. I highly commend the distinguished ranking member of the homeland security select subcommittee, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), for introducing this measure.

I urge the adoption of House Resolution 188.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 8 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) who has been, in my time in Congress, the leader of the Fire Caucus and the go-to guy on fire issues.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform.

Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers on our side, I do not believe, on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank the gentleman from Illinois, and I thank all the other speakers on this important resolution. I think it is important that we, as a Congress, periodically recognize the contributions and the sacrifices that our firefighters make on our behalf every single day. So I hope all Members will join me in supporting the adoption of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 188, which honors our nation's firefighters for the lifesaving work they do every day to keep our families safe and secure. All too often we take for granted the heroic efforts of these dedicated public servants, and I am pleased to join my colleagues in taking a moment to say thank you.

On Chicago's North Side, there is a large mural dedicated to the memory of fallen firefighters. It depicts several events where these brave men and women answered the call to rescue their fellow citizens. The events pictured range from the tragic 1958 fire at Our Lady of the Angels school in Chicago to the events of September 11th, 2001. In each of these emergencies, firefighters have selflessly risked their lives so that others may live. The words in the center of the mural say it all: ``First Ones In, Last Ones Out.''

On December 7th last year, a fire broke out in Chicago's LaSalle Bank Building, a landmark skyscraper built in 1934. As flames and heavy smoke poured out of the 29th floor windows, dozens of Chicago firefighters entered the building. These heroes showed exceptional professionalism and valor as they evacuated all 45 stories of the building and extinguished the fire. Of the 37 people injured in the fire, 22 were Chicago firefighters. As a direct result of their swift response and expertise, no lives were lost in one of the city's worst fires in recent memory.

Chicago firefighters receive a great deal of attention when handling major events such as the LaSalle Bank fire, but perhaps their greatest achievement is in the quiet work of prevention, inspection and education. Fire-related fatalities in Chicago are at a 25-year low, thanks to improvements in building safety and community outreach efforts by local firehouses to schools, senior centers and neighborhood associations. Chicago's citizens are now better informed about how to prevent and handle emergency situations, and they view their local firehouse as an important and valuable resource in the neighborhood.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues calling up this important resolution today, and I look forward to working with them to provide America's firefighters with the support and resources they need to continue their heroic work.