[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 488 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 488

   Commending the efforts of the firefighters and emergency response 
personnel of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, who 
came together to extinguish the May 23, 2012, fire at Portsmouth Naval 
                      Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2012

 Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lieberman, 
  Mr. Kerry, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Ayotte) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commending the efforts of the firefighters and emergency response 
personnel of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, who 
came together to extinguish the May 23, 2012, fire at Portsmouth Naval 
                      Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

Whereas the USS Miami (SSN-755), a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine 
        with a crew of 13 officers and 120 enlisted personnel, arrived at 
        Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on March 1, 2012, for 20 months of scheduled 
        maintenance;
Whereas at 5:41 p.m. EDT on May 23, 2012, a 4-alarm fire occurred in the forward 
        compartment of the USS Miami;
Whereas emergency response personnel, led by the firefighters of Portsmouth 
        Naval Shipyard, worked for nearly 10 hours in tight, obstructed quarters 
        filled with noxious smoke and searing heat--

    (1) to prevent any loss of life;

    (2) to bring the fire under control; and

    (3) to successfully prevent the flames from reaching any nuclear 
material and allow the nuclear reactor to remain unaffected and stable 
throughout;

Whereas 23 fire departments and emergency response teams from the States of 
        Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut provided mutual aid 
        support during the fire, including--

    (1) Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire;

    (2) York County Hazardous Materials Response Team, Maine;

    (3) Massachusetts Port Authority Logan Airport Crash Team;

    (4) South Portland Fire Department, Maine;

    (5) Eliot Fire Department, Maine;

    (6) Lee Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (7) Dover Ambulance, New Hampshire;

    (8) Portsmouth Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (9) Hampton Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (10) Kittery Fire Department, Maine;

    (11) Newcastle Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (12) American Medical Response Ambulance, New Hampshire;

    (13) Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts;

    (14) Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut;

    (15) Rye Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (16) Greenland Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (17) York Fire Department, Maine;

    (18) Newington Fire Department, Connecticut;

    (19) Somersworth Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (20) Rollinsford Fire Department, New Hampshire;

    (21) South Berwick Fire Department, Maine;

    (22) York Ambulance, Maine; and

    (23) York Beach Fire Department, Maine; and

Whereas the heroic actions of those firefighters, emergency response personnel, 
        and the USS Miami crew and shipyard firefighters, 7 of whom suffered 
        minor injuries during the fire, directly prevented catastrophe, and 
        greatly limited the severity of the fire even in the most challenging of 
        environments: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the exemplary and courageous service of all 
        the firefighters and emergency response personnel who came 
        together to successfully contain the fire, minimizing damage to 
        a critical national security asset and ensuring no loss of 
        life; and
            (2) expresses support for the Navy and the exceptionally 
        skilled workforce at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, 
        Maine.
                                 <all>