[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  IN APPRECIATION OF THE COURAGEOUS SERVICE PREFORMED BY THE MEN AND 
     WOMEN WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE AS FIREFIGHTERS AND IN 
    PARTICULAR, THOSE OF THE TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT FIRE DEPARTMENT

                                 ______


                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 1994

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and 
admiration that I rise to pay tribute to the 37 firefighters who are 
being honored for their unwavering service to the citizens of 
Torrington, CT, at the Annual Firemen's Award Night dinner scheduled 
for March 30, 1993. Their commitment to the safety and well-being of 
the people of Torrington and its surrounding communities is, indeed, 
worthy of distinction.
  Last July, 10 firefighters from the Torrington Fire Department 
rescued two men from a sanitation truck that had accidentally become 
entangled in high tension wires. The accident snapped two telephone 
poles, releasing a cable television line and three electrical wires 
carrying 13,000 volts of electricity. It caused two brush fires, a fire 
in the truck's load of corrugated cardboard and a power outage 
affecting approximately 500 residents. Thanks to the quick work by 
these firefighters, the two men walked away from this potentially fatal 
situation unharmed.
  This past January, L. Richard Oakley, a 34-year department veteran 
and Todd LaMothe, a 2-year rookie went above and beyond the call of 
duty, entering a burning building to rescue three children from a first 
floor apartment. The blaze required 50 firefighters to extinguish and 
claimed the lives of two children, Christopher and Jennifer Small. The 
third child, 3-year-old Jeffrey Small was saved by these brave 
firefighters.
  On another occasion, Torrington firefighters spent hours searching 
the murky water of Burr Pond hoping to save a 16-year-old YMCA day 
camper from West Haven.
  These men and women are, indeed, a rare breed. Courageously, they put 
their lives on the line each day--often in situations where they are 
keenly aware of the realities of personal injury or worse. Yet, as the 
deputy chief of the Torrington Fire Department recently put it, 
``firefighting is a thankless job.'' the Torrington Fire Department and 
others across America deserve our thanks, as it is their meritorious 
deeds that have saved the lives of thousands each year. Accordingly, I 
would like to thank them for their service, as they may be often 
overlooked, but never forgotten.

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