[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 70 (Monday, May 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    FORT EDWARD FIRE DEPARTMENT DEMONSTRATES TRUE AMERICAN INGENUITY

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                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                           Monday, May 1, 1995
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I have always held a special place in my 
heart for volunteer fire companies and the invaluable service they 
provide the residents of small towns like those in my 22d Congressional 
District of New York. As a volunteer firefighter myself for 20 years, I 
understand the commitment necessary to fulfill such a role, regardless 
of the weather or the time of day. The members of the Fort Edward Fire 
Department have selflessly provided this vital service, and for that, 
we should all pay tribute.
  However, Mr. Speaker, as if these people have not provided a great 
enough example of community service, the members of this fire 
department will unveil this Saturday, May 6, 1995, another 
accomplishment we would all do well to emulate. The Fort Edward Fire 
Department will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the 
opening of their newly expanded and renovated fire station. This 
project, combining two separate branches of the fire department and 
providing much needed expansion and improvement of facilities, cost 
over $400,000. However, the most notable accomplishment is that it will 
be financed without a single penny of public tax money. As we all 
strive to regain fiscal sanity in the public sector and encourage 
public service, the efforts of the volunteers who comprise the Fort 
Edward Fire Department are worthy of significant recognition. In a time 
where government spending and regulation seem to play a role in all 
aspects of American life, this achievement signifies an example of true 
American voluntarism and wherewithal which made our Nation the greatest 
in the world.
  At the open house this Saturday, the fire company will be able to 
show off the improvements to the fine citizens of Fort Edward. They 
will exhibit the new rooms and offices they added to the station, the 
fine colors and carpeting they chose to decorate the hall where they 
will hold bingo nights, as well as other special events to help finance 
their project, and allow the children to climb all over the fire trucks 
in the expanded truck bays, all the while knowing they did so without 
spending any of the citizens hard-earned tax dollars. This is an 
accomplishment which we should all take comfort in commending. 
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that all my fellow Members rise with me 
and salute the achievements of the Fort Edward Volunteer Fire 
Department, they truly exemplify the spirit of community service all 
Americans should strive to achieve.


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