[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 141 (Tuesday, September 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     FRANKLIN BOROUGH FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 1995
  Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, one of the remarkable stories of the last 
19th century was the rebuilding of Johnstown, PA after the Great Flood 
of 1889. The Johnstown Flood destroyed the city and much has been 
written about this disaster. But most of these stories stop at the 
death and destruction caused by the raging waters; they don't talk 
about the rebuilding efforts that made Johnstown a bustling, growing 
steel community in the years after the flood.
  Although it was the turbulent waters which caused the initial 
devastation during the flood, the fires which came afterwards completed 
the destruction. As the Johnstown area rebuilt over the next few years, 
residents realized they needed protection against the potential damage 
that fires could pose. In 1895, seven residents of Franklin Borough 
located just east of the downtown Johnstown area, decided to form a 
department to protect the borough and provide emergency services to the 
people of the area. One hundred years later, the Franklin Borough Fire 
Department is still going strong.
  The Johnstown area has endured two major floods and severe economic 
downturns over the past 100 years. But the Franklin Borough Fire 
Department has continued to protect the residents of the area during 
good times and bad. From the days when seven residents founded the 
department, the Franklin Borough Fire Department has developed into a 
modern, efficient fire and rescue operation, handling emergencies from 
rescues to disposing of hazardous materials. The department is still 
the hub of Franklin Borough, and many of the activities in Franklin 
Borough revolve around it.
  I'd like to congratulate the Franklin Borough Fire Department on its 
100th anniversary. I join the people of the borough in wishing them 
well as they start on their second century of protecting the people of 
the area.


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