[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 100 (Tuesday, July 9, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF ROBERT L. DEMMONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 9, 1996

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Robert L. Demmons 
for 22 years of dedicated service in the San Francisco Fire Department 
which culminated in his appointment as chief of the department on 
January 16, 1996.
  The importance of his appointment goes beyond the fact that Chief 
Demmons is the first African-American to hold this position in San 
Francisco. What makes his appointment momentous is that Chief Demmons 
was the tenacious force behind the original complaint that brought 
about the consent decree which mandates the elimination of 
discriminatory practices and promotes the integration of minorities and 
women within the entry-level and promotional ranks of the San Francisco 
Fire Department. There are only a handful of men and women who 
challenge a system and are then given the privilege to rectify that 
process. I have no doubt that under Chief Demmons' leadership, both 
recruitment and the promotional system will meet or exceed the 
standards of the consent decree. I commend Mayor Willie Brown on this 
appointment.
  Chief Demmons has devoted himself to improving the personnel 
practices of the fire department. When he served as the chief of 
management services, he ran two extraordinary recruitment drives. He 
also improved the EEOC complaint process which safeguards the rights of 
employees.
  Chief Demmons has received numerous awards for his leadership in the 
fire department and in the community. One award that I would like to 
mention was the Meritorious Heroism Award that he received from the 
department. In 1985 when he was a lieutenant at the 33d Engine Company 
in Ingleside, he and another member of the department rescued a woman 
from a burning building and brought her outside to safety.
  Mr. Speaker, Chief Demmons has demonstrated his courage both in the 
field and by his efforts to reform the system. I know that you will 
join with me in saluting him for the contributions he has made and will 
continue to make to the citizens of San Francisco.

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