[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF MASON LANKFORD FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP AWARD 
                         RECIPIENT PAUL BOECKER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JUDY BIGGERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2000

  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize and congratulate a true 
leader in fire safety and emergency preparedness with whom the people 
of the 13th District of Illinois have the distinct pleasure of living.
  Tonight, that leadership will be honored at the National Fire and 
Emergency Services Dinner held by the Congressional Fire Services 
Institute. There, Paul Boecker, Fire Chief Emeritus of the Lisle-
Woodridge Fire District, will receive the Mason Lankford Fire Service 
Leadership Award.
  As my colleagues are no doubt aware, this award was established in 
1998 in honor of the late Mason Lankford, who was a strong advocate of 
all first responders. Lankford was also instrumental in the formation 
of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and the Congressional Fire 
Services Institutes.
  Paul Boecker is a worthy successor to this legacy.
  It's hard to know where to begin to list Paul's accomplishments. 
Perhaps it is simplest to say that, when he retired on July 2, 1994, he 
had made the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District one of the finest in the 
world.
  But that might not fully capture what he did. During his 23 years as 
fire chief, he took a volunteer fire department of part-time 
firefighters and two stations that responded to 454 calls to one that 
now responds annually to more than 4,800 calls with 100 full-time 
firefighters at five stations.
  In 1993, the district became the first fire protection district and 
one of only 15 fire departments in the nation to achieve the ISO Class 
1 rating.
  Paul's accomplishments aren't limited to the local level. For 14 
years, he served as chairman of the Emergency Management Committee of 
the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He is the author of the 
``Common Sense Disaster Management--Think Big!'' program that is 
presented at numerous state fire schools.
  His list of awards is so long as to make a full accounting here 
impossible. However, anyone who has been named citizen of the year in 
so many different places has clearly had an impact.
  Beyond his own personal accomplishments, Paul was instrumental in 
encouraging his personnel--from firefighters to administrators to fire 
chaplains--to contribute to the growth of the national fire service. 
From his staff came ideas, encouraged by Paul, that led to the 
Federation of Fire Chaplains and the Illinois Fire Chiefs' Secretary 
Association.
  Paul is a man devoted to his profession, his family, and his friends. 
He exemplifies the spirit and dedication of the men and women in the 
fire service.
  I congratulate Paul Boecker for winning the Mason Lankford Fire 
Service Leadership Award. It is an honor to represent him in Congress 
and an honor to recognize his achievements here today.

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