[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 124 (Friday, October 6, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10062-S10063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMENDATION OF MONTANA WILDFIRE FIREFIGHTERS

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a matter that 
has impacted every inhabitant of the state of Montana: The wildfires of 
the past 2 months. The recent rain and snow have finally brought the 
fires in Montana under control, but many of the largest fires are still 
smoldering.
  The Helena Independent Record Recently described the summer of 2000 
as a:

       Fire season marked by miracles and loss, heroism and 
     heartache, smoky skies and blackened backyards, of 
     evacuations, waiting, planning and prayer.

  This photo showing two elk trying to escape the flames was taken on 
August 6th in the Bitterroot Valley by Forest Service firefighter John 
McColgan. On this particular day several forest fires converged near 
Sula, burning over 100,000 acres and destroying 10 homes. And this fire 
was just one of dozens burning across Montana.
  Mr. President, it is not an exaggeration to say that these fires 
impacted every inhabitant of Montana. Even people in our cities, miles 
from the front lines, lived with a constant reminder of the 
conflagration burning about them.
  As you can see in this photo of Helena, cities all across the region 
spent weeks under a cloud of smoke.
  Clearly, it was one of the worst fire seasons we've seen in the last 
100 years.
  This is our cathedral, Saint Helena's Cathedral. You can see big 
smoke columns rising. The fact is, this is dramatically an 
understatement. I have asked my office to see if there are other photos 
which more accurately describe the situation in my State, and this is 
all we could come up with at the time. But this town, Helena, I might 
say, was so covered with smoke that my house--up just about 500, 600 
feet from here--as I was looking across the back alley through the 
kitchen window, I could not even see across the alley. The whole city 
was just covered all the way down to ground level with smoke. That was 
the rule. That was the rule for all Montana cities, with the exception 
maybe of some of the eastern Montana cities. Most of them had just 
dense smoke impact for a long time. Clearly one of the worst fire 
seasons we have seen in over 100 years.
  But, Mr. President, I didn't come to the floor to talk about how bad 
the fires were--that's already apparent. Nor did I come down here to 
talk about forest management policy and what we could have done to 
lessen the harmful impact of these fires--there will be plenty of time 
to address both topics in the weeks and months to come.
  Mr. President, I am here today to commend the efforts of the 
thousands of people who pulled together to do battle with one of Mother 
Nature's most unforgiving forces.
  From New Zealand's finest, most experienced firefighters to the 
Montana volunteers who ran Red Cross evacuee camps, the fires brought 
together some of the most courageous and hard-working individuals I 
have ever encountered.
  Someone once told me that the true character of any community will 
reveal itself in the face of a natural disaster. I am proud of how 
Montanans and all of those who came to help rose to this challenge and 
persevered.
  Of all the statistics--almost a million acres burned, over 300 
structures lost, over $200 million spent in battling fires--the one 
statistic I am most proud of is the number of human casualties--zero. 
That's right, in Montana not one life was lost during this disaster and 
no one was seriously injured.
  I can't tell you how proud I am that safety remained the highest 
priority: of all of the firefighters who were in harm's way, the pilots 
who flew risky missions dumping water or retardant chemicals over the 
fiery landscape, and the thousands of people who were evacuated--no one 
was seriously injured. To me, that's one heck of a statistic.
  That's why today, Mr. President, I want to extend a heartfelt ``thank 
you,'' and I know I speak for every Montanan.
  I want to thank firefighters from across the country, and around the 
world. Volunteer firefighters who left their regular jobs. The 
employees who let them go. Students who postponed attending classes. 
The families left at home and the co-workers who put in overtime to 
cover for those who traveled to the west.
  I might say in this photo, in the center is James Lee Witt, flanked 
by two members of the Montana delegation, myself on the left, and 
Senator Burns on the right. We are talking to a volunteer firefighter.
  These are people who, when the fire comes, often are in an area next 
to a community--there are homes back in the woods and the volunteer 
fighters immediately rush out. They are the first ones there. They are 
there without any pay. It is their community and they are fighting 
their hearts out. They are bleeding, almost literally--doing all they 
can to prevent that structure from burning, to do all they can to force 
the fire back. They are not paid. It is without compensation. The 
Forest Service and smokejumpers are; there are others who are not paid. 
The others are not. They are the first there and often the last to 
leave. They are just into it because it is their community.
  I called James Lee Witt, pictured in the center of this photo. He 
very quickly got some regulations changed so volunteer firefighters 
could be reimbursed. Recently now they are receiving payment for the 
services they rendered. But the point is, people came from all over. 
Employers let volunteers leave work--it was lost work, but still the 
main job had to be done fighting these fires. Students postponed 
attending classes at the University of Montana, or other classes, 
families left at home, coworkers who put in overtime to cover those who 
traveled to the West.
  The Red Cross and its hundreds of volunteers who were there when 
folks needed to see a friendly face. The various state agencies that 
worked diligently and expeditiously to implement emergency plans. The 
federal agencies that came forward to help put the fires out and begin 
to rebuild these communities.
  Specifically, I'd like to commend FEMA, the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency for their efforts. On several occasions, they quickly 
released federal funds or waived personnel requirements. Cutting red 
tape so we could get the assistance we needed right away.
  I especially thank FEMA Director James Lee Witt who spent countless 
hours working with me and other folks in Montana. When these fires 
started to blow in Montana, James Lee Witt said he was really booked up 
with other plans, but he dramatically changed his schedule so he could 
come to Montana. That made a huge difference in getting agencies to 
work together, and it cut so much of this redtape. FEMA is still 
working on recovery efforts, and we very much appreciate all they have 
done and continue to do.
  I also thank with the same enthusiasm the adjutant general of the 
Montana National Guard, Gene Prendergast, and all his troops. Gene 
really stepped up. This guy really cares. He mobilized his troops, who 
care just as much. He was also influential in working with Federal, 
State, and local agencies to coordinate plans and requests for Federal 
assistance. We owe Gene Prendergast a huge debt of gratitude.
  At the high point of the fires, there were well over 12,000 people 
fighting blazes in western Montana. That includes Forest Service 
firefighters and

[[Page S10063]]

National Guard men and women. We had 3 active-duty battalions from the 
East coming to fight fires in Montana. People came from everywhere--
from 48 States and 3 countries--to Montana. Across the West, some 
30,000 brave individuals battled wildfires during this season.
  We did not lose any lives in our State, thanks to the combination of 
solid training, sensible fire strategy, and good luck. The dangers 
faced by these individuals, however, were obviously real. Think of the 
danger we put people into.
  Last year, we took time to remember the Mann Gulch fire. That was a 
huge fire in Montana which blew up about 50 years ago. Thirteen 
National Forest Service smoke jumpers died in that blowup. They were 
fighting a fire 10 miles away from Helena, 10 miles from the photo I 
showed earlier. It was not thought to be a fire that was going to 
threaten lives or property. An observer described the Mann Gulch fire 
with these words:

       A terrific draft of superheated air of tremendous velocity 
     had swept up the hill exploding all inflammable material, 
     causing a wall of flame 600 feet high to roll over the ridge 
     and down the other side and continue over ridges and down 
     gulches until the fuels were so light that the wall could not 
     maintain enough heat to continue. This wall covered 3,000 
     acres in 10 minutes. Anything caught in the direct path of 
     the heat blast perished.

  Just 6 years ago, we lost 14 smoke jumpers in a similar firestorm 
near Glenwood Springs, CO. This fire, like the Mann Gulch, was 
considered routine, and these were not even the most deadly fires in 
the West's history. It is important to remember those who gave their 
lives fighting wildfires. It is also important to celebrate those who 
put their lives on the line day after day to keep our homes and 
communities safe.
  A simple thank you does not seem to be enough to show our 
appreciation for these people and for everything they have done. That 
is why I have come to the floor to announce I am introducing 
legislation to honor and commemorate the selfless sacrifices each of 
these individuals has made to keep our families and our homes safe.
  The legislation will direct the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of 
Land Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. 
Department of Defense to work together to create a commemorative pin or 
badge that will be issued to each firefighter at the end of a fire 
season. This will serve as an emblem of the vital service they have 
provided and a symbol of our gratitude, much as a soldier might receive 
a band to record a tour of duty, because those who fight wildfires 
really are soldiers who put their lives on the line every day in 
defense of the people, communities, the lands of America. These 
courageous men and women need to be recognized as the heroes they are.

  As we properly focus on the work these brave firefighters do for us, 
let us not forget the work we must do for them, for it is only by 
creating and funding sensible forest management policy and by guiding 
development to reduce the risk to homes and property posed by wildfires 
that we can keep more of our firefighters out of harm's way and prevent 
future tragedies like Mann Gulch.
  As we commemorate our firefighters, let us make sure we rise to the 
task of putting aside our differences and working together for 
commonsense policies that will keep our forests healthy and 
firefighters safe.
  Again, I say thank you, thank you to all the heroes--firefighters, 
volunteers, Government employees, ordinary citizens--who pulled 
together to protect life and home in Montana and across the West. 
Please know that we are truly grateful for everything you have done.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, before my colleague from Montana leaves the 
floor, I commend him for his fine remarks. Connecticut is a long way 
geographically from the State of Montana. The Nation was transfixed 
over this past summer watching events unfold in the West and 
particularly in his State where so many millions of acres were engulfed 
in flames.
  I express the strong feelings of all of us across the country on the 
tremendous work these firefighters have done and note further that we 
just passed as part of the Defense authorization bill a provision, the 
Fire Act, which will, for the first time, provide financial resources 
much along the lines of the COPS programs for fire departments, the 
30,000 of them that exist in this country--volunteer, paid, and 
combination departments--to assist local communities and States in 
providing the sophisticated technology today which firefighters need, 
particularly the volunteer departments, where chemical and toxic 
substances and the tragedies of this summer demand a talent, education, 
and training unlike people even imaged a few years ago.
  I commend the Senator from Montana for his fine work and express my 
sincere thanks to him and the fine people of Montana as well for a job 
well done.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, what is the pending business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ssssions). The motion to proceed.
  I believe the Senator has a time request to propound.
  Mr. DODD. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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