[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 92 (Thursday, June 28, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7076-S7078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING NEW YORK FIREFIGHTERS--JOHN J. DOWNING, BRIAN FAHEY, AND HARRY 
             FORD, WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY

  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, let me state for the Record that the 
request I am about to make has been cleared on the Republican side.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged 
from further consideration of S. Res. 117 and that the Senate then 
proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 117) honoring John J. Downing, Brian 
     Fahey, and Harry Ford, who lost their lives in the course of 
     duty as firefighters.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
honoring John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, who gave their 
lives this past Father's Day while protecting the lives of others. 
Together, these brave men left behind three widows and eight children 
whom we also honor today for their sacrifice.
  On June 17, as a treacherous five-alarm fire raged at the Long Island 
General Supply Company in Queens, NY, without hesitation, as they have 
done countless times before, nearly 350 firefighters and numerous 
police officers responded to the call for help. Two civilians and 
dozens of firefighters and police officers were injured. And three 
courageous fathers lost their lives. It

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was the last time their children would be able to spend Father's Day 
with them.
  John Downing was 40 years old, an 11-year veteran of the New York 
Fire Department when he responded to the five-alarm blaze. He was a 
valiant public servant who had been recognized for his bravery. John 
left behind his wife Anne, his 7-year-old daughter Joanne, and his 
three-year-old son Michael.
  Brian Fahey, 46 years old, and a 14-year veteran of the department 
from East Rockaway, NY, was also a husband and father of three. His 
years of service to his community were made proud by his courage. He is 
survived by his wife Mary and their three sons: Brendan, 8; and twins, 
Patrick and James, 3\1/2\ years old.
  Harry Ford, age 50, gave nearly three decades of service to the New 
York City Fire Department. During his exemplary career, he received 
nine bravery citations. He is survived by his wife Denise; his daughter 
Janna O'Brien, age 24; and two sons, Harry, 12, and Gerard, 10.
  Mr. President, I paid a call on the two firehouses early Sunday 
morning who had lost these brave compatriots, and I spent time talking 
to the men who go to work every day not knowing what is going to be 
asked of them, who sometimes go for, thankfully, days, or weeks, or 
months, and even years without ever having to put themselves in danger. 
But when the call comes, they are ready. And whether it is a call to 
respond to an emergency need because of an illness, an accident, or a 
huge raging fire that is about to get out of control, they represent 
the very best we have in our society.
  We live in a society that seems to be in perpetual search for heroes, 
whether in the form of sports figures or screen idols. But to find true 
heroes, sometimes we don't have to look so very far from home. We 
certainly don't have to look any farther than the brave men we are 
honoring today.
  The unmistakable courage and the incalculable sacrifices that they 
and their families have made for the good of their neighbors and their 
community are the kinds of virtues and values that should be held up to 
our children and ourselves as something we should all aspire to.
  Finally, in so honoring these men, we honor the hundreds of thousands 
of public safety officers across this country that, every single day, 
risk their lives and put them and their families at risk to keep us 
safe from harm. Their strong tradition of bravery and sacrifice keeps 
our communities safe and fills our hearts with pride for their selfless 
acts of courage for others.
  I hope that next year when Father's Day comes around, the children 
who have lost their fathers in this fire and those who have lost 
fathers and mothers because they were serving us will know how grateful 
we are for their sacrifice. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in 
supporting this resolution.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise in support of Senator Clinton's 
resolution honoring the fallen firefighters of New York and to join 
with her in acknowledging the bravery and commitment of Harry Ford, 
Brian Fahey, and John Downing. These men were firefighters--
firefighters who risked their lives and gave their lives to protect the 
public. These men died on Sunday, June 17th, while fighting a fire in 
Queens, New York. The price they paid on our behalf was as great a 
price as any citizen can pay. We owe these men our deepest appreciation 
and respect.
  On Sunday, the 17th--Father's Day--Firefighters Ford, Fahey and 
Downing worked quickly to fight a fire in a local hardware store. 
Thirty minutes after leaving the fire station, responding to what they 
thought was a routine call, an explosion buried the men under a pile of 
rubble. Dozens of firefighters worked to rescue the men, but they could 
not be reached in time.
  These men were husbands and fathers. Harry Ford leaves behind his 
wife, Denise and two sons, Harry, age 12, and Gerard, age 10. Brian 
Fahey leaves us with his wife, Mary and three sons: Brendan, who is 8 
years old, and 3-year-old twins, Patrick and James. John Downing is 
survived by his wife Anne, his daughter Joanne, age 7, and his son 
Michael, who is 3. My thoughts and prayers are with these families.
  I am humbled by their devotion to public service. Their deaths 
represent the ultimate sacrifice a person can make for his or her 
fellow human beings. They died while fighting a fire and it is not 
hyperbole to say that they died while making America a safer place to 
live.
  I am always saddened to realize that it takes a tragedy like this to 
bring attention to the needs of fire departments and firefighters 
nationwide. I hope that the memory of these three men will help 
Americans realize the impact of firefighters on our daily lives.
  Firefighters are almost always the first in a community to respond to 
a call for help. They are on the scene of traffic accidents and 
construction accidents. When a natural or man-made calamity strikes--
from hurricanes to school shootings to bombings--firefighters are there 
without fail, restoring order and saving lives.
  Unfortunately, fire departments across the Nation struggle to find 
resources to help keep our communities safe. As the demands placed on 
fire departments have grown in volume and magnitude, the ability of 
local residents to support them has been put to a severe test. As a 
result, towns and cities throughout the country are struggling mightily 
to provide the fire departments with the resources they require.
  For these reasons I have strongly supported helping localities meet 
their critical objectives. Communities need more firefighters and 
community firefighters need the resources to ensure that they have the 
training and equipment to protect themselves and the public.
  Last year we passed an important piece of legislation called the 
Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement Act which authorized 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide grants to local 
firefighters so they could purchase the equipment they need. Congress 
appropriated $100 for the program last year and the FEMA has just 
completed the first grant competition under the program. The demand is 
extraordinary. FEMA received nearly $3 billion worth of grant 
applications--that's 30 times more in requests that is currently 
available.
  No amount of funding can bring back Firefighters Ford, Fahey, and 
Downing. New fire trucks or better training programs or even more 
firefighters cannot even begin to compensate for the loss suffered by 
the people of Queens and the families of these brave men. For their 
lives, we are forever indebted. But for their cause, we can dedicate 
ourselves to help ensure that no firefighter ever enters a burning 
building without the best possible training and equipment.
  So I stand here before you, Mr. President, and the members of this 
chamber to say that these men and their families shall not be 
forgotten. They have sacrificed their lives for us, and for this they 
deserve no less than the highest degree of honor and respect. We here 
today cannot compare our own deeds to those of Harry Ford, Brian Fahey, 
and John Downing, but we can bring honor to ourselves and justice to 
their memories by keeping them and the needs of the fire service in 
mind as we perform our own duties.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 117) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 117

       Whereas on June 17, 2001, 350 firefighters and numerous 
     police officers responded to a 911 call that sent them to 
     Long Island General Supply Company in Queens, New York;
       Whereas a fire and an explosion in a 2-story building had 
     turned the 128-year-old, family-owned store into a heap of 
     broken bricks, twisted metal, and shattered glass;
       Whereas all those who responded to the scene served without 
     reservation and with their personal safety on the line;
       Whereas 2 civilians and dozens of firefighters were injured 
     by the blaze, including firefighters Joseph Vosilla and 
     Brendan Manning who were severely injured;
       Whereas John J. Downing of Ladder Company 163, an 11-year 
     veteran of the department and resident of Port Jefferson 
     Station, and a husband and father of 2, lost his life in the 
     fire;

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       Whereas Brian Fahey of Rescue Company 4, a 14-year veteran 
     of the department and resident of East Rockaway, and a 
     husband and father of 3, lost his life in the fire; and
       Whereas Harry Ford of Rescue Company 4, a 27-year veteran 
     of the department from Long Beach, and a husband and father 
     of 3, lost his life in the fire: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, 
     who lost their lives in the course of duty as firefighters, 
     and recognizes them for their bravery and sacrifice;
       (2) extends its deepest sympathies to the families of these 
     3 brave heroes; and
       (3) pledges its support and to continue to work on behalf 
     of all of the Nation's firefighters who risk their lives 
     every day to ensure the safety of all Americans.

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