[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

  Mr. BIDEN. Madam President, on November 14, 1901, after more than a 
decade of effort by a group of concerned citizens, the Volunteer Fire 
Company of Milton, Delaware was organized. The Town Council elected 
Charles H. Davidson as the first Fire Chief, and 26 men signed up as 
volunteer firefighters. R.B. Hopkins was named President.
  In remembering the founding of the company, its current president, 
Lynn Rogers, rightly noted that, although the formal Ladies Auxiliary 
was not organized until years later, the women of Milton provided vital 
support to the town's fire service from the very start.
  By a vote of 76 to 33, the citizens of Milton voted to purchase a 
fire truck, and the Town bought a Howe chemical and water engine, with 
the then hefty price tag of $1,250. In 1902, there was another 
purchase, a Fire King hose cart that can still be found at the Milton 
fire station today.
  It wasn't long before the resources of the Milton Fire Company and 
its members were tested to their fullest; a disastrous fire struck the 
town in August of 1909. In just four hours, with the firefighters and 
the citizens working together against it, the fire raged through the 
lower part of Milton, destroying 18 buildings in the business district.
  It was the kind of devastation that challenges the spirit and 
character of a community, just as we have been challenged as a nation 
this fall. And in the tradition of the American spirit and the American 
character, Milton came back, with its Fire Company helping to lead the 
way.
  The Milton Fire Department has been a leader in the Delaware 
Volunteer Firemen's Association from the first meeting in 1921; the 
current President of the DVFA, Dale Callaway, is from Milton. The 
Department's leadership has been marked by incredible dedication, with 
officers who regularly serve for 25 years or more. Just one of many 
possible examples of this dedication, was when Linwood ``Jim'' Rogers 
asked to be replaced after 41 years as Treasurer, Denny Hughes took 
over, and he continues to hold the office 23 years later.
  Over the years, the Milton Fire Department has grown with the town, 
with a new building dedicated in 1950, an additional property purchase 
in the 1960s and a renovation and addition in the early 1980s. An 
ambulance service has grown, from the first ambulance purchase in 1948, 
to the dedication of members of the Ladies Auxiliary in the 1970s, who 
took ambulance attendant courses to ensure quality service.
  Lynn Rogers made another comment at the 100th anniversary celebration 
that I would like to cite. He said, ``The fire service of Delaware is a 
family. We no longer grow as one department; the fire service grows 
together; we depend on each other more every day, with the specialized 
emergencies that we all face.''
  Even beyond the family of our small State, to the broader community 
of our Nation, we have learned that lesson together in recent weeks--
the depths of our bond to one another, how we depend on each other, and 
the debt and support we owe to those we rely upon in an emergency.
  The great tradition of the fire service is alive and well in Milton, 
DE, and as we approach November 14th, the 100th anniversary of the 
Milton Fire Department, I am proud to share the pride of Delaware, and 
to convey the congratulations of the United States Senate, to Chief 
Jack Hudson, President Lynn Rogers and all the members and friends of 
the Milton Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary.

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