[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                GRATITUDE FOR NEW ZEALAND'S FIREFIGHTERS

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Madam President, I rise today, on behalf of my 
State of Oregon, to express our deepest gratitude for the New 
Zealanders who put their lives on the line this last summer in fighting 
the ravenous wildfires experienced in the West.
  Even as the rains of fall settle into the forests of the Pacific 
Northwest, it is not difficult to remember the fiery infernos that 
engulfed the West only a few months ago. The year 2002 was the second 
worst fire season in 50 years. Nationwide 21 lives were lost and 6.7 
million acres were burned.
  It was one of the Nation's largest fires, called the Biscuit Fire, 
that drew a cadre of international firefighters to Oregon, the world's 
best sent to join the fight against our worst disaster. The Biscuit 
Fire, the largest wildfire in Oregon in over a century, eventually 
burned 500,000 acres in southwestern Oregon. At times, firefighters put 
the chances of losing one or all of the Illinois Valley's four towns at 
75 percent. However, 7,000 of the world's best firefighters beat the 
odds and staved off an exploding fire that threatened hundreds of 
square miles and thousands of homes. As a result of their relentless 
work, no lives were lost and structural loss was virtually nonexistent.
  On behalf of my State of Oregon, I want to thank and commend the 
brave New Zealand firefighters who helped win that battle against 
wildfire. They are John Barnes, Darryl Robson, John Sutton, Richard 
McNamara, Paul Tolladay, Phil Wishnowsky, Robin Thompson, Trevor Tiday, 
Jock Darragh, and Ross Hamilton.
  While I hope that such perilous circumstances will never call these 
firefighters back to Oregon or elsewhere, I know that forest fires will 
continue to burn and brave firefighters will continue to put their 
lives between the fire and ours. We will never forget that.

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