[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 73 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 14, 2003

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the brave men and 
women who, during the past 75 years, have dedicated their lives to the 
service of others as members of the Ventura County Fire Department.
  The Ventura County Fire Department has changed dramatically since May 
11, 1928, when 277 voters went to the polls and 230 voted to form the 
department. Ventura County then was mostly rural and populated by 
ranchers and farmers. Wildfires were the primary concern. In 1928 the 
county experienced six house fires, but 2,820 acres of wildlands 
burned. The Fire Department's budget was $20,000. Its first equipment 
was a Ford truck equipped with a portable pump and 1,000 feet of hose.
  The county has been blessed through the years by attracting visionary 
Fire Chiefs, from Walter Emerick in 1928 to Bob Roper today. Together 
they built a fire department worthy of envy.
  During its first decade, the Fire Department built 10 new fire 
stations situated throughout the county. In the years following World 
War II the department instituted a building program to modernize some 
stations, adopted the County Civil Service Retirement Plan and 
appointed the first battalion chiefs.
  In the 1950s and 1960s, firefighting methods were updated, and the 
latest protective equipment, tools and fire engines were obtained. In 
the 1970s, a central Dispatch Communications Center was established and 
the Ventura County Public Safety Aviation Unit was formed. A hazmat 
trailer and suburban command modules for battalion chiefs were added in 
the 1980s.
  The 1990s were a buzz of activity: The Department's computerized 
Incident Reporting System was developed and implemented, the 
communication center was designed and centralized, and a state-of-the-
art Training Center and new fire stations were built.
  But the best equipment is useless without highly trained and 
qualified fire fighters who put their lives on the line time and again 
to protect the residents of Ventura County. The Ventura County Fire 
Department currently employs 549 professional and dedicated men and 
women, 417 of whom are in uniform. Together, they protect 865 square 
miles and more than 450,000 people in Ventura County.
  But their dedication does not stop at Ventura County's borders. In 
the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a number of Ventura County 
firefighters volunteered to go to New York City to help with recovery 
efforts. They have joined their colleagues from other jurisdictions to 
battle wildfires across the United States again and again.
  Mr. Speaker, I know many of Ventura County's firefighters and I can 
personally attest to their bravery, their professionalism, and their 
dedication to protecting the lives and property of their neighbors. I 
know my colleagues will join me in congratulating the Ventura County 
Fire Department on its 75th anniversary and in thanking its brave men 
and women for a job well done.

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