[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 20, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4326-H4327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO APACHE FIREFIGHTER RICK LUPE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cole). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, last summer Arizona saw the most devastating 
fire of the 2002 fire season, the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire. The fire burned 
500,000 acres of land and destroyed over 400 homes and millions of 
dollars worth of property.
  Fortunately, due to the efforts of Apache firefighter Rick Lupe, 42, 
the towns of Show Low, Pinetop, Lakeside, Honda, Whiteriver and others 
narrowly escaped the same fate as those seared by the Rodeo-Chedeski 
fire.
  Rick, in charge of a division of men, worked to halt the eastward 
expansion

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of the fire that was sending embers more than 2 miles ahead of the 
flames and headed right for Highway 60 and the town of Show Low. Rick 
directed and participated in implementing burnouts, dozier lines, back 
burns, and other efforts to create a line of defense protecting the 
towns from what seemed to be the inevitable. He continued these 
activities even after his first attempt was blown over by the flames. 
Fortunately for the towns of Show Low, Pinetop, Lakeside, Honda and 
Whiteriver, this line of defense did in fact stifle and prevent the 
fire's run through these towns.
  ``He's not one of those guys who sits on the ridge with binoculars 
telling you what to do,'' said Jim Paxon, a Forest Service spokesman 
during the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire. I personally was in Show Low during 
Rick's heroic action and he was credited by all present with stopping 
the fire's progress toward Show Low.
  It was his hands-on management approach that nearly took Rick's life 
last Wednesday. Rick and several others were working on a controlled 
fire. As Rick walked into a canyon to check the edge of the fire line, 
a storm front caused the wind to blow up and the fire surrounded Rick, 
leaving him to face the fire. The winds were so strong that it blew 
away his emergency shelter.
  Without shelter, Rick lay down among the flames waiting for the fire 
to burn over him, and then walked a half mile out to find help. 
According to Dr. Daniel Caruso, Rick was burned over 40 percent of his 
body and is currently in critical condition, being treated for severe 
burns and damage to his lungs.
  A family man, Rick is married to his wife, Evelyn, and is father to 
three sons, Sean, Daniel and Brent, each of whom plans to become a 
firefighter.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the courage of this man and his success in 
saving so many from the destruction of fire.

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