[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2506-E2507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO CHIEF LOUIS IMPARATO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the 
life and work of an exceptional individual who I have long been proud 
to call my friend, Fire Chief Louis Imparato. On Tuesday, November 25, 
2003, members of the City of Passaic (NJ) Fire Department joined 
together with the F.M.B.A. to celebrate Chief Imparato's retirement.
  During his tenure as Fire Chief, Lou Imparato used his position of 
leadership to serve as a powerful voice for the fire services both at 
home and in Washington, DC. It is therefore only fitting that Chief 
Imparato be recognized in this, the permanent record of the greatest 
freely elected body on earth.
  Over the past 35 years, Lou Imparato has tirelessly served the men, 
women, and children of the City of Passaic. Appointed to the fire 
department on January 8, 1968, Lou rapidly advanced up the chain of 
command until 1988, when he was named Deputy Chief. Three short years 
later, Lou became Passaic's Fire Chief--a position that he has held 
with distinction for the past twelve years.
  Mr. Speaker, perhaps Chief Lou's greatest achievement and lasting 
legacy was his work in helping me to draft the Firefighter Investment 
and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act.
  Early in my career in Congress, Lou came to me at one of our many 
meetings addressing public safety needs and asked why the Federal 
government spent nearly zero dollars supporting our Nation's 32,000 
career, volunteer, and combination fire departments. I did not have a 
good answer for him, so we began to investigate what could be done.
  Together, we drafted the FIRE Act--the first ever comprehensive 
Federal commitment to local fire departments. I introduced the 
legislation in Congress and, after a massive lobbying effort from fire 
departments across the country, it passed the House and Senate and was 
signed into law by President Clinton in 2000, creating the Assistance 
to Firefighters Grant Program.
  In its first 3 years of existence, the program has distributed over 
$1.2 billion directly to fire departments across the country from 
equipment, training, and other fire prevention activities. Chief Lou's 
own department in Passaic has already received close to $200,000 
through the program.

[[Page E2507]]

  The passage of the FIRE Act, which will help fire departments across 
the country better serve their communities for years to come, has been 
one of my greatest achievements while in Congress. I trust that Chief 
Imparato feels the same way about this piece of history-making 
legislation because we accomplished it together. Fire departments 
across the Nation will long owe Lou an immense debt of gratitude for 
his inspired work.
  Committed to enhancing the work environment for firefighters 
throughout the State of New Jersey as well as on the national level, 
Lou served for 3 years as the President of the Local F.M.B.A., and for 
10 years as the Local F.M.B.A. State Delegate. His great dedication and 
personal valor has been widely noted by the people he has served and by 
his peers--most notably when the New Jersey State F.M.B.A. honored him 
by asking him to serve as the Chairman of their Valor Awards Dinner.
  As you can see, every aspect of Chief Imparato's life's work 
epitomizes the noble spirit of selfless service that we all strive to 
achieve. The sense of excellence and initiative that has driven Lou's 
life work has made him living proof that those who dedicate themselves 
to helping others are among the most valued and loved members of the 
community.
  Mr. Speaker, the job of a United States Congressman involves so much 
that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to recognizing the efforts of 
public servants like Lou Imparato. I ask that you join our colleagues, 
the men and women of the City of Passaic, fire departments across the 
country, and me in recognizing the invaluable service of Chief Louis 
Imparato.

                          ____________________