[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S12014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL FIRST RESPONDER APPRECIATION DAY

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize our Nation's 
first responders. I, along with Senators McCain and Casey, introduced 
S. Res. 215 recognizing today, September 25, 2007, as National First 
Responders Appreciation Day. The Senate acted quickly and passed this 
resolution by unanimous consent with a total of 33 cosponsors.
  The contributions that our Nation's 1.1 million firefighters, 670,000 
police officers, and over 890,000 emergency medical professionals make 
in our communities are familiar to all of us. We see the results of 
their efforts every night on our TV screens and read about them every 
day in the paper.
  From recent tornadoes in the Southeast and wildfires in the West in 
2007, and the Christmas blizzard in Colorado in 2006, to the tragic 
events of Virginia Tech, Columbine High School, Platte Canyon High 
School, and the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, our first responders 
regularly risk their lives to protect property, uphold the law, and 
save the lives of others.
  Nationwide, many of our first responders take the call on a daily 
basis and are exposed to life-threatening situations. While performing 
their jobs, many first responders have made the ultimate sacrifice. 
According to Craig Floyd, Chairman of the National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial Fund, a total of 1,649 law enforcement officers died 
in the line of duty during the past 10 years; an average of 1 death 
every 53 hours, or 165 per year, and 145 law enforcement officers were 
killed in 2006.
  In addition, according to the United States Fire Administration, from 
1996 through 2005, over 1,500 firefighters were killed in the line of 
duty, and tens of thousands were injured.
  It is also important to note that four in five medics are injured on 
the job. More than one in two, about 50 percent, have been assaulted by 
patients, and one in two, 50 percent, have been exposed to an 
infectious disease, and emergency medical service personnel in the U.S. 
have an estimated fatality rate of 12.7 per 100,000 workers, more than 
twice the national average, and most emergency medical service 
personnel deaths in the line of duty occur in ambulance accidents.
  Yet to recognize our first responders only for their sacrifices would 
be to ignore the everyday contributions they make in communities 
throughout America. In addition to battling fires, firefighters perform 
important fire prevention and public education duties such as teaching 
our children how to be fire safe.
  Police officers do not simply arrest criminals; they actively prevent 
crime and make our neighborhoods safer and more livable. And if we or 
our loved ones experience a medical emergency, EMTs are there at a 
moment's notice to provide lifesaving care.
  Last Saturday, I hosted a first responder appreciation day in 
northern Colorado and was overwhelmed by the support shown to our first 
responders by the public. Farmers, ranchers, small business owners and 
members of the community alike thanked their firefighters, paramedics, 
sheriffs, deputies, and police officers for being there at a moment's 
notice to lend a hand while putting their own safety at risk.
  As a practicing veterinarian and a former health officer in Loveland, 
Colorado, I can attest to the numerous times I called on first 
responders to help me get through a situation. In many ways our first 
responders embody the very best of the American spirit. With charity 
and compassion, those brave men and women regularly put the well-being 
of others before their own, oftentimes at great personal risk. Through 
their actions they have become heroes to many. Through their example 
they are role models to all of us.
  To all of our first responders, thank you for your service. I ask my 
colleagues to please join me today in recognizing September 25 as 
National First Responder Appreciation Day as we honor first responders 
for their contributions, sacrifices, and dedication to public service.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arizona.

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