[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S9639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL FIRST RESPONDER APPRECIATION DAY

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Idaho's 
first responders.
  I have been joined by a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues in 
passing a resolution that designates today, September 25, 2008, as 
National First Responder Appreciation Day. I would like to celebrate 
this day by showing my appreciation for the brave men and women who 
have risked life and limb and sacrificed family time and personal 
comfort to perform a task that is critical to citizens of the State of 
Idaho.
  I would like to recognize the heroic efforts of all of Idaho's first 
responders, our firefighters, EMTs, medical personnel, and law 
enforcement officers. Thousands of first responders have made the 
ultimate sacrifice and have proven critical in leading the Nation 
through national tragedies like September 11 and natural disasters such 
as Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, through flooding in the Midwest, 
Hurricane Katrina and wildfires across the Western United States.
  In Idaho, fire is a way of life. During the 2007 fire season, over 2 
million acres burned, more than at any other time in Idaho's recorded 
history. Generally, Idaho's fire season begins in mid-July and extends 
into September, but in 2007, the Cascade Complex fire burned until the 
snow fell. The Cascade Complex fire was only one of several very large 
fires last year. The East Zone Complex fire in central Idaho burned 
over 300,000 acres, and the Murphy Complex fire in south-central Idaho 
burned over 600,000 acres. During this trying time, our first 
responders and firefighters went above and beyond the call of duty. 
Incident management teams and area command teams worked for weeks on 
end, battling flames and working to protect homes and lives. I have had 
the opportunity to visit fire camps and speak to these heroes who, like 
our veterans, often endanger their own lives to save the lives of 
others. Staff at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID, is 
to be commended for their tireless response coordination efforts.
  While the severity of this fire season has not risen to the level of 
last year's fire season in Idaho, firefighters and other first 
responders have remained vigilant. The Oregon Trail fire in Boise, ID, 
began on August 25, 2008, when a brush fire, fed by 50 mph. winds, dry 
sage brush, high heat, and aided by sloped terrain, spread to the 
nearby Oregon Trail and Columbia Village subdivisions. The fire caused 
the destruction of ten homes, damage to nine others, and claimed the 
life of Mary Ellen Ryder, a professor at Boise State University. During 
this trying time, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Ryder family 
and others who have homes that have been lost or damaged. Thankfully, 
preplanning and preparation enabled Boise firefighters to avert the 
possibility of greater damage and loss. Firefighters arrived at 
Sweetwater Drive within 2 minutes of the first call, and they proceeded 
to risk their lives to draw a fire line between the burning houses and 
the other nearby subdivisions, protecting more than 1,000 homes and 
countless families.
  The example of professionalism, strength, and bravery displayed by 
the Boise Police and Fire Departments during the events of the Oregon 
Trail fire is just one of many examples I could cite to illustrate the 
invaluable service wildland, municipal, and volunteer firefighters 
provide to our communities. Likewise, our EMTs, medical personnel, law 
enforcement, and others put their lives on the line daily to help 
others. Today, these efforts will receive recognition before the United 
States Senate and the American people.

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