[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF FRANK PINNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2009

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the public service 
career of Mr. Frank Pinney on the occasion of his retirement as Chief 
of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade after thirty-five years, 
seventeen as Chief. I have known Frank for a long time and have called 
him many things over the years: chief; mayor, community volunteer, 
community leader, mentor, neighbor, trusted advisor, public safety 
expert, friend, and above all, public servant. It is in this last 
capacity that I speak today about the great difference that Frank has 
made to the community that he has called home for nearly forty years.
  Frank Pinney arrived in Big Sur in the early 1970s. At that time Big 
Sur residents relied upon Monterey based crews for fire protection 
along 70 miles of remote rugged coastline. It could take an hour or 
more for those trained firefighters to arrive at a house fire or other 
emergency. Soon after he arrived in Big Sur, Frank joined a community 
based effort to organize its own volunteer fire protection service. And 
so in August 1974, the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade was born with 
Frank Pinney among its first members.
  Frank soon displayed an unsurpassed commitment to the Fire Brigade's 
public safety mission. In 1975, he became the Brigade's training 
officer and in 1978 won election as the Brigade foreman. Other 
milestones included engine company captain, 1982 Outstanding Firemen of 
the Year, and Assistant Chief for Administration in 1985. He also 
assisted the Brigades development by spear-heading the effort to secure 
its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1983 and managing the capital fund 
and actual construction of the Brigade's firehouse in 1991. All of this 
work and devotion culminated in 1992 with Frank's election as Brigade 
Chief, a role in which he became synonymous with the Brigade itself.
  Over the course of his career with the Brigade, Frank was at the 
heart of efforts to protect the local community and the millions of 
annual visitors to Big Sur from common car accidents to major 
wildfires. This included service during the 1977 Marble Cone fire, 1983 
El Nino land slides, and the 1985 Rat Creek fire. As Chief he helped 
lead the response as a member of the incident command to the 1996 Sur 
fire, the 1998 winter land slides, and the 1999 Kirk fire.
  Frank surpassed all this work with his efforts during last year's 
monumental Basin Complex fire. The Basin Complex fire, and the adjacent 
Indians fire, burned over 240,000 acres of Big Sur coastland and back 
country and over 25 homes. This event became one of the largest 
wildfires in California history and nearly destroyed the heart of the 
Big Sur community. Frank participated in the Basin Complex incident 
command and played a critical role in bringing his local knowledge and 
experience to the Forest Service and Cal Fire leadership running the 
massive fire fighting effort.
  ``Public service,'' ``community organizing,'' and ``volunteerism'' 
are all frequently heard in conversations today. But these words alone 
fail to do justice to Frank for he has been the very embodiment of 
these ideals--all the more so in light of the purely voluntary nature 
of his Fire Brigade work.
  Madam Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House in both commending 
Frank Pinney for his dedication to the public good and in holding out 
his public service record as an example for the whole nation.

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