[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E7]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING DAVID M. BISSONETTE, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR FOR THE TOWN OF 
                           CLARENCE, NEW YORK

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER JOHN LEE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 12, 2010

  Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, it is with great appreciation 
that I recognize Mr. David M. Bissonette, Emergency Coordinator for the 
town of Clarence, New York, for his dedicated service to the community, 
specifically his efforts on the evening of February 12, 2009.
  On the evening of February 12, 2009, Continental Connection Flight 
3407 crashed into a home in the town of Clarence. Under the 
coordination of David, emergency personnel from throughout Western New 
York responded quickly to the scene of the accident and immediately 
went into action.
  A fulltime safety professional for more than 30 years, David's 
experience and professionalism in handling incident coordination 
allowed emergency personnel to arrive on scene in a matter of minutes, 
as well as enabling residents living in homes near the crash site the 
ability to quickly move to safety.
  A 27-year member of the Clarence Volunteer Fire Department, David 
served in various leadership positions including Chief and Assistant 
Chief. Over his 17 years as Emergency Coordinator for the town of 
Clarence, David has been responsible for providing emergency support 
and guidance on a number of large emergencies including chemical 
releases, extremely heavy snow storms, a chemical plant explosion and 
fire, long term power outages and sadly, because of the events on 
February 12, 2009, a tragic plane crash.
  Madam Speaker, I'd like to extend my appreciation to David 
Bissonnette for his dedication to the town of Clarence, and for his 
actions on the evening of February 12, 2009, and the days following.

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