[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 85 (Thursday, June 7, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S3844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 488--COMMENDING THE EFFORTS OF THE FIREFIGHTERS AND 
 EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL OF MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS, 
AND CONNECTICUT, WHO CAME TOGETHER TO EXTINGUISH THE MAY 23, 2012, FIRE 
             AT PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD IN KITTERY, MAINE

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lieberman, 
Mr. Kerry, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Ayotte) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 488

       Whereas the USS Miami (SSN-755), a Los Angeles-class 
     nuclear attack submarine with a crew of 13 officers and 120 
     enlisted personnel, arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 
     March 1, 2012, for 20 months of scheduled maintenance;
       Whereas at 5:41 p.m. EDT on May 23, 2012, a 4-alarm fire 
     occurred in the forward compartment of the USS Miami;
       Whereas emergency response personnel, led by the 
     firefighters of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, worked for nearly 
     10 hours in tight, obstructed quarters filled with noxious 
     smoke and searing heat--
       (1) to prevent any loss of life;
       (2) to bring the fire under control; and
       (3) to successfully prevent the flames from reaching any 
     nuclear material and allow the nuclear reactor to remain 
     unaffected and stable throughout;
       Whereas 23 fire departments and emergency response teams 
     from the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and 
     Connecticut provided mutual aid support during the fire, 
     including--
       (1) Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire;
       (2) York County Hazardous Materials Response Team, Maine;
       (3) Massachusetts Port Authority Logan Airport Crash Team;
       (4) South Portland Fire Department, Maine;
       (5) Eliot Fire Department, Maine;
       (6) Lee Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (7) Dover Ambulance, New Hampshire;
       (8) Portsmouth Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (9) Hampton Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (10) Kittery Fire Department, Maine;
       (11) Newcastle Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (12) American Medical Response Ambulance, New Hampshire;
       (13) Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts;
       (14) Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut;
       (15) Rye Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (16) Greenland Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (17) York Fire Department, Maine;
       (18) Newington Fire Department, Connecticut;
       (19) Somersworth Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (20) Rollinsford Fire Department, New Hampshire;
       (21) South Berwick Fire Department, Maine;
       (22) York Ambulance, Maine; and
       (23) York Beach Fire Department, Maine; and
       Whereas the heroic actions of those firefighters, emergency 
     response personnel, and the USS Miami crew and shipyard 
     firefighters, 7 of whom suffered minor injuries during the 
     fire, directly prevented catastrophe, and greatly limited the 
     severity of the fire even in the most challenging of 
     environments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the exemplary and courageous service of all 
     the firefighters and emergency response personnel who came 
     together to successfully contain the fire, minimizing damage 
     to a critical national security asset and ensuring no loss of 
     life; and
       (2) expresses support for the Navy and the exceptionally 
     skilled workforce at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, 
     Maine.

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