[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 85 (Thursday, June 7, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3872-S3873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING THE FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL--USS
``MIAMI'' FIRE
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed
to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 488.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 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 23rd, 2012, fire at Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today in support of a resolution
recognizing the incredible courage and tremendous skill of the
firefighters and emergency first responders who extinguished the fire
aboard the USS Miami (SSN 755), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered
submarine, 2 weeks ago at Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery,
ME.
At approximately 5:41 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, a four-alarm
fire broke out inside the forward compartment of the USS Miami, which
was 3 months into a 20-month overhaul at Kittery-Portsmouth. More than
100 first responders from 23 locations in 4 separate States responded
to successfully contain the damage of the blaze and ensure that there
was no tragic loss of life.
With nothing less than fearless determination in the face of what has
been called the most significant emergency to strike the shipyard in
decades, brave firefighters battled zero visibility in tight,
obstructed quarters filled with noxious smoke and searing heat for more
than 10 hours to limit the fire to the forward quarters of the ship and
eventually extinguish it entirely.
Due to the unimaginably challenging space constraints, Kittery-
Portsmouth firefighters, in a command capacity and with a succinct
collaborative effort with shipyard project team personnel, directed the
rotation of multiple waves of groups of only three or four firefighters
at a time to descend two stories into the ship to push back the flames.
Their critical decision to immediately request assistance from mutual
aid communities up and down the coast ensured sufficient manpower to
sustain the continuous delivery of roughly three million gallons of
water and fire suppressants needed to tame the blaze.
The integration of firefighters from so many seacoast communities was
seamless, and should be held as an example of successful inter-
jurisdictional cooperation that could be used as a model for similar
emergencies in the future. Furthermore, the fact that each and every
one of these exceptional firefighters, many of whom had no prior
experience aboard a submarine, could walk into such an extraordinarily
difficult situation and perform so successfully is a testament to their
exhaustive training, remarkable abilities and undaunted valor.
Due to their inspirational efforts, with only seven responders
suffering minor injuries, the fire and all subsequent damage was
greatly limited, and the ship's nuclear reactor remained safe and
stable throughout. After the fire, I had the privilege of meeting some
of the firefighters who summoned unparalleled bravery and demonstrated
such tenacity and skill in preventing the potentially catastrophic
escalation of this fire. These men and women represent the very best of
their field, and it is an honor to sponsor this resolution recognizing
them.
Indeed, it is largely thanks to these able firefighters and emergency
first responders that we have the opportunity to repair the USS Miami.
When I spoke with Navy Vice Admiral McCoy, commander of Naval Sea
Systems Command, after the fire, he said, ``We're determined to send
the Miami back to sea.''
I join Admiral McCoy in this sentiment. With a growing shortage of
submarines in our Navy, it is vital that the USS Miami and its crew are
able to quickly return to their vital work of keeping this country safe
and secure, as the boat has done since its commission in 1990. Indeed,
in the coming weeks and months, I look forward to working with the
Navy, the men and women of Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and my
colleagues in the Senate to ensure that the USS Miami is quickly
returned to service.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider
be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 488) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
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
[[Page S3873]]
(2) expresses support for the Navy and the exceptionally
skilled workforce at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery,
Maine.
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