[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 9, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E383-E384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF FIRE CHIEF DON DORNELL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Fire Chief Don Dornell, who 
is retiring after nearly four decades of service to the people of 
Burlingame and San Mateo County. His dedication to public service is a 
credit to his community and to his character as a leader.
   Don Dornell is a Peninsula native, born in San Francisco in 1951 and 
raised in Millbrae as the second of five children, and one of a pair of 
twins. He attended Capuchino High School in San Bruno, then earned his 
associate degree in Political Science at the College of San Mateo in 
1971.
   It was then that Chief Dornell's career in public service began. He 
served in the Army National Guard for six years, until 1977. During 
that time, Chief Dornell trained as a plumber, and he began working for 
the San Carlos Parks Department. But from his first day, he knew that 
the Parks Department was not for him--his real goal was serving as a 
firefighter.
   After a brief stint in Piedmont, Chief Dornell was hired as a 
firefighter for the City of Burlingame in March 1977, a community he 
has served diligently ever since. He has risen swiftly through the 
ranks, earning a promotion to Fire Captain in 1985, and serving as the 
B-Shift Training Officer from 1985 to 1997 and co-director of the San 
Mateo County Fire Recruit Academy from 1996 to 1997. In January 1997, 
he became Assistant Chief, and he took over responsibility for training 
and overseeing line personnel.
   More recently, Chief Dornell has worked tirelessly to ensure 
successful transitions as local agencies consolidate fire protection to 
strengthen the cohesiveness of service and promote administrative 
efficiency. When the City of Burlingame and the Town of Hillsborough 
merged fire services in 2004, becoming the Central County Fire 
Department, he became the first Deputy Fire Chief of the new agency. 
This is a role he has embraced, as he became the agency's second Fire 
Chief in December 2006. Last year he took over responsibility for fire 
departments in Millbrae and San Bruno as well.
   Chief Dornell's service to the community has taken other forms as 
well. He is a longstanding Fire Technology Instructor at College of San 
Mateo, administrator of the San Mateo County Fire Recruit Academy from 
1997 to 2006, and a Member of the San Mateo County

[[Page E384]]

Fire Chiefs Association, where he serves as liaison to a number of 
adjunct groups. Chief Dornell is also the first inaugural chairman of 
the Burlingame Adopt-a-Unit program, which since 2004 has supported 
hundreds of U.S. soldiers through their deployments to Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
   In his retirement, Chief Dornell will be relocating to Calaveras 
County to enjoy hiking and outdoors activities in the Central Sierra, 
to continue work on the home he has been rebuilding, and to spend some 
time travelling around the country with his wife Debra. He will also 
continue his work as a volunteer for the Calaveras County Sheriff's 
Search and Rescue Team.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in congratulating Fire Chief Don 
Dornell on a remarkable career. His contributions to our community are 
an example of the best in public service, and his leadership and 
dedication will be missed. We wish him the best in his retirement.

                          ____________________