[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 179 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H9214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                        RECOGNIZING DANIEL LYONS

  (Mr. REICHERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, you may know, and others may know, and may 
have heard about the wildfires that swept through central Washington 
this past summer, destroying many homes, lives, wildstock, and 
livestock across Washington State. Tragically, they also took the lives 
of three brave firefighters.
  On August 19, 25-year-old Daniel Lyons, who is also a firefighter, 
was with his friends and partners, Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac, and 
Tom Zbyszewski, when their vehicle was overcome by flames. Daniel made 
it out of the fire truck alive but suffered burns over 60 percent of 
his body.
  A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Daniel. After he 
had spent 3 months undergoing treatment at Harborview Medical Center in 
Seattle, he has a positive attitude about life, and is excited about 
his opportunity to continue to serve.
  This young man still wants to be a police officer. He lost his 
fingertips in this fire. He still believes that he--and I know he can 
do this, and I want to be there for him--can accomplish his goal of 
continuing to serve as a police officer in the State of Washington.
  As a former cop of 33 years, I could not be more proud of Daniel. He 
is a real-life hero. I will always remember his friends and partners.

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