[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY 
                     DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND RESCUE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 21, 2016

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Prince William 
County Department of Fire and Rescue on its 50th anniversary and to 
commend the men and women who have selflessly served in the Department 
during its history.
   What is now the third largest career fire department in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia began in 1966 with the hiring of Phil Ponder 
from Dumfries as the first paid firefighter and Shelby Jones of 
Williamsburg as the first fire marshal in the county. Later that year, 
Mr. Jones was appointed Director of Fire and Rescue Services, the 
equivalent of today's Department Chief. Prior to 1966, the local 
community relied solely upon the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer 
Fire Department that was formed in approximately 1938 out of necessity 
because there were no fire and rescue services offered between the 
cities of Alexandria and Fredericksburg.
   Since its inception, the Prince William Department of Fire and 
Rescue has led the way. In 1967, Prince William County became the first 
jurisdiction on the East Coast to implement the 911 System. That same 
year, Prince William became the first county in the Commonwealth and 
the National Capital Region to implement a physical ability exam for 
career firefighters. In 1994, Mary Beth Michos was hired as Chief; and 
became the first female fire and rescue chief of a metro-sized 
department. The Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue 
continues to maintain one of the most progressive combination fire 
departments in the country and its legacy of ``firsts'' continues. It 
is one of only three jurisdictions in the Commonwealth of Virginia with 
delegated training authority granted by the Virginia Department of Fire 
Programs.
   Always on the front lines, the Prince William County Department of 
Fire and Rescue came to the aid of those directly impacted by the 
tragic events of September 11th in New York City and at the Pentagon. 
When tragedy struck again in 2005, Prince William fire protection 
personnel swung into action to provide assistance to the victims of 
Hurricane Katrina.
   The Department of Fire and Rescue is comprised of three sections: 
community safety, operations, and support systems. At the time of the 
Department's founding, approximately 50,000 people lived in Prince 
William County. Today, the Department of Fire and Rescue effectively 
serves a population of 432,000 with a staff of 555 uniformed and 60 
civilian personnel providing around the clock services from 21 fire 
stations in a county spanning 348 square miles. In 2015, the Department 
responded to approximately 48,000 calls, and it recently broke ground 
for Station 26, which is expected to open in mid-2017.
   Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize the Prince William 
County Department of Fire and Rescue as it celebrates 50 years of 
service to the residents of the county. I thank the brave men and women 
of the Department as well as its leadership for their tireless 
commitment to public safety and the protection of lives and property in 
Prince William County.

                          ____________________