[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF MR. TIM RAY

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. DAVID G. VALADAO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 6, 2016

  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Tim Ray on 
his graduation from the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer 
Program and to thank him for his many years of service to the City of 
Kingsburg, California.
  Mr. Ray was born in Madera, California and at the age of three his 
family relocated to Kingsburg, California where his father worked at 
what was then the Kingsburg Volunteer Fire Department. After his 
graduation from Kingsburg High School, Mr. Ray went on to receive his 
Bachelors of Science in Building Construction from John Brown 
University in Siloam Springs, Arizona.
  In 1986, Mr. Ray moved back to Kingsburg and, like his father, joined 
the Kingsburg Fire Department as a Volunteer Firefighter. During this 
time, Mr. Ray also served the California Department of Forestry and 
Fire Protection (CDF) through the Tulare County Fire Department. Mr. 
Ray's dedication to emergency services did not stop there as he also 
served as a paramedic for the Sequoia Safety Council and the Mobile 
Life Support Ambulance in Visalia, California.
  As further testament to his work ethic and strength of character, in 
2011, Mr. Ray was promoted to Fire Chief of the City of Kingsburg, 
making him one of only two out of the eighteen fire chiefs in the 
history of Kingsburg to have gone from a Volunteer Firefighter to Fire 
Chief. Mr. Tim Ray will have served the Kingsburg Fire Department and 
the community with dedication for thirty years on August 1, 2016.
  Coinciding with his thirty year work anniversary, Mr. Ray also 
celebrated another incredible achievement of his career. On August 5, 
2016, Mr. Ray graduated from the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire 
Officer Program, proving that the Fire Chief of a small town like 
Kingsburg is equal to those of the largest metropolitan areas in the 
United States.
  Today, Mr. Ray resides in Kings County, California with his wife of 
twenty-seven years, Penny. Together they have two children, Kyle and 
Kaiti.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join with me in recognizing Mr. Tim Ray for his many accomplishments 
and to thank him for his thirty years of faithful service to the City 
of Kingsburg. The Central Valley is better off as a result of his 
dedication, strength of will, and commitment to emergency services.

                          ____________________