[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 160 (Thursday, September 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 2018 FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT 
                        FIREFIGHTERS OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 27, 2018

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize those members of the 
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department who are being honored for 
their tremendous dedication to public safety. Every year, the Fairfax 
County Fire and Rescue Department selects an officer, a firefighter and 
a civilian from their ranks who have gone above and beyond the call in 
the performance of their duties. In Fairfax County, our first 
responders are among the best in the country. Our Urban Search and 
Rescue Team is deployed constantly across the country and the world 
when disaster strikes, most recently to Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico 
in support of relief efforts after Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.
  To be selected to receive special recognition, these individuals 
truly represent the best of the best in their respective divisions. It 
is my honor to include in the Record the recipients of the 2018 
Firefighter of the Year Awards:


       Career Officer of the Year: Deputy Chief Jason R. Jenkins

  Jason R. Jenkins holds the rank of Deputy Fire Chief with the Fairfax 
County Fire and Rescue Department (FRD), Emergency Medical Services 
(EMS) Division. Jenkins has 25 years of paid and volunteer experience 
in Fire and EMS and served as the Executive Officer to the Fire Chief 
from 2011 through 2016. He also served in a variety of state, local and 
regional capacities, including plans manager for USA-1/VATF-1 Urban 
Search and Rescue Team, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and 
Federal Emergency Management Agency; appointee to Governor Ralph 
Northam's EMS Advisory Board; and past chair of the Metropolitan 
Washington Council of Governments Fire Chief's EMS subcommittee.


  Career Firefighter of the Year: Master Technician Joel J. Kobersteen

  Joel Kobersteen has served as Fill the Boot Campaign coordinator 
since 2003, a role that l have been proud to collaborate with him on 
every year. The Fill the Boot Campaign is a partnership between the 
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Greater Washington 
Muscular Dystrophy Association. Due in no small part to Joel's 
leadership, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has held the 
distinction of being the number one organization in the United States 
and Canada for funds raised for the last three years, including the 
campaign just completed over Labor Day weekend 2018, where an 
incredible $603,676.05 was collected for research towards a cure for 
muscular dystrophy.


  Civilian of the Year: Ms. Reena M. Thomson, Financial Specialist IV

  Ms. Thomson has been assigned to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue 
Department Urban Search and Rescue Team since 2011. In her role she not 
only manages the program office, but also manages the program's budget 
as well. Ms. Thomson played a critical role in the planning and 
execution of multiple taskings of the Urban Search and Rescue Team 
including: Annual Team Full Scale Exercise, Los Angeles (2017), 
Hurricane Harvey Texas Deployment (2017), Hurricane Irma Florida 
Deployment (2017), Hurricane Irma Puerto Rico Deployment (2017) and 
Annual Full-Scale Exercise, Fairfax (2018). The team also conducted an 
Administrative Review Evaluation in 2017 which resulted in VA-TF l 
receiving numerous Best Practices recognitions.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating this 
year's awardees and in thanking them for their continued service to our 
community. Their dedication to the safety and wellbeing of others is 
truly worthy of our highest praise. I wish them and all the men and 
women of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department great success in 
all their future endeavors. Stay safe.

                          ____________________