[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING FIRE DIVISION CHIEF RICHARD HANNA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 10, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Fire 
Division Chief Richard Hanna, on his retirement after forty-five years 
of service as a Volunteer Firefighter for Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue 
Authority.
  Mr. Hanna was born in 1933 in New York City to Irish immigrant 
parents and earned his Bachelor's degree on an ROTC scholarship. He 
served as a United States Marine Fighter Pilot for seven years before 
becoming a commercial airline pilot for United Airlines for over thirty 
years.
  After he moved to the Diamond A area of the Sonoma Valley with his 
wife and five children, Mr. Hanna became a Volunteer Firefighter. He 
was instrumental in establishing a Fire Station in Diamond A--he agreed 
to become a Volunteer Firefighter at the age of forty if the Valley of 
the Moon Fire District built a fire station in Diamond A. As a 
Volunteer Firefighter, Mr. Hanna participated in weekly drills and put 
his training into practice as emergencies arose. After several years he 
was promoted to Captain. Mr. Hanna was heavily involved with training 
and training development for Valley of the Moon Fire District and all 
of Sonoma Valley. He was then promoted to the rank of Division Chief. 
When Valley of the Moon Fire District and the City of Sonoma Fire 
Department merged to form the Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, 
Mr. Hanna was crucial to the successful transition and stayed on as 
Division Chief.
  Additionally, Mr. Hanna trained for and volunteered as a CalFire 
Volunteer in Prevention and staffed local lookout towers. He is also 
active with the local Amateur Radio Operator Club, which is used when 
disasters arise. Mr. Hanna is knowledgeable about his work and willing 
to share his knowledge with trainees and other people in the Sonoma 
Valley.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hanna is a committed Firefighter who is dedicated to 
serving our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor 
Fire Division Chief Richard Hanna here today.

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