[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 25 (Friday, February 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING FIRE CAPTAIN DON RICCI AS PUBLIC SAFETY HERO OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 8, 2019

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Santa Rosa Fire Captain Don Ricci, whom I have named a Public Safety 
Hero of the Year in Sonoma County, California.
  Mr. Ricci is a Sonoma County native. He graduated from Montgomery 
High School and attended the Santa Rosa Safety Center, a department at 
the Santa Rosa Junior College. He began his career in public service in 
1992 when he joined the Bennet Valley Fire Protection District. Mr. 
Ricci served in that department as a firefighter, engineer and 
lieutenant. In 1998, he joined the Santa Rosa Fire Department as a 
firefighter-paramedic. In 2002 Mr. Ricci was promoted to Engineer and 
in 2004, to Fire Captain. He also serves as a lead instructor for the 
Live Burn Cadre and as a paramedic Field Training Officer. 
Additionally, he is a Tactical Paramedic on Henry 1 (the Sonoma County 
Sheriff's helicopter) and the SWAT Team in the Sonoma County Sheriff's 
Department.
  On January 22, 2018, Mr. Ricci displayed the utmost dedication to 
public service and fire safety. He was on Medic Engine 5 when it was 
dispatched to an odor investigation that was revealed to be a working 
structure fire. Mr. Ricci upgraded the assignment and instructed his 
team to launch a defensive fire attack. As he gathered intelligence 
around the property, a house, he saw a neighbor trying to rescue an 
elderly woman from a small window. After he realized he was unable to 
rescue the resident from outside the structure, and knowing the window 
was too small to enter with a self-contained breathing apparatus, he 
removed the apparatus and entered the smoke-filled building. Mr. Ricci 
first evacuated the resident out of the small window he had entered. He 
then evacuated the resident's dog. Because of his courage and swift 
action, Mr. Ricci prevented a tragic loss of life in our community.
  Madam Speaker, we thank Fire Captain Don Ricci for his dedication. 
For this reason, it is fitting and proper that we honor him today.