[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 59 (Thursday, April 4, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING DANIEL T. LYDON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 4, 2019

  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 
life of Daniel Thomas Lydon, on the occasion of his passing on Monday, 
March 18, 2019.
  The son of two Irish immigrants, Daniel was born in Oakland, 
California on October 30, 1941. His roots grew deep in our community 
through his schooling in Oakland and Berkeley as well as his work at 
the Oakland Tribune, all occurring before he joined the Fremont Fire 
Department in March 1963.
  Almost immediately Daniel sought to make a difference for his fellow 
firefighters. He played an instrumental role in organizing his 
department's personnel to establish their labor union, Fremont 
Firefighters Local 1689. Once formed, Daniel rose to serve as the 
organization's first president.
  Throughout the course of his career with the Fremont Fire Department, 
Daniel held the rank of firefighter, inspector, lieutenant, captain, 
and battalion chief before being trusted to lead the entire department 
as fire chief, where he served until his well-deserved retirement in 
2002.
  Under his leadership, the Fremont Fire Department grew to meet the 
needs of a large, modern, and rapidly developing city. Chief Lydon 
began to incorporate licensed paramedics among the fire department 
staff. This enabled them to begin to provide life-saving treatment of 
patients if they were the first to the scene of an emergency. Daniel 
expanded the size of the department, in the most literal sense, by 
adding four new stations to serve the community. Additionally, he 
helped ensure the safety of his personnel by assisting with key bond 
measures, ensuring funds were dedicated to retrofitting outdated 
infrastructure.
  Chief Lydon's public service did not end with his retirement from the 
fire department. He continued to help his community grow by serving as 
a planning commissioner for the City of Fremont. His legacy continues 
as the projects he helped shape go on under construction to meet the 
needs of our community.
  Chief Lydon passed away at home, surrounded by his loving family. He 
is survived by his wife of 53 years, Patricia, as well as his children, 
Bridget, Daniel, Kevin, Margaret, and Michael. His legacy will live on 
through them, his five grandchildren, and the everlasting impact he 
made on our community.

                          ____________________