[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE PIERMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR HEROIC RESCUE 
                       RESPONSES TO HURRICANE IDA

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                          HON. MONDAIRE JONES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 20, 2021

  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, in early September, our communities in 
Westchester and Rockland suffered immensely in the aftermath of 
Hurricane Ida, with flooded basements, damaged homes, and, tragically, 
lives lost. I witnessed the damage firsthand, touring some of our 
hardest hit communities and thanking our brave first responders, 
including the Village of Piermont Fire Department, whose marine diver 
unit rescued dozens of Rocklanders from the floors. I am devastated for 
all those impacted by this disaster, and I will not stop working until 
our communities have fully rebuilt.
  The Piermont Fire Department responded bravely to over 30 emergencies 
within Rockland County. During the height of the storm, the Piermont 
Dive Team heroically assisted in multiple water search and rescue 
efforts. 22 cars were searched by Fire Department members in Rockland, 
including a dive operation in the Village of Spring Valley on a car 
that was submerged in 7.5 feet of water.
  While the Dive Team responded to water rescues, other members of the 
Piermont Fire Department responded to emergencies such as flooding 
conditions, roadway hazards, downed trees and wires, and an unmanned 
boat throughout Rockland County. The rescue teams went to Sparkill, 
Tappan, and West Nyack to respond to vehicles in the water with trapped 
victims inside. All victims were rescued safely thanks to the heroic 
efforts of the Fire Department volunteers.
  Many lives were saved by the brave volunteers of the Piermont Fire 
Department. Our community is forever grateful for their tireless work 
to keep us safe. I would like to recognize and thank the following 
people for their bravery: Chief Samuel Kropp, Jerry Albes, Daniel 
Albin, Donna Alise, James Alise, Mya Alise, Andrew Baez, Alan Bartley, 
Mike Bettman, Amy Blomquist, Mark Blomquist, Frank Bockowski, Larry 
Cabrera, Mark Carlucci, William Cavanaugh, Joan Chadwick, Bernard 
Comiskey, Phil Esnard, Elizabeth Fagan, Kevin Fagan, Alexandra Gatti, 
Nick Gatti, Candace Goswick, Daniel Goswick Sr., Daniel Goswick Jr., 
Hope Goswick, Erika Gould, Donald Hardy, Donna Hardy, Chris Healy, Bill 
Hickey, John Hickey, Patrick Krummack, Reese McNichol, Nathan Mitchell, 
Stephen Moscatello, Ernie Nieves, Julie Pagliaroli, Joseph Palkovic, 
Tim Piesco, Dennis Plunkett, Max Reiter, Chris Sanders, Mary Saunders, 
Michael Saunders, Richard Scully, Samantha Scully, Brandi Silva, Scott 
Silva, Al Sisolak, Matt Stevenson, Santina Stevenson, Tim Temple, Tom 
Temple, Chris Ward, Kyle Weiss, and Noah Weiss.

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