[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E763-E764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF JEFFREY POST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 8, 2023

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of an 
exemplary first responder and citizen, Jeffrey Post of Gales Ferry, 
Connecticut. Jeffrey served nobly in his role as Assistant Fire Chief 
for the Submarine Base New London Fire Department. He very sadly passed 
August 2nd lovingly surrounded by his family and colleagues.
  Born to Steven and Cynthia Post in July 1979, it became apparent at 
an early age that Jeffrey's destiny lay in service to his fellow 
citizens. By the age of 14, he joined the Old Mystic Fire Department's 
junior cadet program, beginning a journey in fire and rescue which 
would define his life. This cadet program additionally ingrained the 
spirit of volunteerism in Jeffrey, and he would happily dedicate his 
personal time to fire departments across the southeast Connecticut 
region. For example, he volunteered with the Mystic Fire Department 
Hook and Ladder Company, Gales Ferry Fire Company, and acted as the 
Chief of Center Groton Fire Department.
  Jeffrey's actual professional firefighting journey began in 1999 when 
he joined the Mohegan Tribal Fire Department. Soon after, he would 
continue his emergency response services by joining the SUBASE Fire 
Department in 2001. In this position, Jeffrey would help maintain the 
United States' national defense by ensuring the safety of those 
stationed in SUBASE through his knowledge of EMT and HAZMAT rescue 
practices. It is in SUBASE where Asst. Chief Post would become the 
fixture of southeast Connecticut's firefighting community that he is 
known as today. By 2009, Jeffrey was promoted to Captain in the SBFD. 
In 2015, he found himself the role of Assistant Chief. Throughout his 
distinguished career, Jeffrey cultivated a reputation for bravery, 
intelligence, and team-oriented leadership, qualities which 
distinguished his already impressive firefighting knowledge base.
  Jeffrey didn't hoard his incredible knowledge to himself. Instead, he 
served as a fire instructor for a large portion of his career, ensuring 
that the fantastic amount of institutional knowledge he amassed 
throughout his career would inform the next generation of firefighters. 
Jeffrey served as adjunct faculty for both the Eastern Connecticut Fire 
School and Connecticut Fire Academy, two institutions which provide 
critical EMT and fire training. In 2014, Jeffrey took his teaching one 
step further by opening a training company with some of his colleagues 
named All Hands Operating.
  In one anecdote that typifies the incredible reach of Asst. Chief 
Post's fire fighting abilities, Jeffrey organized and led the SBFD's 
response team to aid in suppressing a blazing inferno that ultimately 
destroyed the USS Miami, a Los Angeles class submarine at the 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. That fire lasted an 
astonishing 12 hours that local firefighters were unable to contain. 
The chief and his team drove through the night to provide their unique 
training to extinguish the blaze. Temperatures from the fire exceeded 
1,000 degrees, melting the innards of Miami, yet because of the 
expertise of the SUBASE Fire Department no lives were lost. More 
recently, Jeffrey used his knowledge and experience to rescue a man who 
fell down a 30 foot well in Ledyard, Connecticut. It was due to 
Jeffrey's technical ability and expertise in confined space rescue that 
allowed for a swift resolution to what could have amounted to a dire 
circumstance for the man who fell.
  Mr. Speaker, although we mourn the profound loss our region has 
experienced in the passing of Asst. Chief Post, we can take solace in 
his inspiring legacy of the lives he saved, and the countless 
colleagues he has positively impacted throughout his life--whether as a 
rescuer or mentor. It is during this time that we pay special attention 
to Jeffrey's family, his wife Chrissy; two children, Olivia and John; 
brothers Scott and Daniel; parents Steven and Cynthia; and extended 
family. To this end, I ask that my colleagues in this chamber join me 
in honoring the example left by Asst. Chief Post.

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