[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 30, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING CLARKSBURG FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 30, 2024

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Clarksburg Fire Protection District. I have named them as Public Safety 
Heroes of the Year from Yolo County in California's 4th District 
because of their extraordinary selflessness, dedication, and service to 
others.
  The Clarksburg Fire Protection District is an all-volunteer 
organization that has provided fire protection to the community of 
Clarksburg and the surrounding area for the past 78 years. Currently, 
the fire protection district has 23 trained volunteers who respond to 
fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and public service 
calls. The fire district has proven its effectiveness by responding to 
multiple emergency calls simultaneously, up to five at one time, 
without calling for aid from other agencies.
  As the only chartered division of government in the Clarksburg 
township, the fire district has led numerous community events to 
organize discussions about the needs of the area. 90 percent of the 
fire district's volunteers live in the community creating a ``neighbors 
helping neighbors'' dynamic in many of the emergency responses. The 
volunteer firefighters are also very active in other aspects of our 
community and support numerous charitable and civic organizations.
  As evidence of their importance to our community, in the end of 2022, 
extreme wind and weather events left Clarksburg without power and 
operational wells for days. The fire district responded by delivering 
water to the community for sanitation and opening the fire station as 
an emergency depot and warming station. Another instance of service 
came in recent years when a fire threatened Clarksburg. Within two 
minutes, firefighters were on the scene and suppressing the fire, 
beating the National Fire Protection Association rural response time 
standards by a wide margin.
  Along with serving Clarksburg, the fire district participates in 
several mutual aid and automatic aid agreements with neighboring 
districts, neighboring departments, the county of Yolo, the state of 
California, and some federal agencies.
  Mr. Speaker, we thank the Clarksburg Fire Protection District for 
their persistence, service, and commitment to our community. Therefore, 
it is fitting and proper that we honor them here today.