[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4537-H4538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATING THE ISLAND PARK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. D'Esposito) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to commemorate the 
longstanding and storied traditions of the Island Park Volunteer Fire 
Department.
  The Island Park Fire Department was started 100 years ago when a 
group of young men in Island Park gathered together at a local pub and 
decided that they needed a fire department as they planned to 
incorporate 2 years later what would become the village of Island Park. 
At that meeting they elected their first chief, Hubert Miele.
  Over the last 100 years, the Island Park Fire Department has seen its 
fair share of ups and downs. We lost one of our members on the 
battlefields in World War II, Charles Talbot, Jr.

[[Page H4538]]

  We had two line-of-duty deaths: honorary Chief Michael Fischer and 
ex-Chief Ronald Nurnberger to 9/11-related illness.
  In 1976 we saw an explosion along our waterfront that caused death 
and closed 63 area beaches for weeks after.
  We saw the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and, of course, the 
devastation of Hurricane Sandy as the village of Island Park was one of 
the hardest hit communities on the East Coast.
  However, some of our worst times gave us the opportunity to show some 
of our best, and the Island Park Fire Department has forever been a 
beacon in the Island Park community. It is that go-to place where 
people could find safety and where they could get help. During the 
devastation of Hurricane Sandy, they found food, they found a place to 
utilize bathrooms, and they talked to their government officials.
  From 1924 to 2024, the Island Park Fire Department has been that 
beacon in our community, and it is a place and an institution that I am 
proud to be part of.
  In 1978 we swore in our first female firefighter, Phyllis Berotti.
  We have seen, I would argue, probably the only fire department 
perhaps in the United States that actually sent two members to this 
House. In 1980 the Island Park Fire Department sent Senator Alfonse 
D'Amato to the United States Senate, and in 2022, they sent me to this 
great House.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to recognize one of my true 
loves, the Island Park Fire Department, in its 100th year of service.


           Recognizing the Faithful Service of Paul DiGiacomo

  Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize NYPD Detective Paul 
DiGiacomo who just took his final walk from 26 Thomas Street in lower 
Manhattan as the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association.
  Paul DiGiacomo started his career in the NYPD in 1983, serving over 
40 years and earned his beloved gold shield in 1993. He was elected a 
delegate to the DEA in 1994. He has served as president of the DEA 
since 2020 and has been one of the leading voices in New York 
protecting law enforcement. He has stood with those who wear the 
uniform and has called out the disastrous effects of Democrat policies 
that have made our country and our city less safe and have put law 
enforcement in danger.
  Paul DiGiacomo is not only a friend and not only a fellow detective, 
but he has been regarded as a cop's cop. As those of us who have worn 
the uniform know, there sometimes is no greater attribute than that 
reference, and that was Paul DiGiacomo.
  His lasting impact on the DEA will be felt for generations of law 
enforcement professionals in New York City.

  Mr. Speaker, I wish Paul DiGiacomo a healthy and safe retirement, and 
I thank him for his dedication to the New York City Police Department.

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