[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATIONS TO CHIEF JACK KRAKEEL

 Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge one 
of Geogia's outstanding civil servants. On August 29, 1999, Jack 
Krakeel, Director of Fayette County's Fire and Emergency Services, was 
named Fire Chief of the Year by the International Fire Chief's 
Association. This award is a fitting honor to a man who, through his 
hard work and leadership, has provided Fayette County with a superior 
fire and rescue team and has devised innovative methods to deal with 
emergencies.
  Under Chief Krakeel's leadership, Fayette County's emergency services 
have found creative solutions to deal with ever-changing challenges. An 
important program implemented by the Department requires cross-training 
of employees. All career members of the Fayette County Department of 
Fire and Emergency Services are trained as both firefighters and 
paramedics. This gives the department incredible flexibility when 
dealing with severe emergency situations.
  Fayette County, Georgia, is one of the fastest growing counties in 
the nation. In response to this rapid increase in demand for services, 
Chief Krakeel has developed plans implemented by the Fayette County 
Board of Commissioners which will maintain an average emergency 
response time of five minutes. In a business where the difference 
between life and death is often measured in seconds, the importance of 
this initiative cannot be underestimated.
  Chief Krakeel's department also recognizes the need to inform 
families, particularly children, on the importance of fire safety. 
Under Chief Krakeel's leadership, the department was the first in the 
state to enact a multi-family housing sprinkler ordinance and also 
created a portable fire safety education home which teaches children 
how to escape from a fire.
  Jack Krakeel has also serves in a variety of leadership roles related 
to emergency services. He is the national Chairman of the National Fire 
Protection Association's ``Technical Project in Emergency Medical 
Systems.'' Also, Chief Krakeel is in his third year as a member of the 
Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
  On a more local level, Chief Krakeel is a member of the Georgia's 
Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, and is in his twelfth year 
of service with the organization. Not long ago he helped lead the 
formation the joint EMS Committee of the Georgia Association of Fire 
Chiefs and the Georgia Firefighters Association.
  Other accomplishments during Chief Krakeel's impressive career are 
too numerous to mention. It is not an exagerration to state that few 
people have had a greater individual impact on modern emergency service 
techniques than Chief Jack Krakeel. Mr. President, I offer my 
congratulations to Chief Krakeel for the honor bestowed upon him, and 
my hopes that he will continue to provide innovation and leadership for 
years to come.

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