[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF FIRE CHIEF STEWART GARY'S 35 YEARS AS A DEDICATED FIRE 
                    SERVICE PROFESSIONAL AND LEADER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2005

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Fire Chief Stewart 
Gary on his retirement from the Livermore-Pleasanton California Fire 
Department for 35 years of outstanding leadership in fire service.
  Chief Gary began his career as a volunteer in a small Southern 
California fire department and rose steadily in his job 
responsibilities to his appointment in 1994 as Livermore Fire Chief.
  Stewart has guided the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department to 
becoming one of the most technologically advanced, well-prepared, and 
harmonious fire fighting forces in the state.
  He is a forward-thinker, embracing information technology innovations 
that expand information available to his fire fighters when they have 
to make emergency decisions about how to attack a fire.
  Stewart also shares his professional expertise throughout the 
international fire-fighting community, writing and lecturing on models 
for optimal placement of personnel and equipment in fire situations.
  Stewart is a gifted leader of people. He facilitated the merger of 
the separate fire departments of the cities of Livermore and 
Pleasanton, one of the few such successful mergers in California, and 
is a winner of the 1999 Helen Putnam Public Safety Grand Prize award by 
the California League of Cities. Under Stewart's leadership, the 
Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department has continuously maintained good 
morale and solid employee relationships with consensus-building 
practices like interest based negotiations.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chief Stewart Gary for his contributions to the 
Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department and to the international 
firefighting community. The high standards he has set for his 
Department and his profession will strengthen fire service for many 
years to come.

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