[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10752]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING QUAKERTOWN HOOK AND LADDER COMPANY, STATION 17 IN 
                  CELEBRATING THEIR 130TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2006

  Mr. FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the men and women of Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 which 
celebrates its one hundred and thirtieth anniversary this year.
  Since its humble beginnings in 1876 as the Quakertown Hook and Ladder 
Company, station 17 has protected the residents of the Quakertown area 
with distinction and pride.
  One hundred and thirty years ago, Quakertown Pennsylvania, which is 
located in the northern portion of my district, was a small and quiet 
farming community. And in its early years, I doubt the fire company 
needed to answer many calls. However, the Quakertown of today is a 
vibrant suburban area and station 17 has seen an increase of nearly 400 
calls a year in the past 40 years. The need to expand and recruit on 
such a large scale would likely hinder the performance of the 
department, but the fire company has continued to grow and enlist 
generation after generation of fire fighters.
  Firefighters have always been an integral part of American history. 
The safety of the citizens of Bucks County has been the top priority of 
the Quakertown Fire Company, and they have at all times served 
selflessly to that end.
  Mr. Speaker, volunteerism is an American institution. Station 17 has 
always operated with volunteer firefighters, and I wish to congratulate 
and thank the current 50 volunteer members, who do an exceptional job. 
It is a special group of people that would voluntarily dedicate so much 
of their own time and effort towards the common good, and Quakertown is 
fortunate to have such a large and committed team of volunteers working 
for them.
  How many people, Mr. Speaker, would jump out of bed in the middle of 
night at the sound of their alarm with no questions asked and go to a 
complete stranger's house only to battle a blazing inferno for hours 
upon hours, and still go to work the next morning? Well I am proud to 
say that Quakertown has at least 50 of these extraordinary men and 
women, and we thank them all.
  To these heroic men and women of station 17; thank you for your work, 
your time, your dedication, and your sacrifice.

                          ____________________