[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16701]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING DAN PACKER AND ANDY PALMER

 Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I wish today to honor the bravery 
of two fallen Washington State firefighters--Dan Packer and Andrew 
Palmer.
  They lost their lives this weekend battling the dangerous wildfires 
burning in northern California.
  Dan Packer fought fires for decades. He was chief of East Pierce Fire 
and Rescue in the Bonney Lake area and a former president of the 
Association of Washington Fire Chiefs.
  This weekend, he was supervising the firefighting efforts in 
California as a member of an interagency emergency management team when 
his position was overrun by a wildfire following an ``unexpected shift 
in the wind.''
  Andrew Palmer, from Port Townsend, was just 18 years old and on his 
first day of working the northern California fire line. He tragically 
lost his life when he was struck by a falling tree. He has been 
described as ``extremely energetic'' and ``dedicated to his job.''
  Both of these men clearly illustrate the courage that firefighters 
across this country exemplify every time they go to work . . . starting 
on day one.
  An unknown firefighter once said, ``What you call a hero, I just call 
doing my job.''
  So today I ask that all Washingtonians, all Californians, and all 
Americans pause to think about these two men, their families, and the 
ultimate sacrifice they made just ``doing their jobs'' to protect their 
Californian neighbors.
  They represent the best America has to offer: courage and selfless 
action. Their service will not soon be forgotten.
  In fact, the deaths of these two brave Washingtonians unequivocally 
reaffirms the need to continue to work to protect and prepare these 
brave Americans for the danger they face every day.
  Since 1910, more than 900 wildland firefighters have lost their lives 
in the line of duty. And unless we take action that number will 
continue to grow every summer we send these brave individuals in to 
battle wildfires.
  We must demand firefighter safety and training programs receive the 
funding they need.
  We must track this training to ensure that every firefighter is 
equipped with the tools he or she needs to make it home safely every 
time. It is our responsibility and obligation--to Dan Packer, to Andrew 
Palmer, and to all firefighters across this country. 

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