[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22897-22898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      THOMASVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HOWARD COBLE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. COBLE. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of the Sixth 
District of North Carolina, we wish to recognize and commend the 
Thomasville Fire Department as it prepares for its 100th anniversary, 
which is to be celebrated on October 4, 2008. This celebration will 
honor every firefighter, current and retired, who has served at the 
department.

[[Page 22898]]

  Among those being honored include the oldest retiree, Ronald Rayman 
Meyers, who worked from August 5, 1967, to December 31, 2005, and the 
youngest firefighter, Bradley Crafford, who joined in May of 2008. The 
October 4 celebration will be a commencement to Fire Prevention Week 
from October 5-11, 2008.
  Established after a damaging fire in 1890 that wiped out nearly every 
business on East Main Street, the first department was officially 
organized in 1908, naming C.C. Hooks as the first Fire Chief. The first 
permanent station was established in 1922 on East Guilford Street.
  Today there are a total of four stations (Pilot, Hasty, Thomasville, 
and Fairgrove), two engine companies, two ladder companies, and one 
squad unit, and a workforce of 61 employees who remain committed to 
protecting and educating the people throughout the community.
  It is quite an achievement to render 100 years of service in any 
endeavor, and for the Thomasville Fire Department to do it while 
protecting and serving its community is all the more impressive. Again, 
on behalf of the citizens of the Sixth District, we are proud to 
recognize this great accomplishment.