[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24700]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING MURFREESBORO FIRE CHIEF DAVID BAXTER UPON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief 
David Baxter who is retiring from the Murfreesboro Fire Department 
after 30 years of service.
  When David began his career as a firefighter in 1977, the 
Murfreesboro Fire Department consisted of 60 personnel and four fire 
halls. Today, David oversees 120 personnel and 11 fire halls. In 
addition to fighting fires, today's personnel are certified to handle 
HAZMAT and extrication situations, and they are medically trained to be 
first responders.
  David worked with the Murfreesboro City Council and city 
administration to build one of Tennessee's best fire departments, which 
he has led as chief for the last 20 years.
  In 1988, the year David became chief, the Murfreesboro Fire 
Department had a Class 4 Insurance Service Organization rating. The ISO 
rating is a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of a fire 
department's fire-protection services--the lower the rating, the 
better. Today, the Murfreesboro Fire Department has a Class 2 rating, 
making it one of only two fire departments in Tennessee with this 
rating.
  David not only improved the fire department, but he also put policies 
in place that better ensure the safety of the Murfreesboro 
firefighters.
  Before David became the Fire Chief, firefighters were only required 
to wear coats and helmets when putting out fires. However, one of the 
first things David did upon becoming chief was necessitating that each 
firefighter within 10 feet of a fire be fully dressed in fire turnout 
gear and wear a self-contained breathing apparatus.
  David also initiated educational programs for schools and businesses 
and was a strong proponent of the installation of smoke detectors 
throughout the city.
  All of David's efforts over the years have made the Murfreesboro 
community safer and better protected.
  Thank you David. I hope you have a happy retirement.

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