[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24326-24327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DEDICATION TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, this is National Fire 
Prevention Week. Last weekend, the National Fallen Firefighters 
Foundation held their memorial service out in Emmitsburg, Maryland. 
They added the names of 103 firefighters who died this year in the line 
of duty. That brings the total to 3,330 names on the memorial to fallen 
firefighters since it was established in 1981.
  As a volunteer firefighter and EMT, I've seen the bravery and 
dedication of the men and women who face infernos to save lives and 
property. They walk into hell, and they do so knowingly. Many never 
walk out again. That was the case on September 11, 2001, when 343 
firefighters lost their lives.
  There are more than a million firefighters across this country who 
respond to more than 2 million calls per year. We owe them a debt of 
gratitude that cannot be repaid.
  But there is something we can do. This week I cosponsored H. Res. 
729, a measure to request that the President designate a day as 
National Firefighters Memorial Day to commemorate Federal, State, and 
local firefighters killed or disabled in the line of duty. It's the 
least we can do for these heroes.

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