[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17594]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF CAPTAIN DAVID P. CONRAD, 2010 FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 15, 2010

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to 
recognize Captain I David P. Conrad, who has been awarded the Fairfax 
County Fire and Rescue Department 2010 Career Firefighter of the Year. 
This is the department's highest award, established in 1985 to provide 
special recognition for outstanding service and dedication in keeping 
with the highest traditions of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue 
Department. Captain Conrad is the 25th recipient of this award.
  Capt. Conrad has served the residents of Fairfax County for 28 years. 
During his exceptional career, he has consistently demonstrated his 
abilities as a teacher, firefighter, leader and member of the 
community. As a career firefighter, Capt. Conrad has taken on many 
roles and positions, serving as a member of the Technical Rescue 
Operations Team, the Virginia Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue 
Team, the America's Support Team, United Nations Disaster Support Team, 
the TROT Trench Committee, the Rescue Squad Committee, the Lieutenant's 
Test Committee, and the Captain's Test Committee. As a member of the 
elite VATF-1, Capt. Conrad has participated in multiple search and 
rescue operations around the world. Most recently, Capt. Conrad served 
as a team manager during the Haiti Earthquake rescue effort. Through 
his leadership, his team detected, located and rescued nine people who 
had been trapped.
  Providing the tools for other firefighters to succeed is a passion of 
Capt. Conrad, especially in the area of education. Capt. Conrad serves 
or has served as a recruit school adjunct instructor for nine years. He 
has taught three trench classes, set up and facilitated seven joint 
training evolutions with the military, taught Rapid Intervention Team 
operations, assisted with writing swift water rescue protocols, served 
as an adjunct instructor for several Rescue and Truck company schools, 
taught two Technical Search classes in Canada and two in the United 
States, and facilitated several VATF-1 Field Exercises. Currently, 
Capt. Conrad is an instructor for rope, trench, structural collapse and 
confined space operations, a lead instructor for FEMA in Technical 
Search and an adjunct instructor for FEMA in Structural Collapse. Capt. 
Conrad's level of expertise and willingness to share his knowledge is a 
key reason that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is one of 
the best in the world.
  Capt. Conrad has worked tirelessly to improve one of the finest fire 
departments in the country and help save lives. In just one example, he 
assisted with the development a new Rapid Intervention Team, RIT, kit 
for the department. These kits are essential for saving lives in 
emergency situations, and any improvement made to them will directly 
result in the preservation of life. It took more than five years, but 
when it was done, a new RIT air pack program was implemented. A great 
deal of credit belongs to Capt. Conrad for his work on this project, 
which has produced one of the most innovative firefighter survival 
tools ever used by the department. Capt. Conrad also accepted a multi-
year challenge to develop and implement new travel bags and backpacks 
for the Urban Search and Rescue Team. His design is now being used by 
many teams across the country.
  The saying ``Character Matters 24-7'' could have been written to 
describe Capt. Conrad. He exemplifies how a firefighter and officer 
should live his or her life. In addition to the professional and 
educational contributions that he has made, Capt. Conrad is a 
compassionate and tenacious advocate for others in the community. 
Whether it is helping paint the home of a fellow firefighter who was 
ill, serving on many Christmas in April and Habitat for Humanity 
projects, helping a local church with an extreme makeover for a D.C. 
resident who was in significant need, constructing an orphanage in 
Nicaragua, or just being available to help no matter what the project 
or who was in need, Capt. Conrad has always answered the call.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Captain I 
David P. Conrad for his years of service and in congratulating him on 
being named the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department 2010 
Firefighter of the year. Firefighters and all first responders are true 
heroes for our country. They risk their lives every day to ensure the 
well being and safety of our communities. These heroes often go 
unrecognized for their dedication and sacrifices. On behalf of the 
residents of Northern Virginia, I am honored to thank these brave men 
and women for their contributions to our communities, and I say to each 
of them, Stay Safe.

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