[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 14, 2010

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Fire 
Department of Long Beach, California. Specifically, I would like to 
thank and honor firefighter paramedics Chuck Hakopian, Mark Miller, 
Joyce Vanderweide, and Carston Sorensen for their heroic response to an 
apartment fire in Long Beach last week. These firefighters risked their 
lives to save a young boy who was trapped in his bedroom as flames 
engulfed his family's apartment. Thanks to their bravery, 2-year-old 
Justin Aruomah is in stable condition and continues to improve daily.
  We must never take for granted the men and women of the local fire 
departments across the country who courageously respond to emergencies 
on a daily basis, risking their lives to save those of others. Their 
willingness to face danger in order to serve and protect their 
communities affords us a peace of mind that too often goes 
underappreciated.
  Madam Speaker, I am humbled by the firefighters of the Long Beach 
Fire Department, whose bravery and devotion to their community is 
nothing short of heroic. The events of last Monday, December 6, 2010 is 
only one of many moving examples of this heroism.
  Just after midnight, firefighter Chuck Hakopian and Carston Sorenson 
rushed into a burning apartment. They ran up the apartment's stairs 
through billowing clouds of smoke and into a bedroom that was engulfed 
in flames. The floor in the room was so weakened by the fire that Mr. 
Hakopian fell through the floor to his elbows. After pulling himself up 
and out of the collapsed floor, he rushed into a second bedroom, where 
he found 2-year-old Justin Aruomah lying face down on the floor. As Mr. 
Sorenson battled the flames with a fire hose, Mr. Hakopian covered the 
boy's head and body and rushed him out of the burning house to awaiting 
paramedics Mark Miller and Joyce Vanderweide. Justin was unconscious, 
but alive. As he was rushed to the hospital, Ms. Vanderweide and Mr. 
Miller were able to revive his breathing. Justin was soon placed in 
critical condition. Thanks to these brave men and women he is alive and 
recuperating.
  I do not share this story of bravery and sacrifice because it is any 
way uncommon. The firefighters of the Long Beach Fire Department, along 
with departments across the country, risk their lives every day to 
protect people who they have never met. These acts of selflessness are 
typically accompanied by little fanfare. These brave men and women 
simply return to work the next day to await the call of duty.
  I share this story because it is a powerful reminder of the need to 
support the men and women who stand ready to serve our communities, day 
and night. We have an obligation to provide our firefighters--along 
with our police officers, paramedics, and all other emergency 
responders--with the resources that they need to do their job 
successfully and as safely as possible. This means providing enough 
funding for them to afford all the necessary training and cutting-edge 
equipment. This is the right thing to do for the men and women who 
dedicate their lives to serving our communities.
  As the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on 
Emergency Communication, Preparedness, and Response, supporting our 
emergency responders is one of my top priorities in Congress. Emergency 
situations cannot always be prevented, but their effects can be 
mitigated by ensuring that emergency responders have all the resources 
that they need to protect us.
  Again, I thank Chuck Hakopian, Mark Miller, Joyce Vanderweide, and 
Carston Sorensen of the Long Beach Fire Department and the emergency 
responders all across the country who risk their lives on behalf of 
their communities. Your courage and selflessness do not go unnoticed.

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