[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10964]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO ORANGE BEACH FIRE CHIEF FORNEY HOWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2011

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor an Alabamian who for more 
than four decades has stood watch over our communities and our homes, 
keeping us safe and risking his own life to protect many who were at 
the mercy of a fire, an accident or an unforeseen force of nature. On 
August 1, 2011, after forty-plus years on the job, Orange Beach Fire 
Chief Forney Howard will officially retire from public service.
  Chief Howard began his career in 1970 when he joined the City of 
Birmingham Fire Department. During his tenure in Alabama's largest 
city, Forney served in the Birmingham Fire Training Division for five 
years as Captain and as Chief of Training.
  During this period, over 500 firefighter recruits were trained and 
graduated from the Training Bureau. He had the privilege of being part 
of the first Paramedic Class in the State of Alabama during the summer 
of 1973. Chief Howard also served on the Birmingham's first Hazmat 
Unit. At his retirement from the Birmingham Fire Department, Chief 
Howard was Battalion Chief for the eastern district of that city.
  In April 2004, Forney Howard was appointed interim Fire Chief for the 
City of Orange Beach, and the following month the Mayor and City 
Council made the appointment permanent. His experience and abilities 
were put to the test early in his tenure when Hurricane Ivan made a 
direct hit on the Gulf Coast in September of that same year.
  Under his tenure with the City of Orange Beach, Chief Howard has lead 
the Fire Department and their Emergency Management services through 
several tropical occurrences, fires and the 2010 BP oil spill. Less 
than two months prior to his retirement, Chief Howard directed the 
Orange Beach Fire and Rescue response effort that successfully battled 
a significant wildfire at Gulf State Park.
  In 2003, Chief Howard was recognized as Firefighter of the Year in 
Orange Beach, Emergency Technician of the Year for Birmingham in 1975, 
and has been a past member and past President of the Alabama 
Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Howard served on the Board of 
Trustees for South Baldwin Medical Center and is currently on the Board 
of Trustees for Columbia Southern University, where he also obtained a 
Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science.
  A fighter who not only saved lives but is also a cancer survivor 
himself, Chief Howard recently told the Baldwin Register newspaper that 
he always enjoyed his work. ``People's worst days are our best days. 
That's when we get to do something and help people. We don't want 
anybody's house to burn, but we know what to do. We don't want anybody 
to get sick and have chest pains, but we know how to help you.''
  On behalf of the people of South Alabama, I wish to extend heartfelt 
congratulations to Chief Howard for a job well done. As he prepares to 
pass the reins of leadership, I wish all the best to him, his lovely 
wife of 45 years, Joyce, and their two children and five grandchildren.

                          ____________________