[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6522-6523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE BUSH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
dedication and devotion shown by a group of men and women to their 
local community. The longstanding services of the Bush Volunteer Fire 
Department in Laurel County, KY, has been on the cutting edge of rural 
and volunteer fire departments in the State of Kentucky since the 
department's beginnings in 1975.
  What is so inspiring about the individuals in the Bush VFD is that 
despite the obstacles placed before them, they have always persevered 
and prevailed. While the men and women of the department have 
experienced many successes and accomplishments, I think it is safe to 
say that these individuals feel that their biggest achievement is the 
opportunity to serve and protect their fellow citizens in the face of 
danger.
  The Bush Volunteer Fire Department was conceived of by a group of 13 
local men who saw a flaw within their community. At the time, the 
Laurel County Fire Department presided over the Bush community, but the 
LCFD was over half-an-hour away. The 13 men in Bush decided that the 
LCFD was just too far away, and for the safety of their citizens, it 
was time to assemble a firefighting unit closer to home. The LCFD 
donated a 1947 K-model International fire truck, and just like that, 
the Bush Volunteer Fire Department was born.
  Since the beginning of the department, the men and women at BVFD have 
sought to become the best that they could possibly be, by implementing 
new and innovative practices at each and every turn in the road. In 
less than a year since their start in 1975, the department had secured 
funds to develop a fire station to house its truck and equipment. Bush 
VFD was also the third rural volunteer department in the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky to receive a Class 7 rating from ISO.
  In 2011, the department began a junior firefighter program to enlist 
the help of eager youth in the community in a safe and beneficial way. 
In 2011, BVFD also enlisted its first female member, Whitney Minton, 
who joined in alongside her father Rick. These changes, and others, 
have assisted the Bush Volunteer Fire Department in attaining much of 
the success it knows today.
  I am encouraged by the passion for service of the men and women 
firefighters and EMTs of the Bush Volunteer Fire Department. Former 
Bush Chief Ernest Rudder has had the pleasure of following in his 
father's footsteps, Birchell L. Rudder, in working in the fire house. 
Ernest's son Marc joined the ranks once he had reached the proper age, 
and now his son Noah is anxious to be the fourth generation of Rudders 
to enter firefighting. The Bush Fire Department is truly a family 
affair for families like the Rudders.
  I wonder if those 13 men who took it upon themselves in 1975 to enact 
change in their community ever thought their dream of a volunteer fire 
department would become such a huge success. Although this story is 
common in our country, let us not go without recognizing those who set 
themselves apart in pursuit of a better future, like those in the Bush 
community.
  Mr. President, at this time I would like to ask my colleagues in the 
United States Senate to join me in paying tribute to the outstanding 
service of the many volunteers over the course of the lifetime of the 
Bush Volunteer Fire Department.
  There was recently an article published in the Sentinel-Echo: Silver 
Edition, an eastern Kentucky local periodical magazine, highlighting 
the many years of service given by the Bush Volunteer Fire Department. 
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that said article be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

                [From the Sentinel-Echo: Silver Edition]

                          They Answer the Call

                            (By Sue Minton)

       Imagine waking in the middle of the night with your home 
     engulfed in a sea of black smoke, or out for an afternoon 
     drive when you spot a cloud of smoke billowing from a distant 
     hillside. The first call you make is to the county dispatch. 
     Pagers buzz in pockets and on tables of volunteer 
     firefighters, summoning them to their stations. And they 
     always come.
       Members of the Bush Volunteer Fire Department have been 
     answering these calls for almost 37 years.
       In April 1975, 13 men from the Bush community met at 
     Providence Baptist Church for the purpose of organizing a 
     fire department to protect the lives and property within 
     their community.
       The reason for starting the department, according to Dennis 
     Minton, charter and current board of trustees member, was--
     ``The Laurel County Fire Department was responding to calls 
     in the county. It could be as long as 30 minutes from the 
     time they received the call until they arrived at the scene 
     (in the old Bush community). By this time, in most cases, the 
     structure was on the ground or fully involved. The residents 
     needed and deserved better protection within their 
     community.''
       A fire department was organized and they received their 
     first truck before they found a home.
       ``The Laurel County Fire Department donated the department 
     a used 1947 K-model International,'' said Ernest Rudder, 
     charter member and captain. ``Because we didn't have a 
     building, the truck was parked at different firemen's 
     homes.''
       With fundraising and donations, in less than a year a two-
     story building was constructed off east Ky. 80 on Ky. 1803 
     adjacent to the ``old'' Bush School. To repay a proposed 
     loan, in May of 1976 the fire department proposed a tax rate 
     of .08 cents per $100 on real-estate property. Today, that 
     tax rate has been lowered to .0570 cents. The primary purpose 
     of the loan was to pay for fire hydrants and dry hydrants, 
     which were installed throughout the district.
       This move paved the way for the district to receive a Class 
     7 rating from ISO. ``We were the third rural volunteer 
     department in the

[[Page 6523]]

     Commonwealth of Kentucky to be granted this rating,'' Rudder 
     said. ``This move also substantially lowered insurance rates 
     for some homeowners.''
       Under the leadership of its first chief, Kenneth Smith 
     (1975 to 1984), the department grew in manpower and 
     equipment. But, at 3:43 a.m. on June 20, 1984, members of the 
     fire department responded to a blaze at the last place they 
     would have expected their own station.
       Daybreak found the firefighters still on the scene, and the 
     realization was sinking in they had lost their building and 
     all their equipment.
       The loss of the building was a major blow for the firemen 
     and the community, but the Bush residents were never without 
     fire protection. Other departments in and outside the county 
     volunteered their service and equipment.
       ``One of the trucks brought to the fire by Laurel County 
     Fire Department stayed until we got a new truck,'' Rudder 
     said. ``Bell County Fire Department also sent a tanker for us 
     to use.''
       In January 1985, the community and county were invited to a 
     dedication and open house for the newly rebuilt fire station.
       The new station grew both in size and membership from 13 
     charter members without a fire truck or station into a roster 
     of 42 active volunteers, seven of whom are EMTs; three Class 
     A pumpers; and two tankers.
       Bush Fire Department proudly protects more than 10,000 
     people living in an area of 35 square miles and operates out 
     of two stations--Fire Station No.2, opened in 1993, is 
     located on east Ky. 80 in the Lick Fork community. 
     ``Congressman Hal Rogers gave the dedication address,'' 
     Rudder said.
       Six chiefs were elected to command the department over the 
     years; the current is Phillip Williams, and the longest 
     serving chief was Don Minton (1999 to 2010).
       The fire chiefs, along with their men, have one thing in 
     mind: ``to serve and protect the Bush community.'' And this 
     they are doing by continuing their training and recruiting 
     new members.
       In 2011, the department initiated a junior firefighter 
     program.
       Also in 2011, Whitney Minton became the first female member 
     of the department, joining her father, Rick, a sergeant.
       In volunteer fire departments, and for many in close-knit 
     rural communities, it is natural that one generation would 
     follow the next on the department roll.
       And it was a given that Marc Rudder would follow in the 
     footsteps of his father, Ernest Rudder.
       Marc Rudder knew that he would grow up to become a 
     firefighter. ``Being able to watch the firefighters help the 
     people of the community in their time of need played a major 
     role in the factor of me wanting to be a fireman,'' Marc 
     Rudder said.
       ``I feel that the fire department is something that I have 
     always known,'' he added. ``I always played `fireman' as a 
     child. I did not know childhood without the fire department. 
     I got to play with small toy fire trucks and big real fire 
     trucks.''
       ``Yes, he has been interested in all things fire or EMS 
     since he was just a small child,'' Ernest Rudder added. 
     ``Like he said, his first toys were fire trucks, ambulances 
     and police cars. It is just natural that he would want to be 
     a firefighter.''
       ``Marc was with me at the fire department meetings from the 
     time he was a small boy.'' he added. ``He was around the 
     volunteers and he learned as we did.''
       At that time, the fire department didn't have a junior 
     firefighter program, so Marc could not join the department. 
     But by the time he was 16 years old, he was taking classes 
     with the other firemen. ``When he could `officially' be on 
     the roster, he was ready to be certified with his required 
     150 hours of training,'' his father said.
       ``One of my first jobs was as an EMT with Ambulance Inc. of 
     Laurel County,'' Marc Rudder said. ``And I feel this was due 
     to the influence the fire department had on me.''
       His exposure to the volunteers at Bush Fire Department has, 
     in a round-about way, given him that experience that is now 
     his life's career.
       Rudder, who is the State Fire Rescue Training Area 13 
     Coordinator with the Kentucky Fire Commission, said the 
     knowledge he learned at the Bush Fire Department has helped 
     him each day in his job.
       ``I feel that coming from a volunteer department serving a 
     rural community has a great benefit over many other people 
     that I work with across the country.''
       He coordinates an office that provides training and 
     assistance to 67 fire departments in eight counties in 
     southeastern Kentucky. His office is also an assisting agency 
     to the fire departments in the area for any information that 
     they might need to better serve their communities. Rudder has 
     studied at the National Fire Academy in Maryland and also 
     serves on committees across the region, state, nation, and 
     world.
       The fourth generation of the Rudder family, Noah, can't 
     wait to follow in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, 
     grandfather and father.
       His great-grandfather, Birchell L. Rudder, was an original 
     member of the board of trustees, being elected in 1975, 
     elected chairman of the board of trustees in 1979, and served 
     as chairman until 1996, but remained on the board until his 
     death in 2002.
       Noah Rudder, a seventh-grader at North Laurel Middle 
     School, has been coming to the Monday night meetings like his 
     father, Marc, for a long time. He is just waiting until he is 
     old enough to become a junior firefighter.
       ``I like to go to the fire department because I know all 
     the people and they are like family to me. And I enjoy 
     learning about firefighting and seeing the equipment,'' he 
     said.
       ``Incidentally, Noah is an authority on all things having 
     to do with 9/11,'' his grandfather added.
       Also, Noah's aunt, Dawn, and her husband, Frank Kilby, are 
     members of the Laurel County Volunteer Fire Department.
       ``The department is comprised of members from all walks of 
     life and everyone brings something to the table,'' Ernest 
     Rudder said. ``During an emergency, we are all business. We 
     are a department of friends and neighbors. But we are always 
     willing to welcome another member.''
       ``We like what we do. We volunteer our time to help people 
     when they need it. It's giving back to the community. And the 
     department has an excellent relationship with the community. 
     They visit schools to present fire-safety programs, allow 
     children to climb onto their fire trucks, and participate in 
     local parades and other civic functions.''
       From its earliest beginnings, the Bush Volunteer Fire 
     Department has realized the importance of training for this 
     most hazardous job. Proper training ensures that the best 
     interests of the citizens are being served and they are able 
     to return to the station without the life of a firefighter 
     being harmed or lost.
       Requirements for being a certified firefighter in Kentucky 
     are the same, but Bush requires each member to obtain at 
     least 20 additional hours of training a year.
       ``Many of the members are certified or currently obtaining 
     emergency medical technician training, which requires more 
     training every two years,'' Marc Rudder said.
       ``This training will enable the EMTs to provide medical 
     care to the community and assist the EMS agency.''
       Because of the extensive training Bush Fire Department 
     members receive, they hold the honor of being five-time 
     Kentucky Firefighter Olympic Champions, having won the title 
     in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993. The team retired 
     undefeated.
       ``Firefighters have become more aware of the dangers of 
     being firefighters, EMS workers and police officers since 9/
     11,'' he continued. ``Many new training requirements have 
     come about since Sept. 11, 2011, and I believe the people who 
     want to be firefighters realize the dangers and the great 
     responsibility that being a firefighter entails. I imagine 
     all the fire departments have gotten better and train harder 
     because of 9/11.''
       Every firefighter is by law a ``peace officer'' and duty-
     bound to report anything unseemly they come across.
       In the post-9/11 world we live in today, firefighters are 
     expected to do even more to safeguard the lives of residents 
     in their districts. They must be able to address all hazards, 
     not just fires.
       As ``first responders,'' firefighters can provide 
     information to emergency-response agencies that have not yet 
     arrived on the scene. They can determine the situation and 
     decide what resources are required, whether it be an 
     ambulance, law enforcement, hazmat team, or an arson 
     investigator.
       House fires kill and injure thousands yearly, and cost many 
     more their valued possessions and memories.
       ``The activity report for 2011 has Bush Volunteer Fire 
     Department responding to 102 calls,'' Ernest Rudder said. 
     ``Thankfully, only nine were structure fires. We had several 
     grass fires and about five or six vehicle fires. The vast 
     majority of our calls these days are to assist Ambulance Inc. 
     of Laurel County with automobile accidents or to answer and 
     investigate residential smoke or fire alarms.''
       Rudder said it would be hard to designate the most 
     dangerous fire the department had responded to over the 
     years. ``But the Blackwater Church fire was really big with a 
     roof collapse. The big fires in the city of London that we've 
     assisted with and the fires at Chaney Lumber were big and 
     dangerous. We've never had anyone seriously hurt, but 
     recently, on a mutual-aid fire with Laurel County, two of our 
     men were knocked down when the garage doors and ceiling fell 
     on them. Luckily, there were several other firemen there who 
     pulled them to safety.''

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