[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE TUTWILER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 25, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Tutwiler Volunteer Fire Department (Tutwiler VFD) located in Tutwiler, 
Mississippi. The department serves a population of 3,550 citizens.
  The Tutwiler VFD is staffed by twelve volunteers tasked with the 
responsibility of saving lives and responding to emergencies. The staff 
consists of both full and part time volunteers. Some of the volunteers 
have been certified by the National Fire Protection Association and/or 
the State of Mississippi as a highly trained and qualified firefighter 
and first responder. Volunteer fire departments with trained 
firefighters are an invaluable asset to rural areas like Tutwiler.
  The job of saving lives requires skill, a passion for life, and good 
equipment. Some of the volunteers work for more than one volunteer fire 
department because many communities are small and spread apart.
  The Tutwiler VFD has a lot of territory to cover. They respond to 
calls from the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, the 
Tallahatchie County School District, and neighboring communities. The 
correctional facility is a 2,800 bed facility, and the school district 
has a student body of over 800 students. When the Tutwiler VFD staff is 
not responding to calls, they engage in ongoing community outreach to 
educate citizens on fire safety measures and techniques.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
Tutwiler Volunteer Fire Department for the work they are doing to save 
lives in the Mississippi Delta.

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