[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11527]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DERREK COLLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. STEPHEN LEE FINCHER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 2013

  Mr. FINCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Paris Police 
Patrolman Derrek Colley for his bravery in the line of duty. Because of 
Officer Colley's courage in the face of danger, the city of Paris, 
Tennessee narrowly avoided a tragedy.
   On January 24, 2013, Officer Colley responded to a call at Pine 
Ridge Apartments, a local apartment complex. After hearing calls for 
help, he located a man standing in the doorway of Apartment 710. The 
man was engulfed in smoke, and he was unable to move himself to safety. 
Additionally, there were several oxygen tanks in the apartment, and the 
man feared a catastrophic explosion as the flames slowly spread toward 
them.
   In spite of the chaos and confusion, Officer Colley remained calm 
and professional. Disregarding his own safety, Officer Colley rescued 
the immobilized man and pulled him to safety. Then, he called for 
additional backup of emergency services to fight the fire, and began 
evacuating the other apartments.
   Mr. Speaker, the citizens of Paris, Tennessee are safer because of 
the selfless acts of bravery from public servants like Officer Colley. 
We are lucky to have such professional and well-trained personnel to 
protect our community. I am honored to join his colleagues and 
neighbors in applauding him for his courage.

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