[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAMIE TURNER

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that, on 
behalf of the Delaware congressional delegation, I wish to honor the 
exemplary service of Jamie Turner, director of the Delaware Emergency 
Management Agency, upon his retirement. Jamie has served as director 
for 13 years and during that time has provided first responders and 
Delaware citizens with emergency preparedness training and education to 
keep Delawareans safe when hazards such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and 
fires hit Delaware. His efforts will be a guide and inspiration for the 
hard-working employees at DEMA and the many first responders in 
Delaware for years to come.
  Jamie has a lifetime of experience when it comes to responding to 
emergency situations. In 1970, he began his education in fire 
protection technology at Delaware Technical Community College. He 
studied the causes and proper responses to various hazards and 
preventive measures that can be taken to avoid them entirely. Jamie 
took the knowledge he gained from his education and in 1976 began 
working with the Delaware State Fire School as the emergency service 
training administrator. It was his responsibility to supervise 
instructors, research technical information, and work with fire, 
rescue, and emergency medical services to develop necessary guidelines 
and effective procedures.
  Then, in 2000, he took on the role of executive secretary of the 
Delaware Volunteer Firemen's Association, where he was tasked with 
following legislation at every level of government that affected DVFA's 
membership. In this role, he researched different laws and ordinances 
to ensure that the DVFA was following the proper guidelines. Thanks to 
Jamie, Delaware's firefighters stayed informed on the regulations that 
were put in place to keep themselves and those in emergency situations 
safe.
  Jamie has been a dedicated public servant for years. Before his 
appointment to director of DEMA, he was serving and protecting Delaware 
through his consistent endeavors to remain on the cutting edge of best 
practices in emergency protocol and then use that experience to educate 
others in the field. He is active in the Smyrna Little League and 
continues to volunteer with the Delaware Fire Service.
  On behalf of Senator Chris Coons and Congressman John Carney, I 
wholeheartedly thank Jamie Turner for his service to the State of 
Delaware. His model leadership and dedication has improved the quality 
of our State's emergency response systems and has kept countless 
residents safe. We offer our sincere congratulations on a job well done 
and wish him and his wife Debbie, their daughters Kim and Katie, 
husbands Mike and Sean respectively, and their grandchildren Madelyn, 
Harper, Keegan, and Kolton many happy years to come.

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