[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TOM RUMMEL

 Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, today I recognize Tom Rummel of 
Sanders County, who has served as sheriff since 2010. Thanks to his 
initiative and hard work, citizens affected by the Copper King Fire 
have been kept safe and up to speed on the latest fire activity.
  Sheriff Rummel has coordinated local law enforcement and emergency 
services for weeks to ensure the safety of Montanans and their property 
as the Copper King Fire has grown to be the largest wildfire in the 
State.
  As the fire increased in size to over 28,000 acres, Mr. Rummel 
implemented evacuation and pre-evacuation notices to numerous 
residences. In addition to phone calls, public notices around the 
county, and house visits, Sheriff Rummel has used Facebook to keep the 
community apprised of the very latest information about the fire. He 
has posted regular updates to the Sanders County Sheriff's Facebook 
page, using the power of social media to get the word out to his 
community.
  While recent weather has tempered the spread of the Copper King Fire, 
Sanders County will not be completely out of the woods until we see a 
season-ending weather event. As Montanans continue to suffer the 
consequences of Federal mismanagement of our forests, it is often up to 
local leaders to protect our communities from wildfires.
  I commend Sheriff Rummel for his tireless work to keep Montanans safe 
and keep his community informed. All Montanans, and indeed all 
Americans, owe our local law enforcement and emergency responders a 
debt of gratitude for their daily efforts on our behalf.

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