[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  THE RETIREMENT OF PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF MARC 
                                BASHOOR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2017

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my gratitude and 
congratulations to an outstanding public servant and firefighter, who 
has been truly a gift to the people of Prince George's County, 
Maryland. Chief Marc Bashoor retired in February after leading the 
Prince George's County Fire Department for the past six years and 
following a career in the fire service that has lasted more than three 
decades. Throughout that time, he has won well-deserved praise from 
county, state, and national officials for his skill at management and 
his efforts to streamline operations and provide steady leadership. 
Chief Bashoor has also received high marks from residents across the 
county, grateful for the peace of mind that comes with a well-run fire 
department.
  Chief Bashoor, a native of Bowie in Prince George's County, came to 
the fire service at the young age of sixteen, when he began as a 
volunteer firefighter there. It was there at Station No. 39 that he met 
his wife, Laura, a fellow volunteer firefighter. Their wedding 
celebration prominently included a County fire truck, naturally. Chief 
Bashoor became a paid firefighter with the Prince George's County Fire 
Department in 1987 and served until 2004, when he retired and took a 
job as Director of Homeland Security for Mineral County in West 
Virginia. Thankfully, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker 
was able to convince him to return in 2010 as Fire Chief. I, and so 
many in my district, am very glad that he did.
  During his tenure in office, Chief Bashoor oversaw a major expansion 
to meet the needs of the growing county. He hired more paid 
firefighters, recruited more volunteers, purchased more vehicles and 
equipment, and worked to bring new fire stations online. He advocated 
for the Department to have a budget increase of 30 percent. It paid 
off, with response times to emergency calls going down measurably. We 
cannot even begin to speculate how many lives and properties were saved 
as a result.
  I've been fortunate to work closely with Chief Bashoor throughout his 
tenure. As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I've 
worked to increase F.I.R.E. and S.A.F.E.R. grants and ensure that the 
Prince George's County Fire Department and departments all across the 
country have the resources they need to keep their communities and 
their personnel safe. I've also joined with him to advance the work of 
ensuring that the families of fallen firefighters receive the benefits 
they deserve as well as the honor and gratitude they are owed.
  Mr. Speaker, our nation counts on dedicated fire service leaders like 
Chief Bashoor every day, and I join in thanking him and all who work or 
volunteer on the fire line. I hope my colleagues will join me in 
wishing Chief Bashoor well in his retirement and in thanking him for 
his extraordinary service to Prince George's County, the State of 
Maryland, and our nation.

                          ____________________